Preparing for Examinations
Contents

REVISING WORK
HIGHLIGHTING
CRAM CARDS
CASSETTES
SUMMARISING

Knowing that you have prepared well can make examinations a lot less stressful!

REVISING WORK

Revision of study material should take place as soon as possible after you have covered it in class. Don't wait until exams threaten! If you revise within 24 hours of the material being covered in class, your recall of information will improve dramatically.

While you are reading:

Try to understand how the facts are connected. This will help you to remember and learn.

Write down points that need to be explained and ask your teacher for help.

HIGHLIGHTING

Use a highlighter pen to pinpoint important facts which need to be learned. For important paragraphs, highlight the section or mark stars or lines in the margin.

CRAM CARDS

Write short notes on small pocket size cards to memorise information. Carry the cards to help you revise material several times each day. Use the cards often, for example in the bus or while cleaning your teeth. You can also stick them in places where you are likely to see them, such as on your desk, on a mirror, or on the refrigerator door.

CASSETTES

Read difficult material out loud or record it onto a tape.

Listen to the tape:

When doing other things such as having breakfast or driving the car. Each time you listen you will absorb more information

Just before going to bed. Best times are just before going to sleep and the first thing in the morning.

SUMMARISING

Summarising reduces the amount of information you have to learn. To summarise, use the highlighted facts in your notes to list "trigger" points. These are words you can use to trigger your memory to enable you to answer exam questions.

When summarising, divide each topic into sections.

Then each section into subsections, and list relevant facts or triggers.

For example, a summary of the content of this page would look like this:

[ON TO SITTING EXAMINATIONS]