Exam Success:
Exam Skills for
Science subjects
Dr. Tamara O’Connor/Maeve Gallagher
Student Learning Development
[email protected]
http://student-learning.tcd.ie
Objectives
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Review exam success factors
Look at planning strategies & tools for revision
Discuss ways to revise for your subject
Consider importance of practice
Review exam performance strategies
Manage your mental preparation
Exam Performance - factors
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Your exam history
Subject knowledge
Experience of the subject
Exam preparation
Exam practice
Exam taking/performance
– Use of time
– Writing skills
• Attitude and approach
Adapted from Cottrell, S. (2012) The exam skills handbook, 2nd ed. Basingstoke: Palgrave
Macmillan, p. 7
Know Yourself
• How do you feel about them?
• What is your experience?
– What do you do well?
– What could you do better?
• How do you prepare?
• How do you manage your stress?
Planning
Organise your notes
Admin time / Study time
Check your handbook
Get the past papers
http://www.tcd.ie/teachinglearning/administration/examinations/pastexaminationpapers.php
Exam Format
• Topics/content – trigger knowledge
• Type of exam
– MCQ
– Short answer
– Essay
– Problem solving
• Weighting of Q
• Timing
Revision Strategy
• What are they looking for?
• How would I answer this?
• How would I revise in order to be able to
answer this?
• How would I practise answering this type
of question
Checklist
• Survey the subject
– Syllabus/course outline
– Learning outcomes
• Predict likely questions and chosen topics
to revise
• Gather relevant information
– Revision plan by topic and have folders
• Sift and condense
Example of Revision Checklist
Class:
Structural Analysis
Topic 1:
Analytical Method
Lectures
1
2
Tutorials
1
2
Exam Q
Annual 10
Annual 09
Topic 2:
Flexibility Method
Lectures
1
2
Tutorials
1
2
Exam Q
Annual 10
Annual 09
Annual 08
Lectures
1
2
3
Tutorials
1
2
Exam Q
Annual 10
Annual 09
Annual 08
Topic 3:
Annual 08
Monday
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Schedule Everything
Be Realistic
Mix things up
Make it visible
Include Exam Qs
6.
Include Reviews
Tuesday
Wednesday
Thursday
Friday
Saturday
Sunday
Revision timetable – week commencing:
Start time
0800
0900
1000
1100
1200
1300
1400
1500
1600
1700
1800
1900
2000
2100
2200
Monday
Tuesday
Wednesday
_____________________________
Thursday
Friday
Saturday
Sunday
Revision
Recall
Exam Memory
Revision Strategies
Use Active Deep Processing Strategies
Discussion
Make it meaningful
Visualisation
Teaching someone/thing else
Asking Questions
Making associations
Organisational aids & Chunking
Table
Soil Types:
Properties
Pedalfer
Sandy, light-colour top Temp humid
Iron oxide, alum-rich
clay
Pedocal
Laterite
Climate
Vegetation
Forest
Diagram or Outline
I. Primary Care
Teams
Purpose
History
Development
Reasons to
change
1. xxx Bale 2009
2.
3
Structure
Education
xxxxxxx
II. Role of Nurse
Assessment
xxx
Cummins 2009
Concept Maps
Disease
Clinical
Manifestations
Etiology
Nursing
Interventions
Nursing
actions
Meds
Signs/
Symptoms
Diet
Physio
Psych
Diagnostic
tests
Structure
Structure
Rehearsal strategies
Think vocabulary, words, terms, concepts, systems
Make flash cards & test yourself
Recite for precision
Mnemonics
Make unusual, visual
Overlearning
mcqs
Revision
MCQ Exams
recognition &
accurate knowledge
Tissue oedema is caused by:
a.
b.
c.
d.
Thus for revision:
• Think vocabulary, words, terms, concepts,
systems
• Make flash cards & test yourself
• Recite for precision
• Create summary sheets, diagrams, charts,
tables, mind maps
MCQ Practice
• Read each question carefully
• Circle key words or negatives
• Identify modifiers and qualifiers (e.g. only,
never, sometimes)
• Anticipate answer before looking at options
• Read all options before making choice
• Check before marking answer
• Leave time at end
Short Answers
Short Answers Revision
Short Answer
knowledge
understanding key
ideas/facts at
basic level
Short Answer Practice
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Deconstruct the question
Think in own words
Find and use key words
Show what you know: Define key words,
concepts, theories
• Stay relevant
Overcomplication
Decision trees are used in data mining as a way of progressively
breaking down data into groups. As this happens, the number in each
classification may be noted. A customer database may break down as
70% male, 30% female. The males may be divided into those that
spend over €1,000 a year with us (90%) and those that do not (10%).
