Study Skills: Preparing for Exams - A Timeline

Do you feel anxious at the thought of your exams? Don't panic! 

At the start of the school year  Find Out: 

• Which of your subjects has an exam?
• What is the assessment procedure for each subject?
• What are the expectations of the subject?

Prepare:

• Start studying as soon as classes begin.
• Read assignments, listen during lectures and take good classroom notes.

Two Months before the exam:

• Develop a study timetable.
• Within a subject, find out what topics are to be examined. What will be the format of the exam? (example: oral, multiple-choice, essay)
• Using your study notes on these topics, begin your reviews.
• Plan ahead, schedule review periods well in advance.
• Keep your reviews, short but do them often.
• If you feel anxious about the forthcoming exams, see your School Counsellor about starting a relaxation program.

One month before the exam:

• Which of your subjects has an exam?
• What is the assessment procedure for each subject?
• More Review, review, Review!

The week before the exam:

• What equipment is needed (example: calculator, paper, pen, HB pencil, etc.)
• Check the timetable.
• And more review, review , review!
• Try some relaxation techniques.

The Day before the exam:

• Revise the final copy of your study notes.
• Do not cram
• Confirm timetable of exam and the room it will be held.

The Night before the exam:

• Do your final revision
• Check your bag for equipment.
• Set your alarm clock and get a good night's rest.

On the Day of the exam:

• Have a decent breakfast.
• Don't think about touching your books!
• Arrive early and get yourself and your equipment organized.

During the exam:

• Listen to and read all instructions carefully.
• Scan the entire examination paper- notice how  many points each part is worth and estimate the time needed for individual questions and place yourself accordingly.
• Sketch notes on rough working paper when information comes to mind.
• If you get stuck on a question try to remember a related act.  Start from the general and go to the specific.  Look for answers in other test questions.  Often a term,name, date or other fact you have forgotten will appear somewhere else in the test giving your memory a boost.  Move on to the next question if memory aids don't help.  You can always go back to the question later if you have time.
• Try to answer as many questions and give as much information as possible.
• Ignore other students.
• If you feel anxious during the exam, use deep breathing techniques to calm yourself down.

After the exam:

• Accept the results and either resolve to do better next time or Celebrate!