Exam Tip #1: Wake up early so that you do not need to rush through having breakfast and getting ready.

Exam Tip #2: Check the venue and time of the exam to make sure that you have not confused the day/time/venue.

Exam Tip #3: Have a balanced breakfast and eat nothing risky (probably not the best day to have a super-hot curry!). Bananas are always a good option.

Exam Tip #4: Before leaving home, check that you have everything that you will need – ID, stationery, map to the exam venue, etc.

Exam Tip #5: Head to the exam with plenty of time. A lot of unexpected events can happen on your way there and you do not want to be late!

Exam Tip #6: If there are people around who are panicking, avoid them. They are not doing you any favour!

Exam Tip #7: Go to the toilet before the exam starts. Exams can be quite long and there is no time to waste.

Exam Tip #8: Remember to write your name on the exam paper. You would not believe how many people have forgotten to do it!

Exam Tip #9: Read all the questions carefully before starting and quickly plan how much time to allocate to each.

Exam Tip #10: Start answering the questions that you feel most confident about. There is no need to answer the questions in order.

Exam Tip #11: If your brain freezes, just start writing anything and you will soon start remembering more details.

Exam Tip #12: Don’t spend more time than you planned on a particular section/question or you might run out of time to answer other questions and gain those extra marks! Also, leave any questions that you are unsure about for the end.

Exam Tip #13: Don’t be afraid to ask the examiner if you are not clear on a question.

Exam Tip #14: Use every minute of the exam and if you have time left, review your answers before handing back the paper.

Exam Tip #15: Stay calm, you have done your homework and have nothing to fear!

Whether it’s from our class notes, from a textbook or using digital notes, note making is one of the most important elements in preparing for an exam. Our time is limited, so reducing mass amounts of information and summarising key points helps us to better focus our time and be much more efficient. Each student can develop note taking strategies that best fits their learning style but today we want to share some key points that can help you in the process of note making.

Note Making Explained: Five Basic Steps

1. Exploring the theme and sub-themes: The first step towards good note making consists of a reading of the text to get a general idea of its theme.
2. Organisation of content: This step can be carried out in conjunction with the first. The aim here is to identify the various parts that make up the text. Do this to get an idea of the amount of note making that will be required.
3. Notes in the margin: Before you start working on the summary itself, taking notes in the margin helps to add clarification to the content. Use it to note some main points and keywords in the text. This task will simplify things greatly when it comes to the summary process.
4. Underline essential information: Utilising this option will make your second and third effort of studying the material that bit easier. Rather than filtering through heavy amounts of material, your key notes are underlined and more visually grabbing.
5. Content Outline: Having identified the most important parts in the text, a diagram or Mind Map that allows us to visualise the content and their relationships can help with memorising information.

Best of Luck for Your Exams