Approaching Exam Revision: Strategies And Techniques
Approaching Examinations and Strategies for Improvement
I often find it very difficult to cope up with the huge stress. So, I must make some plans that will help me to revise the subject with ease before the night of the exam. So, I need to make a good revision plan so that I have the entire syllabus in my grip (Jain 2013).
I have just a week in hand and the exam is due just in the upcoming week. So I have to make some plans so that I can manage the syllabus and go through all the chapters in a very systematic manner. One such subject that has a huge syllabus is English literature and one tough job that I often face, is going through the dramas or the plays that are present in my syllabus. The strategies that I may use are
- I will try to keep calm and do not fear the exam. I must make a routine or a revision plan that will help them to proceed in a step by step manner.
- I have to calculate the number of days or the time that is left in my hands. It is according to this plan that they will divide the work of revising the syllabus.
- As a drama or a play (for example a Shakespearean play Macbeth), has many acts and scenes, I must go through the chapters thoroughly.
- This is followed by a second go through the session that will help me to delve deep into the acts and each scene of the play. I will be reading the textbook thoroughly is one of the most important parts of any revision plan. This will help me to develop a clear insight into the story of the play.
- After this extensive reading, I can actually highlight and jot down those points that are most important (that which contain some of the important quotes and notification) or some important incidents as well.
- This method will help me to also jot down those parts of the pays that are difficult for them to understand. So, they will have enough time on hand to consult with my peers or with my teachers as well.
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Week1 |
Week2 |
Week3 |
Week4 |
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I will keep all the notes of the class properly in one place |
I will attend class properly and keep all the notes up to date. |
I will organize the notes and go through them acutely |
I will be confident and be calm. Losing the cool and create a great loss. |
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I will Go through the chapters and jot down the key points |
In case of any absenteeism, I will take help from friends |
I will Look at the calendar to calculate the number of days left before the exam |
I will not feel shy in contacting the teachers repeatedly if in doubts |
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I will highlight the points that appear tough |
I will gather all the notes together in one place. Try collecting some of the past year’s question papers. |
I will plan your moves accordingly Try solving the past year question papers |
I will concentrate on the process of peer to peer learning is also one of the important and very helpful steps |
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I will consult with the teacher |
I will go through the notes and revise them properly |
I will not waste any time. Time management is one of an important step in the revision |
I will collect all the notes and make use of the gathered knowledge. Make sure to keep at least one or two days in hand for yourself. In other words, devote your entire time to study on your own just 1 or 2 days prior to the exam. Do not bring any deviation. Concentrate and revise all the important chapters and the notes. I will not study for the entire night. Study for at least 3 hours or so and then get a good sleep. Proper rest is needed before the exam. |
Some of the very useful methods of revising for the exams are as follows
Solving some past papers
I feel that this is one of the most important and modem methods of revision for the exam. This helps me to develop a clear idea about the patterns of questions that might come in the exam. The schools and the teachers are now paying a huge emphasis on the question patterns. So, it can also happen that the students might get some very common questions in my exams from the exams of the past few years (Sherman et al. 2018.).
Peer to Peer learning
I believe that group study is one of the useful methods of revising the lessons before the exam. This helps in getting a large number of new information and tips that might be very useful for all the students in the exams. The notes that might be present with one student may not be present with others. So, it is in this peer to peer learning system that I can follow the system of knowledge sharing and can revise properly. I will also be able to correct each other if in case they are following any wrong methods of studying (Boud et al. 2014)
The revision plan has been very helpful for me because the method of going through each and every chapter and jotting down the important points helped me to be much more organized. This did not make them grapple for notes or answers. This reduced almost more than half of my burden before the exam.
Detailed Revision Plan
I will be using the calendar to make a rough calculation of the revision plan was also very useful as I could make a clear idea about the time that is actually left in my hands and this helped them to manage all the revision works within time rather than panicking later.
I will make sure to highlight the important points was also very useful as the students could go through the important parts very easily before the exam rather than searching the whole book. I could also consult the same with my teachers if in case they had any problems.
- The final exam technique was
- To go through all the chapters thoroughly
- To mark the important points
- To mark the portions that were tough and needed proper clarification from teachers
- Peer to peer learning was also a very helpful method
- Devoting a span of 3 to 4 hours for revising the syllabus before the exam was good. This helped me to study within time and also get a good sleep. This helped them in writing the exams in a confident manner.
