Preview of: LDT101_1
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IntroductionDo you feel that sometimes you don't do yourself justice in exams? Perhaps you've never taken an exam and are wondering how
to prepare yourself. It may have been a long time since you took an exam, and...
1: Revision and examsMost likely, you are reading this unit because you feel unsure about your ability to do yourself justice in exams. You may
never have taken an exam and are wondering how to prepare yourself. It may have...
2: Identifying key concerns
Finding out your key concernsEach one of us has a different set of concerns about preparing for and taking exams. It is worth spending a little time reflecting
on these concerns and identifying what your individual needs are, in order...
3: Revision
What is revision?Revision is not, as the word suggests, simply 'looking again' at the material covered in a course - it is a more active task.
It involves organising material and finding ways of remembering it, that suit...
Stage 1: Finding out about the exam paperAs a first step, it is a good idea to find out as much as you can about the exam paper for your course. Find out how your
exam paper is set out, the way the questions are organised, and what weight each...
Stage 2: Gathering the course material togetherYou will need to gather all your course material and lecture notes together, and organise them properly. Your course material
or texts should contain an overview of your course. Keep this to hand, as it...
Stage 3: Deciding what to reviseIn Stage 2, you will have reminded yourself of the scope of the course, and you will also have a sense of the range and breadth
of topics you have covered. Now you need to decide what to revise.Stages...
Stage 4: Making a revision timetableThere are no hard and fast rules about when you should start to revise. Some people say you should have a revision strategy
set up from the start of a course, typically involving careful and systematic...
Stage 5: Understanding and learning the course materialSimply reading and re-reading the course materials will take you more time than you can afford, and is not an effective way
of learning material for an exam. Adopt what is called an active approach to...
Memory and UnderstandingExams are rarely tests of memory, but much more to do with the selection, presentation and interpretation of materials. When
you have understood what you have read, you can think about it and use it. Nonetheless,...
Stage 6: Rehearsing answering exam questionsJust like assignment questions, exam questions should be read carefully, because you need to demonstrate in your answer that
you have understood the question. Examiners frequently complain that students...
Understanding process wordsMathematicians use process words with slightly different meanings, as in Table 3.
Thinking about the examIt is worth noting the difference between exam answers and assignments. Inevitably, a much lengthier and more polished answer
can be produced in an untimed assignment. In the short time available in the...
Other ways to practise for the examMultiple-choice questions usually involve you in selecting the right answer from several possible responses. The questions
are frequently short, and your answer requires no writing. However, finding the...
Stage 7: Checking and making arrangements - a week before the examMistakes often happen because students are anxious and pressured for time when preparing for an exam. We suggest that, a week
before the exam, you check and make notes along the following lines.The date...
4: The exam itself
Arriving and getting readyWhen you arrive at the exam centre, you may prefer to stay quietly on your own, rather than chat to other students. Do what
suits you best and helps you to feel calm and positive. Once you are in your...
The exam paperCheck the instructions first to make sure that they are what you expected from looking at the specimen paper. Misreading instructions
can lose more marks than poor revision!Students often describe feeling...
Plan your answersUsing the ideas outlined in Section 3, mark the key words in the question to make sure you identify the topic correctly. Then
mark the process words to help you to understand the instructions within the...
5: Managing exam anxiety
Anxiety management techniquesYou may find that exams provoke levels of anxiety which are highly uncomfortable, and that you do not produce your best work
under such pressure. If you tend to be a perfectionist, an exam can be particularly...
Technique 2: RelaxationHere are three relaxation techniques, which you can use before and during the exam.This is an exercise that can be done during
an exam without drawing attention to yourself, or disturbing others.This exercise...
Technique 3: VisualisationCreating calming pictures or images in your mind, or 'visualising', can really help you to relax.First of all, do some of
the relaxation exercises we have described above. Then imagine yourself in this...
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