Ace Your Exam

Contents
Chapter 1: Committing to Exam Success
	1.1 What is the point of a book about exams?
	1.2 Not letting exams get to you
		The ‘avoidance and panic’ downward spiral
		The ‘insight and control’ upward spiral
	1.3 How to use this book
		The structure of the book
			Part 1: Insight
			Part 2: Plans
			Part 3: Action
		What is your best strategy for reading the book?
			How many weeks until your exams?
			How long will you spend revising for the exams?
			Different ways to use the book
				If you have 10 weeks to go before your first exam
				If you have six weeks to go before your first exam
				If you have four weeks to go before your first exam
				If you have two weeks to go before your first exam
			A timetable for working on the book
	1.4 Conclusion: commit to taking control of exams
Part 1: Insight
	Chapter 2: Sketching Out a Broad Strategy
		2.1 Finding out about your exams
			Looking at past papers
		2.2 Making time for revision
			How long should your ‘revision period’ be?
			Why draw up an Exam Planning Calendar?
			Sketching an Exam Planning Calendar
		2.3 Working strategically with calendars and timetables
		2.4 Conclusion: survey the scene and set out a strategy
	Chapter 3: Getting Your Head Around Exams
		3.1 Exams and learning
			What is university-level learning?
			How exams help learning
		3.2 Purposeful exam revision
		3.3 Building up your memory
			Why remembering is difficult
			Making your notes memorable
			Structuring information to make it memorable
				Grouping
				Nesting
				Visual structure
				Links to existing knowledge
			Memorising terms, dates and formulae
			Other memory techniques
			Age and memory
		3.4 Thinking under pressure
			Differing mental modes during study
			The pressure of performing
				Don’t expect to be good at deep analysis or creativity in the zoning-in days and certainly not within the exam itself. All your strategising and your profound refining and summarising of the module need to be completed. This is a time for calm intensit
		3.5 Managing your mind through the exam period
			Staying positive
			Investing in plans
		3.6 Conclusion: use your exam as a stimulus to take ownership of new knowledge
	Chapter 4: What Makes a Good Exam Answer?
		4.1 How does a script marker judge an answer?
			Does this seem about the right length for an exam answer?
			Is it reasonably well written for exam conditions?
			Does it seem knowledgeable?
			Does it deserve more than a ‘bare pass’?
			Frantic writing
				Forgetting to include a key part of your answer
				Not knowing key terms in the question
		4.2 Common mistakes in exams
			Failing to include much material covered in the module
			Too much description
			Too subjective
			Not enough critical discussion
			Weak organisation and illegible handwriting
			Using time badly
			Not answering the question set
		4.3 Getting into your script marker’s mind
		4.4 How can you get a higher mark?
			Pushing your grade up
			Distributing your time in the exam
		4.5 Developing an answer technique
			Making your answers well organised
		4.6 Conclusion: understand what your script marker is looking for
	Chapter 5: Thinking Your Way Through Exam Stress
		5.1 Do exams get to you?
		5.2 Exam dreams
		5.3 Coping with exam anxiety
		5.4 Conclusion: bring stress under control
	Chapter 6: Preparing for Exams of Different Types
		6.1 Taking account of the structure of your exam paper
		6.2 Essay-type answers
			How to prepare for an essay exam during the module
				The importance of making notes
				The importance of assignment work
			How to revise for an essay exam
		6.3 Exams that set problems to solve
			How to prepare for a problem-solving exam during the module
				Getting stuck
			How to revise for a problem-solving exam
				Revising with others
		6.4 Exams with short-answer questions
			Look closely at the SAQs on past exam papers
				What kinds of knowledge items do the SAQs focus on?
				What types of SAQ are set?
				How much time will you have per answer?
			Create SAQ-oriented flashcards as you study
				1. Identify knowledge items likely to be tested by SAQs
				2. Create flashcards for these items
				Should you use ready-made flashcards?