The same subdivision for female shows that only 2% of females spend
over €1,000 with us. The high spending males break-down into 77%
under 30 and 23% over 30 years of age. When females are divided
into high and low spending, it might be found that 80% of high spenders
are repeat customers and 20% are not. Low spending females, on the
other hand, might be 90% non repeating customers. A parallel analysis
of high spending male customers might show that…
Outline the structure of fats OR carbohydrates
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Choose question
What are they looking for?
How would I answer this?
How would I revise in order to be able to
answer this?
• Practice answering this type of question,
varying topic
Essay
Questions
Revision – essay exams
• List of major topics using your notes and
past exam papers
• Create a chart or summary sheet of the
main topics and any relationship between
themes etc.
• Generate ideas and plan an outline for
each question
• Follow a structure – intro & conclusion
• Argument if required
• Be selective!
Essay question practice
• Not an essay, you have a limited time to
answer
• Start practising:
– Work on what’s relevant to question
– Make diagrams
– Write out answers – timing and quality
• Pay attention to verbs
– Describe/explain vs discuss/evaluate
“Microbial diseases in humans often occur when
the host is compromised in some way.”
Describe why this is the case and discuss the
various parameters that may compromise humans
to infection
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Reasons for microbial diseases . . .
Evidence for these reasons
Research on reasons for compromise
Counter research/criticisms
What parameters compromise humans
Problem Solving
Questions
Revision – Problem solving
• Develop a range of strategies
– Compare textbook & notes
– Create formulae page relevant to area
– Similarities & differences between problem types &
solution methods
– Categorise types of numerical questions asked
– How apply different situations or data
– Try to solve the problem as far as possible
Problem solving - practice
• Work problems ‘out of context’
• Practise problem-solving without your
notes!
• Work with others
• Practise writing pseudo-code for exams –
no computer!
• Before exam jot down all formulas,
relationships, definitions, etc. holding in
memory
Would you sit your driving test without ever driving a car?
Rehearse performing
• Practise!!
• Practise by anticipating
questions
• Practice by answering old exam
Q
• Mark your own answers
• Practice – un-timed and timed
• Simulate exam conditions
No practice leads to..
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Poor Handwriting
Brain Dumping
Irrelevance
Poor Structure
Running out of time
Anxiety
Exam day performance
1. How do you prepare the night before?
2. What do you do in the exam?
– Starting routine
– Avoid common errors
3. What do you do after the exam?
Make the best of what you know
Maximum gains for time are in
the early stages of your answer
Maximum gain
120
Rehearse producing quality
work in time available
100
% personal best
Plan your time in advance
80
60
40
20
0
Equal Time for Equal Marks
5
10 15 20 25 30 35 40
Time in minutes
Not answering the question!
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Taking a long time to get to the point
Irrelevance
Repetition
1. Present what you know
2. Add Value
3. Get to the point
Writing
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Not the same level as assessment
Keep your writing simple
Short sentences
Few sub-clauses
Practice writing!
Fill out your answer books
Don’t hang around outside
Don’t discuss the paper after
Attitude & Approach
• Replace negative thoughts with positive
thoughts – do not leave a vacuum.
Michael Johnson
• Follow your plan – start at the beginning,
work through the middle and when you
get to the end, stop.
Lewis Carroll
• Just do it.
Nike
Visualisation
Visualise Success
Building Self Confidence
• Your objective is to do your personal best
• Think of exams as an opportunity for you to
show what you know
• Get familiar with the examination space
• Exam outcomes are proportionate to the effort
you put in
• Set learning targets and rewards for yourself
• Don’t burn out! Balance
• Compare what you know now with what you
knew at the beginning of the year
How to Do Well in Exams
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Planning
Revising
Practice
Performing
Sources:
Exam Stress Guide, SU & Student Learning
How to Do Badly in Examinations, Dr. Frank Bannister
Our details
• Website: http://student-learning.tcd.ie
• Email: [email protected]
• Facebook: facebook.com/sldtcd
• Twitter: twitter.com/StudentLearnin1
• Phone: 01-8961407
Internet use – tools to help
selfcontrolapp.com – macs, free
macfreedom.com – windows, mac, android; $10
FocusBooster – app, free; 25 minute timer
FocusWriter – mac & pc; for writing
Anti-social – blocks social websites, like Freedom
LeechBlock – Firefox or StayFocusd – Chrome
rescuetime – lite is free; tracks time, set goals
persistenceapp.com – free, macs