Thinking Positively 2 Prep arin g for R e v isi on Challenging Disabling beliefs 3 Organising your Time and Study 4 How to survive exams Organi si ng yo ur R e v isi on Be structured and focused 5 St u dy Ti ps Study Goals 5 'Work Blocks' 5 Re-organising your knowledge 6 R e v isi on St ra t egi es 'Boiling down' and 'building up' 6 Using past exam papers 7 The review process 8 R e v iew i ng Yo ur L ea rni ng Way to improve your powers of recall 9 R e cal li ng w hat yo u L ea rn Practicing recall 10 Final Checks 11 Ju st Be fo re t he Exa m Outside the exam room 11 Before you start 12 Beginning: making decisions 12 I n t he Ex a m Answering a question 12 Finishing the exam 12 Produced by The University of Hull 2 1. PREPARING FOR REVISION The first step: think positively At times of stress thinking negatively increases our anxiety. Examples: ‘Other people are brighter than me’ ‘I can always do the resits’. Result? A vicious circle. What negative things do you say to yourself? You may recognise some of the following, and have some more of your own to add: • It would be catastrophic if I didn’t do very well. • My parents will be devastated if I fail • It’s all too late, there’s nothing I can do about it now. Can you think of any more? • • • Produced by The University of Hull 3 Challenging Disabling Beliefs During times of stress, learn to support yourself. Talk to yourself in an affirmative way. Remind yourself of your skills and resources. The following may be useful or help you to create your own supportive statements: • I’ve succeeded in exams in the past • I have done a lot of revision • I’m not alone in finding exams stressful • There are practical ways I can cope with my anxiety • Being anxious is helping me to stay alert and get on with my revision. • I’ll do better in exams if I give myself proper breaks • There are people I can turn to for advice and support Can you think of any more? • • • • • Produced by The University of Hull 4 2. ORGANISING YOUR REVISION Organising your time and your study • Plan your revision – make a timetable for the revision period as a whole, then break it down into weekly and daily plans. • In the beginning, try to put in two good learning sessions a day. Vary these between the morning, afternoon and evening. You can increase this to three sessions as you get nearer the exams BUT ONLY if you need to, because you need to… • Remember the principles of time management – allow time off for yourself and do not set impossible tasks. But don’t put off work by constantly revising your timetable! • Remember to negotiate your needs with others. • Build in rewards - consider allowing yourself one whole day off a week, as well as some time each day. • Establish good working practices. (See section on ‘Study Tips’, p5). • Set ‘Study Goals’. (See section on ‘Study Tips’, p 5). • Use ‘Work Blocks’. (See section on ‘Work Blocks’, p 5). • ‘Review’ your learning. (See section on ‘Reviewing Your Work’, p 8). 3. Study Tips Know why you are watching a video; attending a lecture or class - what do you want from that session? If reading - know why you are reading that text. What do you want or need from it? Which bit of your work will it help you with? Work at relaxation techniques. D on 't fi n ish a se ssi on o n a pr oblem. B e stru cture d an d fo cus ed O th er ideas Look after yourself, eat properly/ exercise, etc. It will be hard to start next time if you do. If you do have to stop at a difficult point make a note of the difficulty and why it was a problem. Try to talk it over with someone, or make a mental note to sleep on it and come up with a solution. Kn ow wha t y ou w an t to ach i eve ha v e clea r study go als Se t you rself ne w stu dy g oa ls . Use ' Work B lock s' & do n' t bi ng e Set goals for each study period. Know what you want to achieve before you start work. Be clear, be specific. What are you going to do next? Why are you going to do it? When are you going to do it? Study time: around 50 minutes maximum, then a ten minute break. Then another 50 minutes. If you are continuing I would recommend a break of 30 minutes. look out for signs of tiredness Then repeat the process. For example, 45 - 50 minutes work th en 10 minutes break 45 - 50 minutes work th en 20/30 minutes break 45 - 50 minutes work th en 10 minutes break 45 - 50 minutes work th en Pass out ! Form a study group? up with a mate or mates? Some students take off their watch when they sit down to work. They then set a kitchen timer (or similar). This helps them stay focused on their work and means they are less likely to be distracted. They say that the time can go really quickly. When the timer goes off, they stop work and have their break. 4. Revision Strategies understanding is the key - use paraphrase and summary techniques, based on the SQ3R reading system Survey REMEMBER... Question Read Recall Review you have to do something with the material - you have to process it in some way! learning is most effective if it is continually being tested. Above all, practise, be active: don't be passive - don't just re-read material, or sit and stare at books and notes - be active. Talk to yourself, sing! walk around be active! Get organised Try re-organising your knowledge of a subject. Make notes of gaps in your knowledge – you have a chance to rectify them. When reading, read with a pen or pencil in your hand to write down relevant points. Vary the kind of revision you do so you don’t become stale. Consult tutors – ask them to check if your notes are on the right lines. Boiling down and building up Reduce notes to key headings, points and references (name and date only). Reduce information to a series of memory triggers. Then reduce a set of triggers to one key word or image. Practice expanding your information from the key word or key image, up to an essay in ‘kit form’. Make master cards with key memory triggers for whole topics. Produced by The University of Hull Use past exam papers. Each question links to an area of your course, try to find the link. Look for recurring patterns. Spend time reflecting on, and practicing, a range of answers to a range of possible exam questions for each topic. Develop a ‘topic bank’ – once you know the material you can apply it to any question that might come up. Select the most important theories, references and evidence for each topic. Work out in advance what you can leave out. Other useful strategies Practice your handwriting under timed conditions – you need to know how much you can write. This might affect the way you prepare your material. Eventually, attempt a full length answer in timed conditions. Then, try a full length paper. N. B. When you try a practise essay, write on alternate lines. This leaves a space so you can make comments, add missing details, etc. Rewards – treat yourself kindly – reward yourself as you achieve targets. 