			Test yourself regularly during the module
				Make up SAQ cards
			Practise writing answers to SAQs
			Work out a strategy for SAQs in the exam
				An overview of timing
				Sequence of actions
				Rehearse your performance
		6.5 Exams with multiple-choice questions
			The challenge of preparing for MCQs
				Fa ct-finding mission
			Identify MCQ testable knowledge items
			Create MCQ-oriented flashcards and keep testing yourself during the module
			Work out a strategy for MCQs in the exam
				Timing
				Answering strategy
				Sequence of actions
		6.6 Open-book exams
			What are the attractions of open-book exams?
			Preparing your take-in texts
				What open-book exams test
			Planning ahead for an open-book exam
				Review of past exam papers
				Fact-finding
				Drawing up a plan
				Your strategy for an open-book exam
		6.7 Take-home exams
			Managing time in a ‘self-invigilated’ exam
			Advance preparations for your take-home exam
			Creating your own exam conditions
		6.8 Conclusion: shape your preparation to fit the type of exam
Part 2: Plans
	Chapter 7: Setting Up for Revision
		7.1 Work out your revision strategy
			What will you aim to cover?
			Review of exam papers
			How will you use your revision time?
				How many days do you have available?
					Dividing your days into sessions
					How many hours per day?
					The concept of ‘time-out’
				Distributing your time across activities and modules
					Different types of revision activity
		7.2 Draw up your revision timetable
		7.3 Plan your revision techniques
			How to carry out primary revision
				First reconnect with your strategy
				Keep an eye on the big picture
				Highlight key points
				Make Session Summary Notes
					The value of your own notes
				Manage your time in primary revision sessions
			How to refine your notes
				Essentials Cards
				Mapping the topic
				Nub Cards
			How to tune up your question-answering skills
				Practise answering exam questions
					Essay-type answers
					Short-answer questions
					Calculations and problem solving
				Make up exam questions
				Load up your memory by testing yourself
				Review past exam papers
				Reread your assignments
				Practise your handwriting
				Revise with others
		7.4 Look ahead to the final two days of zoning in
		7.5 Are you all set to go?
			Where will you revise?
				Do you have the equipment you need?
				Getting organised
		7.6 Conclusion: use your plans to bring revision under your control
	Chapter 8: A Plan for the Exam
		8.1 Stay in control of time
			An exam with essay answers and choice of questions
			An exam with two parts
			An exam with equal marks for all questions
			An exam with extremely varied marks per question
			An exam with tricky choices
			Creating Time Plans for your own exams
		8.2 Manage your performance
			Swing into action
			Think on your feet
			Choosing questions
			An answer technique for essay exams
			Plan answers when you are at your calmest
			Books and other resources in the exam
		8.3 Make an exam-day list
		8.4 Conclusion: your time plans put you in control of your exams
Part 3: Action
	Chapter 9: Getting Down to Revision and into the Exam
		9.1 Revising your first topic
			Check your plans
			Take in the big picture
			Primary revision
		9.2 Working flexibly with a four-session day
		9.3 Maintaining your morale
			Managing your progress
				Cutting corners
				Staying focused
				Adjusting your Revision Timetable
				Recognising progress
				Ke eping on top
		9.4 Refining your notes
		9.5 Tuning up your performance
			Practise answering exam questions
			Other valuable tuning-up activities
		9.6 Zoning in two days before the exam
			Refine Essentials Cards to Nub Cards
			Test yourself
			Answer exam questions
			Review your exam strategy
			Practise relaxation if you feel tense
			Go out, take exercise, meet up with people
			Final checks
			The evening before
		9.7 Performing on exam day
			Before the exam
			Getting to the exam
			In the exam room
			Stay in control of time
			Presentation
			At the end
		9.8 After the exam
			Did you do yourself justice in the exam?
			Review your relationship with exams
		9.9 Conclusion: you are now on the upward spiral of insight and control
Index