Preparing for an Exam

Midwest Sleep and Neurodiagnostic Institute

Study

Remember what was successful for you Break it down into smaller chunks Set a regular schedule Make some studying convenient Review – Don’t think you know it

because you read it once

Study

Use different modes of learning– Read– Listen– Recite– Write

Study

Use different modes of learning– Read

• Set aside time to concentrate on reading material.

• Have a book or short materials with you• Review• Ask yourself questions about what you read the

last time

Study

Use different modes of learning– Listen

• To lectures• Tapes• Tape yourself reading aloud• Use study groups to present to each other

Study

Use different modes of learning– Recite

• This is the strongest way to move information from short term to long term memory

• Teach others• Recite topics in your own words

– You can do this ANYWHERE!!!

Study

Use different modes of learning– Write

• Like reciting, this burns material into long term memory

• Keep a notebook• Make flashcards• Make diagrams

Study

Memorize –– Especially things that will very likely be on

the exam– Formulas– Arrhythmia definitions– Sleep stage definitions– Etc.– Flash cards work well for this.

Reward yourself

– Pay yourself for studying• Stick $1 in a jar for every hour your study each week.

You get to blow it on yourself the week after the exam.

– Treat yourself if you’ve done your homework– Get family or friends to make up rewards for you. – Keep a log and track in 10 minute chunks so you’ll

be motivated to take every little opportunity to review or recite

The Day of the Exam Psych yourself up-BE

CONFIDENT!

In the morning:

– Set an alarm with enough time to get to the exam without worrying, then set it 1/2 to 3/4 hour earlier.

– Have the proper materials:• #2 pencils with erasers (take 3)• Exam admission ticket• Proper Identification (signed, photo ID)• A watch

Relax immediately before the test, perhaps with the newspaper and a cup of coffee

Stay relaxed and confident. Don’t let yourself become anxious.

Remind yourself that you are well prepared and are going to do well.

Eat something light to give you energy and to keep your stomach from annoying you as well as others.

Do:

Get to the exam room early enough to:– Get a good seat.

• Blackboard is in view.

• Clock is in view.

• Lighting is okay.

• Distracting people are not near you.

• Away from the busy area of the room. (doors, aisles)

– Relax for a minute before starting. Practice slow, abdominal breathing.

Do:

Talk to other students before a test; anxiety is contagious.

Study the last hour before the test. Have conversations about the subject

matter. (It can throw you off balance.)

Don’t

Performance anxiety

Some is a good thing Too much is distracting If you feel anxious before or during

a test, take several slow, deep breaths to relax

How to take objective tests. General

–Survey the test.–Read the directions carefully.–Glance at all the pages–How long is it?–Are you missing any pages?

How to take objective tests. General

– Once the test has started, take a minute to jot down memorized formulas.

–At the top of the paper write the half way time.

Make efficient use of your time.

– Check periodically to see if you are keeping up. For example, when half of your time is up make sure you are half way through your test.

– Get through the test once by not spending too much time on any question.• Do not waste time agonizing over questions

that you are having trouble with.– Use the x’s and ? marks strategy

Answer easy questions first. Because:–You won’t miss any easy questions

by running out of time.–It builds confidence.–Later questions sometimes help

answer earlier hard ones.–You may spontaneously remember

answers to hard questions later.

–If you find a question especially difficult, confusing or you are drawing a blank, quickly take your best guess and mark the question for return with an “X” in the margin.

–Answer questions that you’re somewhat sure about (but not completely sure) and mark them with a “?” in the margin.

X’s and ? marks

Use a logical strategy– Anticipate the answer before you look at the

choices.– Each question is a number of True-False

questions in one.– Cross out the letter of obviously false or

implausible choices.– As you’re reading the choices circle the letter

of choices that seem likely to be the best.

– Read all choices carefully!

For each question

– Select the best choice. If two or more choices are correct, choose the most specific one. e.g., “A triangle has three sides, “is better than “a triangle has more than two sides.”

For each question

Other pointers

– Do not pay attention to how many “A’s”, “B’s”, “C’s”, D’s” you have marked. Do not worry about how many of one answer you have in a row (for example, if there are 4 “B” answers in a row, don’t think “the next answer can’t be a “B”.) The questions are shuffled by computer.

– Don’t waste time obsessing over filling in the little circles.

• You’re not graded on the art.

– Read over all of the options. (Do I think this is important?)

– Look over answer giveaways. • By answering one question, you may be

able to deduce the answer to another question.

– If you must guess, keep in mind the following tips for multiple choice tests:• Sometimes lengthy or highly specific

answers will be the correct answer.

Other pointers

Guessing

–If you must guess, keep in mind the following tips for multiple choice tests:• Sometimes lengthy or highly

specific answers will be the correct answer.

Other pointers

– Be aware of words like, “always”, “never”, “only”, “must”, and “completely”. Underline dogmatic terms. Statements containing them are usually false because few things in the world meet the requirements of , “always”, “never”, “only”, “must”, and “completely”. These are extreme words.

– Cross out negatives of a double negatives.

Other pointers

Other pointers

Be careful of statements with two clauses.

• If the statement contains “and”, both clauses have to be true for the statement to be true.

• If the statement contains “or”, only one clause has to be true for the statement to be true.

– Try not to read into the test. Sometimes people read into a question, think that some items are trick questions, or too easy. Instead of it being too easy, it may be that you studied effectively and remember the material well.

Other pointers

Other pointers

Be alert for multiple ideas or concepts within the same true/false statement. All parts of the statement must be true or the entire statement is false.

–Be alert for grammatical inconsistencies between the question stem and the answer choices on multiple-choice questions. A choice is almost always wrong if it and the stem do not make a grammatically correct sentence.

Other pointers

Other pointers

“All of the above” answers are often correct. If you know two of the three of options are correct, “all of the above” is a strong possibility.

– The poplar belief is that “your first hunch is your best hunch.” This popular belief is wrong. Research has shown that changes from a wrong answer to a right answer outnumber changes that go from a right answer to a wrong answer by a margin of approximately 3 to 1. Research has also shown that changing answers improves scores!

To Change or Not to Change an Answer

Checking your answers.– Use all the time allowed.

– Answer sheet numbers correspond to exam question numbers.

– All questions are answered (there is no penalty for guessing)

– Never leave a question blank!

– All choices are clearly marked.

Clean-up

Clean-up

All “X’s” and “?’s” on the answer sheet have been checked– First, work on unanswered questions

with “X”.

– Second, rework questions with a “?”.

– Third, rework the rest of the questions.

More General Pointers

– Regard a lapse of memory as perfectly normal; do not let it throw you into a panic. If you block on an answering one question, leave it for a while and return to it later.

– Be careful not to give any impression of cheating.

– Do not be disturbed about other students finishing before you.

–Use time wisely. Do not waste time agonizing over questions that you are having trouble with. Go on to the next question, then go back to the ones you skipped if there is time.