I feel that the performance was good. The marks scored were also satisfactory. I did not panic as all the notes were organized and all important tips were collected from teachers and also from other students of my group. The one thing that has to be incorporated in the coming days is solving more past years question papers right from the beginning so that the student is more familiar with the questions that might come in the exam.
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Student feedback sheet for successful education |
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Name of school |
St. Mary’s School |
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Students’ name |
Peter Ronald |
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Key points |
criteria |
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Revision plan |
Refer to the table below |
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Revision notes(for studying a Shakespearean play, Macbeth) |
I will be going through all the main points of the play, the character sketches, the key points of each act and each play. I will make sure you keep a guide that will explain the meanings of each word and phrases. This is because the original text often contains some difficult words and languages. For an instance, the play Macbeth is written in an Elizabethan language and must be translated into English for clear and precise understanding. |
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Notes on planning for successful use of time under exam conditions |
Plans |
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Day1 |
I will go through all the acts of the play that is in the syllabus. Use the calendar to calculate the number of days left in hand before the exam and plan things accordingly. |
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Day2 |
I will highlight the areas that need further reading and attention |
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Day3 |
I will go through the highlighted portions again and jot down the key points |
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Day4 |
I will try answering the important questions of the play |
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Day5 |
I will go through the major and minor characters and make a character sketch in your own words |
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Day6 |
I will consult with your teacher for any doubts that need clarification. |
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Day7 |
I will just take an overview of all the highlighted notes and answers before the exam. Do not study for the whole night or for long hours. A span of 3 to 4 hours is enough. Do remember to take some breaks in between and some stress busters as well like light exercises, light music and others. |
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Time for revision plan |
Revision plan Methods |
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DAY1- 4 hours |
I will go through the chapters of the text along with the highlighted points that show the important portion. |
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Day2 TO DAY5-3 hours |
I will go through the chapters once again and jot down the important points or any areas that need further clarification |
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DAY 6 TO DAY7-3HOURS |
I will go through the important points, the answers, the character sketches (if any) or important paragraphs and the important tips given by the teachers at class. I will make sure you are ready with all the necessary notes and tips before the exam and just go through all of it for a span of 3 hours or so. I will make sure to take breaks and refreshments in between. Calm yourself down and go for your exam the next day with a fresh mind. |
Conclusion
Thus it can be concluded that for proper revision before the exam, I must make a plan beforehand. Time management is one of the most important steps that the students might take. Peer to peer learning is also one of the helpful revision techniques. I must collect and solve the questions of the previous year some while in the course of revision.
References
Baert, S., Omey, E., Verhaest, D. and Vermeir, A., 2015. Mister Sandman, bring me good marks! On the relationship between sleep quality and academic achievement. Social Science & Medicine, 130, pp.91-98.
Boud, D., Cohen, R. and Sampson, J. eds., 2014. Peer learning in higher education: Learning from and with each other. Routledge.
Dunlosky, J. and Rawson, K.A., 2015. Practice tests, spaced practice, and successive relearning: Tips for classroom use and for guiding students’ learning. Scholarship of Teaching and Learning in Psychology, 1(1), p.72.
Huang, S., Deshpande, A., Yeo, S.C., Lo, J.C., Chee, M.W. and Gooley, J.J., 2016. Sleep restriction impairs vocabulary learning when adolescents cram for exams: The need for sleep study. Sleep, 39(9), pp.1681-1690.
Jain, S. 2013. Top 10 revision techniques for your final or Part 1 exams. [online] Available at: https://www.independent.co.uk/student/student-life/top-10-revision-tips-for-your-final-or-first-year-exams-8576161.html [Accessed 13 Apr. 2018].
Khalil, B., 2017. Paperless reads: Exam Attack: How to Beat Exam Stress. School Librarian, 65(1), pp.18-19.
Patil, S.S., Wadhva, S.K. and Shukla, S., 2018. Exam anxiety and factors contributing to it amongst medical interns of a tertiary care centre. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH, 6(2).
Sherman, C.K. and De La Paz, S., 2018. FIX: A Strategic Approach to Writing and Revision for Students With Learning Disabilities. TEACHING Exceptional Children, 50(4), pp.233-242.
Strong, S.I., 2018. How to write law essays and exams. Oxford University Press.
Walker, D., 2017. EMPOWERING ENGLISH WRITING STUDENTS: REFLECTING ON ASPECTS OF THE PROCESS THAT HELPED ME MOST?. LLT Journal: A Journal on Language and Language Teaching, 20(2), pp.85-93.
