So you may have been up all night cramming way too
much info into your brain for your exam the next day. Here are some
general tips to help you do your best going into the exam room.
Plan to peak for tests
Reach for your ultimate preparation and alertness for the exam time.
Focus and supercharge your mind.
Get
some sleep! Don't stay up all night if you want to be alert. You reach a
point where your productivity declines anyway, so sleep to refresh your
mind the next morning.
Remember the main points of your notes, reviewing what the instructor has emphasized to supercharge your intermediate memory.
Make maximum use of your short term memory
Make maximum use of your short term memory
Review crucial facts and info in the minutes while you're waiting for the exam room to open up.
Recall and write that info immediately when the test starts.
Memorize key facts
Use
memory tricks to help such as acronyms and unusual illustration to
associate to the key words and facts you have to remember.
Choose the order of your answers wisely
Choose the order of your answers wisely
Begin by skimming the questions as quickly as possible and note any initial thoughts beside each question.
You
don't always have to start at the beginning if you know another
question better. Start on a question you know well to give you
confidence, get off to a good start, that you can finish quickly rather
than getting stuck on and taking valuable time on one you're less sure
of.
Remember your objective is to show the prof
what you know. If your thoughts aren't clicking on one question, you're
probably wasting your time. Move on to a question where you can be more
productive.
Spend more time on heavier weighted questions.
In answering the questions:
Take a few moments to organize your answers to avoid presenting information in a random disarray.
Have
rough paper handy to jot a quick outline or checklist of points you
want to cover (and to capture those few points you reviewed while
waiting for the exam to start that are in your short term memory!), or
try a couple of approaches on a proof if you're not sure of the
solution.
On longer written answers, be sure to have an introduction and conclusion.
Be as interesting and creative as you possibly can in your limited time.
Go for partial credit when you don't know the answer in full.
On true/false and multiple choice questions, always make a guess if there is no penalty for wrong answers.
Be
thorough and show what you do know. Let the prof know what you're
thinking. If you just put down the conclusion and you're wrong, you get
no credit. So write down every thought that might be pertinent. Write as
much and as fast as you can. Lay a framework for an answer. Even if
your conclusion is wrong, the prof can see your reasoning, maybe some of
that is right.
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