A revision timetable helps you avoid running out of time, missing vital information and finding it all a bit too much. 15 minutes of planning will help you be more productive, keep you motivated and will boost your confidence for the challenge ahead.
If you feel anxious when preparing for an exam, take some time to think about what is causing the anxiety because, once you know what is causing it, you will be in a better position to tackle it.
Exam anxiety could be linked to: being generally a bit of worrier, a tendency to be anxious; being poorly prepared; you had a bad experience in a previous exam; you are a perfectionist, and think anything less than top marks is a failure; you are not feeling well or you are on medication.
If you are feeling tense in an exam, stop, put down your pen and relax. Breathe slowly and close your eyes for a few minutes. If it helps, put your head on the desk. Shake your arms. Say something positive and encouraging to yourself.
In an exam, take time to read through all the instructions and questions carefully. Do that at least twice to make sure you get a firm grasp of the questions.
People working in an organised environment are able to be more productive and focused than someone working in a disorganised setting: you can concentrate better if your space is tidy and organised.
In multiple-choice exams, it’s useful to read each question carefully, predict the right answer, read all the options before you pick one, eliminate obviously wrong options, and skip questions you can’t answer and come back to them later.
In multiple-choice exams, you have to recall lots of information quickly, because you can only spend a short period of time on each question. When revising, focus on factual information, like definitions and multi-step processes.
Time is likely to be scarce in an open-book exam. Make sure you know the basic answers and, if necessary, look up an exact formula, a numerical value, or supporting evidence for your answers.
In an open-book exam, the books are just memory aids so you don’t have to remember pages of information. Trust what you know from your revision; only look up key information such as quotes and formulas; if you’re allowed, place flags in key sections to save time.