The Essentials
Find out how you'll be assessed. What kinds of exams will you be sitting - multiple choice, essay, open-book, take-home? Different types of exams often require different kinds of preparation.
Look at old exam papers. Find out what areas of the course or which topics have been examined in the past. Review the subject's handbook and objectives to gain a sense of the main issues that have been covered and the types of knowledge you will be expected to demonstrate. As you review your notes try to recall how the material has been examined in the past. At the end of each unit of work it is useful to ask: how might this be tested in the exam?
Be clear about:
- How many exams you will have and what the exam is worth as a percentage of your final grade.
- Whether there will be a choice of task or questions in the exams
- Whether the department is running any exam information sessions
- Where to find old exam papers and perhaps even model answers
- Set goals and prepare early
- Find a space just for study
- Organise your subject material
- Prioritise your subjects
- Prioritise the topics within a subject
- Make a revision timetable
