Preparing for: SEMESTER EXAMINATIONS [ Oh No ! ] Freshman Seminar November 26 & 27, 2014

Why Prepare for Semester Examinations?  Are you kidding? It can be 20% of your grade!  Semester Grades Matter – It’s YOUR Transcript! – Your Choices!  Protect the good work you have earned during the semester  It‘s an opportunity to RAISE your grades! (or lower them!)

WHEN SHOULD YOU PREPARE FOR SEMESTER EXAMINANTIONS?  From the first day of the semester  Every class period of the semester  Every week before the examination  Every day before the examination  Every hour before the examination If you were paying attention and taking notes – you WERE preparing for your examinations

Ask yourself, ”How do I study for my examinations?” Your learning style: - use your strengths Your time management: (Exam Schedule) - schedule your study time Your support: - friends, classmates, teachers, parents

PREPARING FOR TESTS  Test Preparation Tips  Test Preparation Wisdom  Test Taking Tips Multiple Choice Essay True/False Short Answer Mathematical/Quantitative “Cramming” [Not Recommended] Reducing Test Anxiety

TEST PREP TIPS - 1  Budget your time, make sure you have sufficient time to study so that you are well prepared for the test.

TEST PREP TIPS - 2  Go to review, pay attention to hints that the instructor may give about the test. Take careful notes and ask questions about items you may be confused about.  Ask the instructor to specify the areas that will be emphasized on the test.  Make sure you go to the class right before the test; it's another prime time for the instructor to give out more hints or the format of the test.

TEST PREP TIPS - 3  Go over any material from practice tests, home work, sample problems, review material, the textbook, class notes... And compile a “Study Sheet”**  Eat healthy & drink water before a test, having food in your stomach will give you energy and help you focus, but avoid heavy foods which can make you sleepy.  Don't try to pull an all nighter, get your NORMAL hours of sleep before the test.

TEST PREP TIPS - 4  Put the main ideas/information/formulas onto a single sheet that can be quickly reviewed many times, this makes it easier to retain the key concepts that will be on the test.  Review this single sheet out loud with a coupe of “study buddies” from your class – you will remember more this way.

TEST PREP WISDOM - 1  If it was on a quiz, it might be on the EXAMINATION  If you spend two days on it in class, it might be on the EXAMINATION  If you got it wrong on a quiz and haven’t learned the right answer yet, you’ll get it wrong on the EXAMINATION

TEST PREP WISDOM – 2  If you got a 3 out of 10 on a homework assignment, you’ll get it wrong on the EXAMINATION – unless you learn it afterwards  Your teachers have been telling you what’s on the EXAMIANTION all semester long – you just had to write it down  Your teachers are still telling you what will be on the EXAMINATION Write it down!  If you copied homework from somebody during the semester – you have to learn it now, or you’ll get it wrong on the EXAMINATION

TEST TAKING TIPS Essay  Budget your time, if you have an hour to write 3 essays, spend no more than 20 minutes on each essay, then if you have time left over at the end go back and finish any incomplete essays.  If you aren't sure about an exact date or number, then use approximations i.e. "Approximately 5000" or "In the late 17th century."  If you make a mistake, simply draw a line through it, it is much neater and quicker than erasing it.

TEST TAKING TIPS Short Answer - 1  Use flashcards, writing the key terms, dates and concepts on the front and the definition, event, and explanations on the back.  Try to anticipate questions that will be asked on the test and prepare for them. Usually what your instructor emphasizes in class will be on the test.  Try not to leave an answer blank, show your work/write down your thoughts, even if you don't get the exact answer, partial credit is usually awarded.

TEST TAKING TIPS Short Answer - 2  If you don't know the answer, come back to it after you finish the rest of the test and make an educated guess. Other parts of the test may give you clues to what the answer may be.  Read the question carefully and make sure that you answer everything that it asks for; some short answer questions have multiple parts.

TEST TAKING TIPS Mathematical/Quantitative  Show all your work (especially when partial credit is awarded) and write as legibly as possible.  Even if you know the final answer is wrong, don't erase your entire work because you may get partial credit for using the correct procedure.  Check over your test after you are done with it. If you have time redo the problem on a separate piece of paper and see if you come up with the same answer the second time around. Look for careless mistakes such as making sure the decimal is in the right place, that you read the directions correctly, that you copied the numbers correctly, that you put a negative sign if it is needed, that your arithmetic is correct and so on.

“CRAMMING” FOR EXAMINATIONS [NOT Recommended]  Cramming for exams should be avoided at all costs. You should only cram for an exam as a last resort. It's hard to take in and retain a large amount of information in a short period of time. Some of the tips on studying and preparing for a test may happen somewhat close to the exam, but remember to plan and manage (not just cram). Eat some food to give you energy to study, but try to avoid excess sugar which will make you hyper and will make it more difficult to study.

Eve of the Exam Tips - 1  An apple does a better job at keeping you focused and awake than caffeine.  Keep a positive attitude, it is easier to study when you are relaxed than when you are stressed out.  Since your time is limited you have to choose what you study, don't attempt to learn everything, focus on things that will get you the most points on the exam.  Focus on the main ideas and learn key formulas, skip the details for now and only come back to them if you see that you have time after you have learned the key points.

Eve of the Exam TIPS - 2  Write down the key ideas/formulas on a sheet of paper and keep on studying from that sheet, repetition is important.  Take turns explainaing your study sheet points out loud with a study buddy.  Read the chapter summaries (they usually do a good job at summarizing the important points), if there're no chapter summaries then skim through the text and write down key ideas.

Eve of the Exam TIPS - 3  Study from past tests, review questions, homework & review sheets.  Take at least one five minute break an hour so that you can gather your thoughts and let your brain relax.  TRY to get GOOD sleep before the exam so that you don't fall asleep when taking your exam. Don't forget to set your alarm!

TEST TAKING ANXIETY  “Test anxiety is when a student excessively worries about doing well on a test. This can become a major hindrance on test performance and cause extreme nervousness and memory lapses among other symptoms. The following are tips on reducing test taking anxiety. Being well prepared for the test is the best way to reduce test taking anxiety. “

REDUCING TEST TAKING ANXIETY Tips - 1  Space out your studying over a few days or weeks, and continually review class material, don't wait until the night before and try to learn everything the night before.  Try to maintain a positive attitude while preparing for the test and during the test.  Exercising for a few days before the test will help reduce stress.  Get a good night's sleep before the test.  Show up to Exam early so you won't have to worry about being late.

REDUCING TEST TAKING ANXIETY Tips - 2  Stay relaxed, if you begin to get nervous take a few deep breaths slowly to relax yourself and then get back to work.  Read the directions slowly and carefully.  If you don't understand the directions on the test, ask the teacher to explain it to you.  Skim through the test so that you have a good idea how to pace yourself.  Write down important formulas, facts, definitions and/or keywords in the margin first so you won't worry about forgetting them.

Reducing Test Taking Anxiety Tips - 3  Do the simple questions first to help build up your confidence for the harder questions.  Don't worry about how fast other people finish their test; just concentrate on your own test.  If you don't know a question skip it for the time being (come back to it later if you have time), and remember that you don't have to always get every question right to do well on the test.  Focus on the question at hand; don't let your mind wander on other things.  If you're still experiencing extreme test anxiety after following these tips, seek help from your school counselor. -- From, “TestTakingTips.Com”, 2007

GOOD LUCK!  Luck only will get you an…  Luck plus review will get you a…  Luck plus review, plus concentrated study will get you an…  Good study habits all semester long will get you…