Preparing For Exams

This week I've also learned some useful tips for preparing for exams.

From: http://www.unilodge.com.au/Melbourne/Swanston/newsletter/november-2009/

Our textbook, "Orientation to College Learning," lists the different levels of questions that we might find on an exam. For future reference, they are:

1. Knowledge-level questions: Questions that can be answered by remembering key terms, dates, lists, etc. This is by far the easiest level of questions.
2. Comprehension-level questions: Questions that challenge you to recognize the answer when it's phrased differently.
3. Application-level questions: Questions that ask you to apply the information in a new way. In science class, you might have to answer an example applying what you know.
4. Analysis-level questions: Questions that challenge you to break down a complex concept. A lot of essay questions are at the analysis level.
5. Synthesis-level questions: Questions that require information be brought together as a whole. Essay questions may also involve synthesis.
6. Evaluation-level questions: Questions that usually require both analysis and synthesis. Evaluation challenges you to make a judgement about a certain idea. They are the most difficult to answer.

From: http://www.study-habits.com/how-to-prepare-for-an-exam

To help me prepare for all types of questions, I can:

Preparation Strategies

1. Answer Questions – if there are review problems at the end of the chapter, textbook, or on the textbook’s website, working them out or answering them can help me prepare for possible real questions on the exam.
2. Develop Study Sheets – using my notes, the key terms, and review problems, I can create clear, well-organized study sheets that will help me learn the information and review it quickly.
3. Make Self-Tests – creating a self-test over the information that I am studying would be a good way to prepare for the real exam. It would also help me to measure how much I’ve learned so far.

Review Strategies

1. Do “Missed” Problems – focusing on the problems that I’ve missed on my self-tests or practice quizzes on the textbook’s website will help me make sure that I remember them in the future.
2. Explain the Material to Someone else –Discussing the subject with someone else would be a good way to measure how well I know the topic myself. The other person may also have information to add to the discussion, which would help me remember it later.
3. Recreating Charts From Memory- This would also be a good way to self-test myself. Being able to mentally visualize a chart on an exam would be helpful for both multiple choice and essay questions.