rewise: pass your exams - middlesex university€¦ · © middlesex university rewise: pass your...

ReWise: Pass Your Exams

Learning Enhancement Team

[email protected]

© Middlesex University

Variety is the Spice of Life!

Different Schools… ….Different Rules

– Can you use ‘I’ in an academic text?

– Should an essay have section headings?

– How long is a report?

– Do you use primary or secondary research?

– Footnotes, endnotes or no notes?

– Harvard style referencing or MLA? What about APA?

Which school are you in? What is acceptable and what is unacceptable in your field?

Always check in your module handbooks or with your tutor if you are concerned about appropriacy

ReWise: Pass Your Exams | 2


ReWise: Pass Your Exams Aims

—Strategies for organising your revision time constructively

—Strategies to help you with the revision process



Don’t Panic!

You will (should) know most (if not all) of this already...but it is always helpful to have a reminder!


Don’t forget, you can attend an AWL Open Workshop or sign-up for a 30 minute, 1-2-1 Tutorial.


Common Dissertation Concerns


I’ve made so many notes, but nothing seems to be going

in

I sit in the library

all day but still

don’t feel like I

have revised

much

I keep trying

to revise but

there is too

much to

cover


How do you normally plan your revision period?



Organise Your Time

Try and organise your time sensibly and stick to a manageable timetable

— Weekly timetable

— Diary

— List of targets/checklist

— Set revision goals each week

— What do you hope to have covered by the end of the week?



Get Comfortable

With a partner, discuss:

— What space do you work best in?

— What time of day do you work best?

— What style of revision works best for you?

• Mind mapping

• Summaries

• Key words and flash cards

• posters



Revision Strategies

| 10 ReWise: Pass Your Exams

There are a number of ways to approach revision, and all are equally valid – it depends on you!

— Bullet points

— Summaries

— Posters

— Flash cards

— Quizzes

— Group work

— Past papers

Can you think of any other revision strategies?

— Brainstorm — Reading and copying — Listen to audio recordings — Use visual aids — Trigger words — Post-it notes


Stuck?

With a partner, discuss what you do when you can’t revise.



Stuck

— Remove yourself from the situation. Take a walk, make a cup of tea, have a snack…

— Rather than procrastinating, spend time organising your existing notes into files

This is still a helpful part of the revision process

— Go back to the topic which you want to revise. Don’t jump into details just yet. Ease yourself into the revision topic by starting off broad

— Brainstorm ideas, questions and any notes which come to mind

— Use this as a starting point to develop your revision notes



Notes

Sometimes it can be hard to work from our own notes. Here are some tips:

— Don’t just read your own notes over and over again

— Be active in condensing your notes and developing your memory

— Summarise your longer notes

— Turn your summaries into posters and flash cards

— Test yourself

— Use coloured pens, coloured paper and mind mapping software



Study Groups

What are some of the advantages and disadvantages of studying in groups?



Study Groups

—Working in groups can be a great revision strategy

—But make sure to set aims and structure your time sensibly

—Each come up with questions that you would like to discuss

—Take it in turns to discuss each person’s point as a group

ReWise: Life After Exams | 15


Managing Revision

— Keep in mind how long the exam is

— How many questions will you have to answer?

— How many topics will be covered in the paper?

— Will there be a question for each of your

— Weekly topics?

— Select a few topics you feel most

— comfortable with as your main priority

— Have a few back up topics which you

— can revise in less detail

— Try and notice the patterns and connections across

— different topics



Lecture Notes

Can you just use your lecture notes to revise?

— Revising your lecture notes is not enough.

— Most PowerPoint lecture notes are available online - Moodle

— You can use these as a basis for further revision.

— Read through your notes and see what areas of the lecture you need to find out more about

— Write down any questions you have from your notes and use these as a starting point for further revision too

Presentation title | 17


Use Feedback

Read over your lecturer’s comments for your past assignments.

‘If your lecturer suggests you need to consider aspects of a topic in greater detail or depth, or that you should look at particular

points you have omitted, or that you should read some important article or additional topic that you overlooked, then you should

give priority to this in your revision’ (Bernard: 2003, 114)


The AWL Open Workshop Understanding Feedback could help you make the most of your past experiences.


Exams

— How do exams make you feel?

— How can you better prepare for exams?

— Exams contain trick questions – true or false?

• False! Exams may contain difficult questions, but there shouldn’t be any tricks

— Your tutors want you to pass your exam – true or false?

• True! Your tutors very much want you to pass your exams, though this doesn’t mean they can pass you if you give too many incorrect answers



Exams

— Look at past exam papers

— Assess the type of questions that are asked, how are they phrased?

— Are there any words/phrases you are not familiar with?

— Keep a list of words/definitions you need to learn

— Answer past exam questions…under timed conditions!

— Keep your handwriting legible

— Read through your answer and consider your strengths and weaknesses. What can you work on?



Finding Past Exam Papers


Log into myUniHub




Click on ‘Previous

Exam Papers’




Enter your Module

Code


Reflections

— Organise your time wisely

— Think about your study environment

— Try out a variety of revision strategies to find out what works for you

— Practice answering past exam questions

— Stay calm

— Eat and sleep well



And Remember…

‘You will study most effectively, and derive most pleasure from your work and recreation, if you are in good health, relaxed, self-

confident, and free from worry’ (Barrass: 2002, 14)



Where now?

— Need more detailed assistance? Book a tutorial!

— Want feedback on a specific section? Drop in to Getting Your Assignment Ready!

— Want somewhere quiet to write, and get on the spot assistance? Try The Writing Space!

— Got a few quick questions? AWL Office Hours at [The Study Hub] are for you!

— AWL Open Workshops can be booked here!

• Suggestions:


http://wgfp-prrw02.mdx.ac.uk:8001/Appointment/WebsiteStudentAppointment.aspx?yTwr47KDJFY=

http://wgfp-prrw02.mdx.ac.uk:8001/Appointment/WebsiteStudentAppointment.aspx?mnZfsGtbzaZfuDllyuWgLA==






http://workshops-ldu.mdx.ac.uk/event.php?id=215534





ReWise: Pass Your Exams



References

— Barrass, R. (2002) Study!: A Guide to Effective Learning, Revision and Examination Techniques. 2nd Ed. London: Routledge.

— Bernard, G.W. (2001) Studying at University: How to Adapt Successfully to College Life. London: Routledge.


rewise: pass your exams - middlesex university€¦ · © middlesex university rewise: pass your...

Documents