Transcript Study Methods - Wollemi College

The mark you
obtain in an exam
is a reflection of
two main things
that are in your
control:
1. The amount of
revision that you
have completed.
2. Your exam
technique.
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What are exam
techniques?
Exam techniques are
the skills that a
student implements
during an exam that
help to maximise
their mark.
Even if a student has
an excellent amount
of knowledge on a
subject, failure to
adopt appropriate
exam techniques
can result in a
disappointing mark.
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The most important
exam technique is
time allocation.
Many students that run
out of time in an exam
and do not finish have
either; not catered for
enough time for each
section of the exam, or
they have not spent
enough time on
particular sections of
the exam paper.
Both of these mistakes
can mean you lose a
lot of marks.
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If exams have a cover sheet
with suggested times, then
USE THAT AS A GUIDE!!!
Be time-effective, try and
complete easier parts of the
exam (i.e. Multi-choice
sections) faster than the time
suggested, this will give you
more time for longer sections
like written responses.
Quickly check the time after
every few questions to make
sure you are not spending too
much time on certain
questions.
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Marks will be lost if
students do not work
within time
constraints.
During the exam,
keep a close eye on
the clock-better still,
bring your watch
with you and place it
on the desk.
Be disciplined!
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Out of the three types of
questions asked in an exam,
multiple choice questions are
probably the hardest questions
to predict and study for.
These questions require a
thorough understanding of all
the information that you have
been asked to study.
Be careful with the wording of
the question. Even top students
have to read over the
questions at least 2 or 3 times.
Look out for questions that
contain words like “NOT” and
“INCORRECT” so that you don’t
make the mistake of answering
the opposite to what the
question is asking for.
When answering multiple
choice: Eliminate or
cross off the irrelevant
options to narrow down
your choice.
 If you are unsure with the
answer, put an asterisk
next to the question
number and come back
to it once you have
finished the multiple
choice section, or after
you’ve completed the
rest of the paper.
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Never rush multiple choice!
If you have studied well
and are confident with
your answers then this
section will be an
opportunity for you to have
a head start and spend a
little more time on the
written tasks.
Don’t Forget! NEVER EVER
EVER LEAVE A MULTIPLECHOICE QUESTION BLANK!!!
Even if you have no idea
which option is correct
choose one because there
is a chance you could
guess it right and earn an
extra mark. It doesn’t hurt
to guess one question but it
will hurt if you fail by one or
two marks!
Look at content in the
multiple-choice section to
help with short-answers.
 Before you start revising for the
exam (weeks in advance),
make sure you know how long
each teacher expects the
short answers to be. This will
determine how long your
practice questions and
answers should be when you
revise at home. Match revision
to exam conditions.
 Work out how long you can
spend on each question.
 If answers are to the point and
accurate, you will often get a
better mark than if you write
huge amounts of text that
does not relate. But
nevertheless, always make
sure you write enough.
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Again, Read over the
question many times!!!
Students often confuse
sections and provide an
incorrect response. Do not
mix up causes with
impacts, or give three
points when the question
asked for four.
Make sure you address
each question in your
answer properly and
ANSWER THE ACTUAL
QUESTION! THIS IS VERY
IMPORTANT!
IMPORTANT
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Answer the question.
Have an adequate depth
of theory and general
arguments.
Provide examples. Have
statistics, dates, etc.,
Use appropriate
terminology.
Be descriptive, and if
appropriate, show some
reflective ideas.
Always give adequate time for
the essay! (s).
 Effective revision will take the
surprise out of essay questions
as you will be able to identify
the information that the essay
will be constructed from.
 Quality essays should include
theory, examples, statistics,
dates, terminology quotes and
even diagrams (if asked for)
Check with the teacher if
diagrams are appropriate for
the subject.
 Concept maps could apply to
almost any essay.
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Jot down the main ideas in
point-form on the question
booklet before writing the
essay.
There should be points for
an introduction, body and
conclusion.
These ideas next to the
question help to structure
the paragraphs for the
essay otherwise time will be
wasted trying to think of
what to write for each
paragraph.
Aim for quality AND
quantity.
It is best to jot your essay
plan down as soon as the
exam starts.
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Before any exam that you ever sit in your life
you will be given Reading Time.
The point of Reading time is to allow students
to READ through the exam paper.
Why? If there is a multi-choice/short answer
section that applies to a reading or passage
then students can read it before the exam has
started.
This allows you to get straight into answering
the questions when the time starts instead of
wasting precious time doing the readings.
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So Remember! When you sit down in Reading
Time open your exam up and READ all the
passages and questions that you will need to
answer in the exam, it will save you time.
Also, read your Essay (Extended-writtenresponse) questions too, this way you can start
thinking of the essay points that you want to
write about in your response.
Jot down a small essay plan before you start
the rest of the exam so that you don’t lose your
ideas.
All the topics covered during this course
are extremely important to your study
technique and academic success.
 If you make sure that you are on top of
all these study aspects then you will
succeed as a student and make the
most out of your studies and education.
 All the best for the future!
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