Examination Techniques

Key word notes help students in rapid revisions and enable them to take down maximum points during lectures. They are easy to make and can be made for almost every subject and topic. But being careful while making these key word notes is essential so as to ensure that you make notes that you understand quickly later and find easy to assimilate. Here are 5 essential tips to help you make useful key word notes:  1. Use words that summarize the text well  Words important to a definition or a concept must be retained. Words that can trigger an entire paragraph and can lead to detailing of sections are the ones you should use for your notes. For example, if you are studying the French Revolution, your key notes should include Mary Antoinette, 1789-1799, rising bourgeoisie, aggrieved peasants and urban wage-earners, famine and malnutrition, dictatorship, bread and cakes, etc. 2. Don’t choose words you don’t use often  New words can be difficult to remember so avoid using them for your ke

Relying solely on the tutor/lecturer to teach them everything Poorly planned and ineffective revision Poor note keeping whichmakes revision confusing, difficult and time consuming Failure to read questions properly Poor essay technique and failing to plan answers properly Failure tomanage time effectivelyduring the exam

Exams are designed to be capable of completion in the allotted time. The perception that there’s never enough time comes back to what I’ve said above – students try to write all they know about a subject rather than concentrate specifically on what is asked. But you’ll never be asked to ‘write all you know’ about a topic, so don’t ever think about doing it. We’re back to the common mistakes of not reading the question carefully and not planning a concise, clearly focussed answer to which the examiner can allocate marks easily. Of course you  have to work quickly in an examination, but there is enough time to finish, and furthermore it’s vital that you attempt the required number of questions. I’ll demonstrate later on that there is actually no excuse for not finishing provided you manage your time carefully.

The most common exam fears are: Exam questions are carefully worded to catch you out. Examiners are very mean with marks. Exams are nothing more than a test of memory, so they favour those with perfect recall or a photographic memory. You can only do well in exams if you can think and write quickly. You’re bound to get stressed by exams and this can be very dangerous and destructive.

English is the richest language with the largest vocabulary on earth. Each of our words is a symbol that represents an idea or object. Your ability to understand the meaning of the words others use and to select the right one(s) to communicate your ideas, information, and feelings is very important to effective learning. To develop a thinker's vocabulary, you must become sensitive to words and develop strategies for unlocking the meanings of new words and a process for remembering the new words and their meanings.

Lack of a study schedule Priorities unclear (What to study first) Failure to use short blocks of time constructively Failure to use long blocks of time constructively When sitting down to study, usually too tired or listless to study Leaving tasks unfinished; jumping from one task to another Studying on bed & falling asleep Daydreaming Can't resume studying after study breaks Spending too much time socializing, playing games or sports Unable to say "no" to invitations and requests Making unrealistic time estimates Attempting too much at once Getting behind in one course because of having to study for another Getting involved in unnecessary details Accomplishing very little in relation to the amount of time spent studying Distracted or frustrated by cluttered desk Not having or unable to locate needed materials Study area faces a window, door, TV, phone or other distractions Interruptions by outside interference (phone calls, visitors, noises) Frequ