Exam Prep from Academic Captains Elect

Meet Momoe and Roy, your Academic Captains for 2021! Here you will be offered tips to prepare for upcoming exams.

As you all know, the most exciting time of the year is approaching.

We all have experienced the stress of exam blocks so here are a couple of studying tips to hopefully help you cruise through this otherwise stressful time.

Preparing for the Exams

Develop a timetable. Spend the appropriate amount of time on each subject. Utilise the method of ACTIVE RECALL when studying. Active recall is scientifically proven to be significantly more efficient than passively re-reading or re-copying your notes. “Students who used active recall [are] able to remember about 80% of the new terms compared to 34% for the control group who only use passive recall.” (Karpicke, 2008)

Active recall includes:

• Doing practice questions
• Creating mind map notes on exam topics without looking at your notes
• Using flashcards to test yourself
• DIAGRAMS and CHARTS are very helpful: it is a good way to summarise information
• Familiarise yourself with past-papers! Your ability to complete the past or mock exam provided by the teachers are usually a good indication of your performance in the real exam.
• Study appropriately for each subject: e.g. for subjects requiring lots of memorisation, studying method like flashcards are good (e.g. Biology, P.E.); but the same type of method would not be as effective with logic-based subjects (e.g. Physics, Maths). Simply practicing more questions may be more effective.
• Understanding > Memorisation
• Understand what type of learner you are: are you a Visual, Auditory, Reading/writing or Kinaesthetic learner? Devise appropriate means of study according to your learner type.
• Visual: charts, graphics
• Auditory: reading your notes out loud, asking and answering your own questions, recording yourself
• Reading/writing
• Kinaesthetic (hands-on): physical activities--> e.g. Physics

Sitting the Exams

• Get lots of sleep the night before an exam (best not to cram all night) and avoid panic-talking (e.g. like saying “I can’t do this..!”) right before an exam.
• Double check your answers if there is enough time.
• Have a grasp of how much time you have per question/page.
• Don’t rush! Be confident and believe in yourself. Be positive.
• Read the question carefully; underline key words of the question.

After the Exam

Treat yourself! You’ve been studying hard and you deserve it.

Best of luck on your exams! Remember, effort is proportional to success. But also, make sure you don’t forget to take care of yourself too. And If you ever need any help or just want to have a chat, feel free to flick us an email or talk to us at school.