7 Produced by The University of Hull 8 5. REVIEWING YOUR LEARNING I do revise, but then forget it the next day. What can I do? Within 24 hours of a one hour leaning period, at least 80% of the detailed information that you have learnt is lost . . . unless you review your learning. ‘Review’ is essential to help strengthen your learning. Aim to review your work as you go – try to build some review time into your revision plan. If you find that you soon forget what you have learnt, learn to build in a process of reviewing your learning. • Work only for a maximum of 50 minutes, then take a ten minute break. • After this break you should review your learning. Try to make brief notes to make your learning conscious. Do it at this time because you actually remember better 10 minutes after you have finished studying! This review will only take a few minutes. • The next review should take place one hour later. The next review should take place one day later. After this, recall will probably be okay for about a week, when another 2-4 minute review can be completed followed by a further review after about one month. After this time the knowledge will be lodged in long term memory. Summary Begin with the learning session - review 10 minutes later. Review 1 hour later. Review one day (24 hours) later. Review a week later. Review a month later. • Make it active: don’t just re-read your knowledge: test it. Each review shouldn’t take more than a few minutes. Produced by The University of Hull 9 6. RECALL WHAT YOU LEARN The principle task of learning in revision is putting the information into your long-term memory store so that you can retrieve it in the exam, into your working memory. Making recall easier Flanagan (1997) argues that we remember: We remember: 20% of what we read 30% of what we hear 40% of what we see 50% of what we say 60% of what we do 90% of what we read, hear, see, say and do To make information distinctive try using: Keywords – summarise important points on postcards or posters – carry cards around with you. Put lively, colourful posters on your wall/ceiling. Keep looking at them – absorb the information! Use numbers – numbered points can sometimes help you remember Use mindmind-maps – these add shape and colour to your notes Create mnemonics – be silly or rude? – use capital letters to remember lists? Use ‘pegging’ techniques – visualise a room and ‘peg’ your notes about a topic to different features of the room. Create your own system. Tape record your notes – use personal stereos/car stereos. Get friends to help by recording in their voice to avoid tedium Use musicmusic add this to tapes as an association tool – or revise to music, always using the same tunes for the same topic. Use rhymes – rhyme is a very powerful memory trigger Use colour – maybe write introductions in one colour, main points in another? Use multimulti-sensory methods – look at colours, listen to sounds, write with a pen and move around the room – speak aloud Revise with a pen – write it, say it, review it, recall it, check it. Produced by The University of Hull 10 PRACTICING RECALL In the exam you need to be able to get the information out of long-term memory. You need to practise getting it out. The more you practice the more likely you are to be able to recall information under pressure. This means testing yourself: Test yourself actively – not just by re-reading. Practise recalling the main points. Ask yourself questions and write down answers. Use post-it notes /note cards to cue your recall Set yourself questions ‘Pal up’ – work with a friend and prepare questions for the other to answer Imagine yourself in the exam recalling the information Work on past papers – generate sketches for answers in kit form – practice responding quickly to the title. Finally build up to writing full, timed answers. Produced by The University of Hull 11 7. Just Before the Exam Final checks and things Check all details – time/place/paper-reference, code number. Make sure you know the time and place of the exam. If you are worried about getting up – or getting there on time – make a deal with a friend to get each other up and to get each other to the exam. Work on your game plan – organise your timings – check the rubric Check that all is organised regarding any special arrangements for the exam. Visualise what lies ahead - imagine yourself waiting to start, even visit the room? Outside the exam room • Don’t stand near to people who panic. • Try to stay calm - don’t compare notes, have some private time. Produced by The University of Hull 12 8. In the exam Before you start Have you got everything you need? Sweets? Drinks? Pens? Get comfy. Ask for windows to be opened or shut - wedge wobbly desks Check the clock with your watch – take it off and lay it on the desk. Use relaxation techniques to decrease your panic. Beginning – making decisions REMEMBER TO STICK TO YOUR GAME PLAN Read the exam paper, instructions and all sides of the paper. Select your questions and allocate your time (already planned). Remember to include time for planning / writing / checking Answer on your strongest topic first, while you are still fresh. Answering a question Analyse the title – identify Process and Content1 words. Then read all the other words to make sure you don’t miss something. Read the question again. Brainstorm. Plan. Start writing – get to the point and keep to the point! Keep the question in mind – make sure that you are answering it –check after each paragraph. Don’t leave out things you think are obvious – explain the relevance. If you blank out, try to write something, even if it is not very good! – you can always cross it out but at least it will keep you writing. Trust your techniques for analysing the title – discuss it and analyse its implications. Or . . . brainstorm to look for thoughts or information related to the ‘lost’ item. Jot them down. Join up the linking ideas – you’re off! Finishing the exam Always try to answer the correct number of questions. The first marks are the easiest to pick up. If you run out of time - make brief notes – give the marker some idea where you were going with the answer if you had had the time. Never, ever, leave before the end of an exam. Make a deal with yourself only to worry about the next exam. 1 Process words tell you what you are doing (e.g. discuss) whereas Content words tell you what you’re doing it to (e.g. Civil War).