Exams: top tips and techniques

A good strategy to adopt when tackling this type of exam, which asks you to recall facts, is to take a 3-step approach. 

Step 1:   

• Read through the whole exam paper (paying attention to the instructions as noted above).   
• Put a tick next to the questions you can definitely answer.  
• Circle the numbers of the questions you want to think about for a bit longer before you answer them.  
• Put a cross next to questions you don’t know the answer to.  

Step 2: 

• Answer the questions you feel confident with (those you ticked). 
• Tackle the questions you circled - ones that need a bit more thought.  

Step 3:  

• Finish with the hardest questions (the ones you put a cross next to). 
• Look for obviously wrong answers and eliminate them. 
• Look for answers that seem to mean the same and eliminate those. 
• Look for grammatically incorrect answers and eliminate those.  
• Then apply your best guess (you get no marks for an unanswered question, but you may for a guessed answer). 

Finally, leave time to check over all your answers. Use every minute of the exam time wisely. 

Remember these questions are likely to be about your: 

• Understanding of the topic. 
• Applying what you have learned. 
• Arguing a point of view. 
• Being critical and analytical. 
• Writing in a set time.  
• Coping under pressure. 

The best strategy for an exam is to plan carefully. This stops you from just writing all you know about the topic as this is unlikely to answer the question asked. 

Take time to: 

• Read the question and identify the topic and type of essay required (e.g., discursive, compare and contrast). 
• Brainstorm the question (keep re-reading the question – highlight what’s relevant). 
• Organise ideas into a rough plan focusing on structuring your answer logically (with a clear development of ideas).  

Now get writing!   

Finally, re-read what you have written. Use 10 minutes per hour for this task. 

• Can you see any grammar, punctuation or spelling errors? 
• Have you got an introduction with a sentence that tells the reader what to expect in your answer? 
• Have you got good topic sentences to introduce each paragraph? 
• Have you given a mini conclusion to each paragraph that tells the reader how that paragraph answers the question? 
• Have you answered the question in your conclusion?