Pre exam

Take your one page summaries and compare them with the lecture notes you took for the week. Look for gaps between the two sets of notes. Transfer material not covered in one over to the other. (ie. if the two sets are the same except for three points not covered in the text but covered in the lectures, then copy this across to the text book summary you have done).

At the end of this, throw one of the two sets of notes out. This is ok as they should be identical at this stage. Now you have a full semester/study period's worth of notes that only run to a couple of pages each, with all of the salient points from the weekly topic contained in one document. Do not look at anything else re this topic - it will only serve to confuse. This includes not looking at the text book. If you have performed the above task properly, then all you need to know for the exam is right in front of you in your own study notes.

In studying for the exam, ensure that you create a balance between study, work commitments and social life. At the end of the last week of study, draw up a calendar for all of the dates between the current date and your last exam. The first thing to do is to put all of the non-study commitments you have into the calendar. Once you have done this you will understand what time you have left to study. Make sure you include time to rest - the pub, TV, friends, dinner, etc. Creating a balance is the most important goal.

Now make a list of those things that you need to do to complete the study. This might include (but is not limited to):

· Practice examinations
· Reading the summarised notes
· Meeting with the academic to discuss problems/misinterpretations
· Meeting with fellow students for study groups

Allocate time to do each. Be realistic with your time allocation.

If you do choose to do practice exams, make sure you do one or two in your own time frame (for confidence sake) and one or two in the real time allocation of the exam (for real practice sake).

Following such steps should allow you time enough for everything.

Exam

• Write neatly - the examiner will probably read your paper in 15 minutes and will read a great many of them during the course of marking. Ensure that your handwriting is legible. (ie. remember your audience). Underline key points and use a highlighter to identify points of difference you feel might exist between yours and other student's responses. (eg. examples)
• Start with a plan. If you are doing essay or short answer questions, ensure you start with a plan and allocate time to the plan. It will ensure a structured response and also assist with time management throughout the course of the exam
• Allocate time based on the marks awarded. If one question is a quarter of the marks, then allocate a quarter of the time. If another question is half the marks, then half the time and so on and so forth.
• Use the headings in your plan as headings in your exam. In much the same way you use headings in an assignment, doing so in an exam will assist you with structuring your response and will assist the examiner with their marking.
• Use examples wherever possible

Post exam

Go to the pub, go out to dinner, see a movie, go see a band….you deserve it!