BE PREPARED

A.      It is important to start exam preparation early to provide the best chance of retaining the information needed.

B.      Make a study plan and think about how and where study should occur in the home to avoid unnecessary distractions – the bedroom is often not the best place for study as procrastination is likely with less supervision.

C.       It can be easy to get overwhelmed when cramming, so avoid leaving it to the last minute.

REVISION TIPS

Revising work will help convert content from short-term to long-term memory. Checking the Learning Intentions and Success Criteria from lessons will provide a great information about where to start revising. Use the 80/20 rule for studying or the Pareto Principle. It states that 20% of the input is responsible for 80% of the output. In terms of study, 20% of the topics can help yield 80% of the marks. Students have to stop trying to cover every minute detail and focus on the important understanding or themes of the work. Once this 20% is focused on, the understand can be applied to a range of different scenarios.   

1)      Create your own revision sheet by compiling the Learning Intentions and Success Criteria for the unit.

2)      When organising notes, consider chunking the content into sections and diagrams. It is often easier to recall information that is represented diagrammatically – colours can also help with memory recall.  

3)      Avoid scheduling large slabs of time to study for each subject. Alternating work for shorter periods of time is a great way to sustain concentration levels.

4)      Scheduling some time off is important also … it’s all about balance.

EXAM STRATEGY

Students should consider how they will tackle an exam. The questions presented to students will vary in exams and across subject areas. It is important to consider how to best respond to the different styles of questioning. Below is a basic breakdown of some common exam question styles with some tips about how to tackle them:

Multiple Choice
Many students believe that to answer these questions thexaminer. ey only need to be able to recall basic information about the topic. We have also all heard the saying “When in doubt … choose C”. A well-written multiple choice question, however, will require the student to have thorough knowledge of the subject, but also to be able to use it to discriminate between similar answers.

1.       Carefully note the linking words in both the question stem and possible answers.

2.       Beware of double negatives. For example, the question might ask ‘which of the following is true?’, and the first answer may read, a) it is not the case that  …’

3.       Think carefully about questions that contain words such as never and always.

4.       Even if you think that one answer may be correct, check the others to make sure they are incorrect.

5.       If you are not sure of the answer, then have a guess. Never leave a multiple choice answer blank.

Short Response Questions

Your aim here is to provide a clear, logical explanation that can be easily read by the examiner. Summarise your main points in the first part of the answer. This is also helpful if you are running low of time as the examiner will be able to see where you were heading with the response.

Long Response Questions/Essay Style Questions

Do not rush into writing - Start with a box plan. Planning your long response questions is a critical step in ensuring you cover your main points. The introduction should outline these main points of the argument. If the response is planned, it is more likely to have a logical sequence of ideas throughout the body paragraphs. Try to focus on only one main point per paragraph

Problem Solving Questions
Read the question carefully, especially taking note of the question you will have to address (in all of its parts). Consider the data or stimulus that has been provides, and what has been left out. Link this data to the concepts that have been taught and then plan the steps that need to be taken in order to address the question. Be sure that all parts of the question have been addressed in the response.