Your Personal Best Examination Performance Get Ready – Exams are Coming

1. Your Personal Best Examination PerformanceGet Ready – Exams are Coming Student Learning Development Student Counselling Service Trinity College Dublin student.learning@tcd.ie http://student-learning.tcd.ie

2. Learning Objectives • Explore ways to prepare for exams • Review active revision strategies • Build self confidence • Establish exam prep plan

3. Sporting performance Content Physical skills - basic to advanced Fitness Health Strength Stamina Flexibility Event Performance rehearsal Academic performance Content Knowledge - basic to advanced Fitness Health Revision Workload Tolerance of ambiguity Event Performance rehearsal Examinations as Events

4. Know Yourself • What are your exam concerns? • Why do you have these concerns? • What do you do well? • What could you do better? • Have friends developed strategies that you can use? • How do you manage your stress?

5. Get Organised The keys to your personal best is preparation and control • Focus on the subjects you are sitting • Remove distractions • Make a study program and timetable • Revision checklists

6. Learn from the past • Get detailed information about what your exam paper looks like • Identify and revise topics you do not know well • Course handbook and marking criteria

7. Where is my exam timetable and my past exam papers?

8. Active Revision Strategies • Condense your notes • Chunk • Memorable • Concept maps, grids, etc. • Focus • Answer past papers & problems • Flash cards for memorisation • Test yourself

9. Develop a Structure for Your Answers • Understand what is being asked • Only answer the QUESTION • Do not include material that is irrelevant to the QUESTION • Understand the format in which your answers are required • Practice and practice answering previous exam questions using the required format

10. More Active Revision • Make revision fun • Use revision strategies where you move around • Draw pictures, maps, cartoons, diagrams, etc • Put key points around your walls • Teach “someone” else and ask them key questions (answer the questions yourself) • Listen to tapes or view video/DVD versions of the material • Make exam preparation a social occasion

11. Play to your strengthswww.vark-learn.com

12. Learning and recall • Two processes not one • Recall is triggered by physical situations and emotional states • Material learned in one physical situation or emotional state will not necessarily be easily accessible in another physical situation or emotional state unless revised in that state • Conclusion?

13. Personal Exam Prep Plan

14. Building Self Confidence • Your objective is to do your personal best • Think of exams as an opportunity for you to show what you know • Get familiar with the examination space • Exam outcomes are proportionate to the effort you put in • Set learning targets and rewards for yourself • Compare what you know now with what you knew at the beginning of the year

15. Managing Stress • Read up on stress and time management on http://student-learning.tcd.ie • Establish habits that support concentration and examination preparation • Go to the new Sports Hall and get involved in stress management physical activity

16. Summary: The Keys to Your Personal Best • Preparation • Organisation • Intelligence/information • Active revision • Stay focused • Structure and content • Control • Manage your emotional and physical responses • Think positively • For all your study skills needs: http://student-learning.tcd.ie