Exam Revision Strategies This workshop will... Identify ways to enhance your memory skills Introduce a variety of revision methods Offer practical tips on effective preparation for exams Louise Livesey Academic Skills Adviser 11/19/2018 Academic Skills Advice

Academic Skills Advice Share the plan with attendees The Plan… How you remember Types of revision session How to use notes to revise Tips for successful revision planning 11/19/2018 Academic Skills Advice

Academic Skills Advice 1.How your remember Oh, what a beautiful morning! 11/19/2018 Academic Skills Advice

Academic Skills Advice 1.How your remember Memory is a process 11/19/2018 Academic Skills Advice

Academic Skills Advice 1.How your remember Taking information in: maintain attention to remember. So we should…..? Direct attention consciously and purposefully Focus in a relaxed way - not with hard concentration Take breaks Link the information to what you know Give names and labels to information Deliberately arrange or adapt information B. Retaining information long enough to remember it: rehearsal to remember things in the short term. So we should…..?   Repeat the information Start repeating within a few seconds as information fades quickly. CLICK FOR B ANSWERS 11/19/2018 Academic Skills Advice

Academic Skills Advice 1.How your remember Activity 2: C. Encoding information: working with information so it can be moved into long-term memory. So we could use the following strategies… Using your environment Use clothes Use parts of the body Use motor memory Use auditory memory Use visual memory Use colour D. Recalling information: linked to your attention and awareness and bringing the information to mind. So we could use the following strategy… Be organised Put your notes into patterns using ‘chunks’ CLICK for second set of C ticks Click for D ticks 11/19/2018 Academic Skills Advice

Academic Skills Advice 2.Types of revision session TALKING POINT Activity 3: C. Writing Answers’ Practice B. Topic Coverage Why do this session? Questions may be similar in exam What you need to know? Previous exam questions How does this help? Will have information to answer question What strategies do I need to use? Answer each question in turn using blank postcards/index cards. Why do this session? Where to improve and boost confidence What you need to know? Length and type of exam How does this help? Not waste time, and gets used to writing for length of exam and new environments. Improve concentration. What strategies do I need to use? Work out time have to answer each question. Practice in strange environment. Practice writing. Click for B answers Click for C answers 11/19/2018 Academic Skills Advice

Academic Skills Advice 3.How to use notes to revise Review Sift through all the initial information (class materials and notes), and look for any gaps in your understanding or questions that need answering Augment Focus additional reading from lecturer recommendations or the reading list, and then move onto other sources. Take notes from these. Create a set of ‘key notes’ for that unit. Condense Do a reduction of the unit information – reproduce key info that is to prompt the remembering of details. Aim to get the key notes set down by 50%. Transform Using this condensed version, turn the unit into a new format. Click for B answers Click for C answers 11/19/2018 Academic Skills Advice

Academic Skills Advice 3.How to use notes to revise Transforming notes means you engage with the material and perform ‘multiple encoding’ Click for B answers Click for C answers 11/19/2018 Academic Skills Advice

Revising for exams is not about learning your entire subject; 3.How to use notes to revise Revising for exams is not about learning your entire subject; it is about remembering topics relating to questions and recalling them. 11/19/2018 Academic Skills Advice

Academic Skills Advice THE REALITY!   If you have attended all teaching sessions, passed your course work and revised adequately, you are extremely likely to pass. The questions will relate to topics taught The pass mark is 40 for undergraduates. You are not expected to know everything. Other people are nervous too. Failure, though unwelcome, can often be overcome – Resits, repeat years, other options! 11/19/2018 Academic Skills Advice

Academic Skills Advice References Cottrell, S. (2007) The exam skills handbook. Basingstoke, Palgrave. Cottrell, S. (2013) The study skills handbook. 4th ed. Basingstoke, Palgrave. Illumine Training. (2013) Mind mapping tips and tricks. Windsor, Illumine Training. http://www.illumine.co.uk/2013/08/mind-mapping-tips-and-tricks/ Accessed 10 October 2014. Inspiration Software (2013) Thinking and planning graphic organizer and outline examples. Portland, Inspiration Software, Inc. http://www.inspiration.com/webspirationclassroom-thinking-and-planning- examples Accessed 11 March 2014. Post-it.(2014) Revision helper. Bracknell:.3M. http://postitideas.3m.eu/en_GB/showIdea.php?prevstart=0&idea=68&keyword=16 Accessed 14 October 2014. Potter, C. (2013) Week one: straight back into the fray. Dundee, ‘Calum Potter’ Wordpress. http://interaction.dundee.ac.uk/~cpotter/wordpress/?author=1 Accessed 11 March 2014. University of Roehampton (2013) Unit 5 – essay planning. Roehampton, Studentzone http://studentzone.roehampton.ac.uk/howtostudy/academicwriting/unit5/ Accessed 5 March 2014. web.stagram.com (2014) Exam plan. San Francisco, Pinterest. http://www.pinterest.com/ssidsheff/exam-plan/ Accessed 14 October 2014. 11/19/2018 Academic Skills Advice

Academic Skills Advice Service Where are we? Chesham Building B0.23. Give us a call or come speak to us Monday-Thursday 10am-12pm and 1pm-4pm Who am I? Louise, the dedicated workshop adviser. Who can help me with study and writing skills? Lucy and Russell run Instant Study Skills Advice sessions Monday-Thursday and Writing Skills Clinics twice a week. You can also access self-help resources on our webpage. Who can give me maths advice? Helen and Michael specialise in Maths support for students though clinics and pre-booked appointments. How do I get in touch? Email: academic-skills@brad.ac.uk Telephone: 01274 236849 http://www.brad.ac.uk/academic-skills/induction/ 19/11/2018 Academic Skills Advice

Academic Skills Advice Any questions? 11/19/2018 Academic Skills Advice