Exam Guide 2006
By Vanessa Vakharia
Download a PDF of the Rogers™ Exam Guide calendar here
Prep PointersGet organized. Gather up all your class notes, make sure you’re not missing any, and make an outline of each topic covered so that you know what to study for.
Your Teacher is the Boss. Teachers want to know that you know what they taught you. Your best bet is to study the class notes and pay attention to points that your teacher stressed because that’s obviously what they felt was important. Stay after class and ask questions if you still don’t understand.
What’s Important? In a text, some information will stand out; it will be giving you a signal that it’s a “main” idea. A typical signal includes: text highlighted in bold or italic fonts; a question posed in the margin; a diagram, picture, or table with accompanying caption; an inset box; a glossary of terms. Put yourself in the role of the teacher who is having to generate the questions. Look at the way that information is structured and look out for potential question material. TIP: Re-read this text over more than twice to ensure you fully understand it.
Know yourself. No two people study alike. If you know what works best for you—stick to it! Some people work best inside a silent library, others need to be in a bustling coffee shop. Make sure you’re all about you to maximize your studying time. TIP: Don’t procrastinate! Study when you’ve got the time.
Mix business with pleasure. Hanging out with friends can actually be a great thing when studying, especially if you’re studying for the same subject. Studying alongside one another is perfect if one of you needs an explanation, or even if you want to quiz each other. Often explaining a topic to someone else helps solidify it in your mind and helps you remember it later.
Use memory tricks to help you…such as acronyms, funny phrases and unusual illustrations to associate to the key words and facts you have to remember.
Right Here, Right now. Remember...yes, studying sucks, but what sucks more is failing a class! Just remember....this is only a few weeks of your life. As soon as exams are done, you can close the books for the winter and CHILL OUT! The payoff will be huge, and hey, in the grand scheme of things, this is a tiny fraction of your life!
How to Make Essays Easy
1. Write an outline.
2. Write your thesis (what you’re going to prove)
3. Support your thesis with 3 points. Each point gets a paragraph of its own.
4. Write your conclusion. Basically, all this means is that you rewrite your thesis and how it ties in with those 3 points you just supported it with.
Exam SlamBe Zen. It’s easy to start freaking out and get overwhelmed. Remember, you’ve studied. You’ve prepared. Now’s the time to
chill out, go through the exam, and just do it. Avoid frantically flipping through notes last minute and just use the last few minutes of pre-exam time to clear your mind.
Extras. Before the exam begins make sure that you have everything that you need. Calculators, extra pencils, erasers…there’s no harm in having extra everything.
Your Choice. Don’t spend your time on a question you’re not sure about. Move on to the next, and come back to it at the end. Starting with a question you can answer well will give you confidence and get you going!
More Than a Number. Spend more time on heavier weighted questions. Questions that are worth more, require more info. The number of marks a question is worth is a good hint as to how much time you should spend answering it.
Read The Question. Sounds obvious. But time and time again, students fail to properly read the question, and spend time answering a question that was never asked in the first place! The worst thing EVER is when you totally know how to do something, but you don’t read the question properly and you end up doing it wrong. Read the question. Slowly. Understand what it’s asking you to do.
Over and Above. If you’re done your exam early, don’t jet right away. Check over your exam and make sure everything’s cool. It’s easy to make simple mistakes in the heat of the moment, and this is precious time where you can catch them!
Formulas for Success. If you have any formulas or little codes you’ve made up that you know you have trouble remembering, write them on the exam paper the second you get your exam so that they’re there for you to refer to later.
Save the worst for last. Pick up your exam and read each question slowly. If you can do it, do it. If you can’t, skip it, and save it for later. You want to get as many marks as you can. So get the easy stuff out of the way, and then spend the rest of your time on the hard stuff.Part Marks, Part Marks, Part Marks. Write every little step along the painful way. Not only will this eliminate error, but you’ll get more marks. Even if your final answer is totally wrong, you will get marks for things you did along the way.
Healthy Body Healthy Mind
Catch Some ZzZzzZ’s. Don’t stay up all night if you want to be alert. You reach a point where your productivity declines anyway, so get some sleep to refresh your mind for the next morning.
Clothes Make The Man. You don’t want to be using your brainpower focusing on how uncomfortable your super-tight jeans are while writing your exam. Wear comfy clothes so that you aren’t distracted.
Take a Break. Your mind can only absorb so much info at once. Every hour or so take a quick, break—do something that will boost your energy and clear your mind! A 15-minute jog or some yoga will not only physically spice you up, but it will get your mind ready for the next chunk of info it’s about to receive. Or, if you’ve already had a physical workout that day, try listening to music or watching a bit of TV to take your brain away and relax for a half hour.
You are What you Eat. Make sure to keep yourself well-fed while you study. Bring tons of snacks with you that will keep you fuelled, but not clog your mind (and your arteries!) Nuts, fruit, smoothies, water, veggies...are all great things to munch on.
Mmm...Coffee. If you’re feeling groggy in the middle of your study session, hold on a sec before grabbing that cup of coffee. Caffeine actually boosts you up and then brings you right back down, and it gives you the jitters! (Worst thing ever when you’re writing the actual exam!) If you need a boost of energy grab a piece of fruit or do some exercise.
