1. Academic Success Center: Exam Preparation
Start off the workshop by introducing the workshop topic, to make sure everyone is in the right place. From there go ahead and introduce yourself. Name, year, program, assistantship, if there is time what was your undergraduate work and where are you from. It allows the audience to get to know you.
FYI: remind students at the end of the workshop there will be a post survey that will need to be completed from their smart phone, tablet, lap top. Let them know who it was sent from, Ie: aigrad2, Chelsey, etc. That way they can locate the that was sent prior to the workshop starting.
Presented by:
Academic Success Center Staff

2. What does the ASC provide?
Location: 1060 Hixson-Lied (across from Maple/Willow/Larch, off the 23 bus route)
Hours: 8:00-5:00, Monday-Friday. Website Resources 24/7
Services:
Academic Coaching
Psych 131: Academic Skills
Presentations/Handouts
Tutoring
Supplemental Instruction (SI)
Discuss location, hours, services
Hand out bookmark, if desired

3. Objective & Roadmap
Student Learning Outcome: To recognize previous exam performance and create a plan to be successful for future exams.
Study Strategies
Exam Prep
Time Management
Prioritization
Purpose: to go over the objectives of the workshop
Talking points: quickly give them an overview of what will be covered in the workshop.

4. Study Strategies
Introduction

5. Quick Study Tips
Read over the handout and identify anything new you might want to try OR something that you’ve already been doing that works for you
Purpose: worksheet that provides different tips for studying
Talking Point: Have students TTYP and discuss one strategy they want to try and what is one that they have been doing and is working. IF there is a small group have a large group discussion. Pull in information discussed from previous slides on test formats if needed.
Handout:

6. Bloom’s Taxonomy of Learning:
Theoretical framework with 6 different levels of thinking:
Remembering
Understanding
Applying
Analyzing
Evaluating
Creating
Teachers use it!
Create their tests and course learning outcomes
The higher you move up the pyramid, the deeper you will learn the concept because you are engaging in deeper critical thinking.
Bloom’s Taxonomy is a psychological theory that outlines the levels in which we learn.
Let’s look at these levels: (Intro Slide with Pyramid)
Starting at the base we have Remembering and Understanding, which could appear on a test as fill in the blank questions, vocab quizzes, T/F questions, etc.
These are the levels of learning typically utilized in elementary, middle, and high school
If you can remember and understand you are able to answer simple “what” questions
EX: What is the Bill of Rights? What are the steps of the Scientific Method?
Moving up, we have Applying, Analyzing, and Evaluating. These levels require us to be able to understand something and be able to apply it to new situations, analyze/critique information, and evaluate the content of information. This could appear on a test as open response questions, or multiple choice questions, etc.
These are the levels of learning that college professors are wanting you to be able to do
This is often how professors think about the material they are teaching and therefore this is the level of thinking that exams and other assignments require you to be at
Test questions are formed at this level of thinking and tend to be more “How” or “Why” questions
EX: How does the Bill of Rights apply in this situation? Why is it important to follow the scientific method?
Creating is a high level stage of creating new information. This could be creating research that reveals new findings/knowledge, or creating a model of something that hasn’t been done before.

7. Exam Prep Different Test Formats 5 Day Study plan 7 day study plan
Cramming
Introduce Exam Prep

8. Different Test Format Strategies
Short Answer
Essays
Open Book Exams
True/False
Multiple Choice/Object Tests
Math & Science Problems
Talking Point: Mention the different test strategies on this slide. NOTE: the next few slides is another “mini lectureet” on different formats of tests.
-take tally of what people have and then ignore the ones they do not
Handout:

9. Open Book Exams
Sometimes given when a student needs to refer to charts or other materials in the text. You must prepare for an open book exam as thoroughly as you would for a closed book exam. You won’t have time to re-read and look for formulas during the test.
Number and index your text book so that the parts of it that you need to reference are easy to find.
Talking Point: Go through information on slide. Discuss to students that yes one needs to study even if it is open book.

10. True/False
The statement must be 100% true in order to be marked “true,” not 50% true or even 99%. This could be the difference of just one word, so read carefully.
Because of this, false answers tend to be extreme in their wording and true answers moderate.
Usually false key words: no, never, none, always, every, entirely, only
Usually true key words: sometime, often, frequently, ordinarily, generally
When in doubt, guess “true.” You have a 50% chance of being right, and since the purpose of the exam is to impart accurate information, tests tend to be weighted slightly toward true answers.
Talking point: Go through information on slide. Ask audience what they have noticed when doing T/F.

11. Multiple Choice/Objective Tests
Read the directions carefully, as you might be asked to select the one incorrect option or to choose more than one answer
As with true/false questions, be sensitive to the wording of the question. Is the wording extreme or moderate?
Eliminate any answers which are obviously wrong first
Choose the best answer, which is not necessarily the familiar answer. Try not to second guess yourself.
If you are stuck, select “all of above,” if that is an option. As with true/false questions, the purpose of the exam is to teach as well as test, “all of the above” is correct slightly more often than you might expect.
Talking Point: Go through information on slide.

12. Math & Science Problems
Read through the problem carefully to discern what the question is asking precisely. Be able to state the problem in your owns words.
List the knowns, the implied unknowns and the parameters of the problem using your own notation. What relationship do the assembled facts have to one another? Do any formulae jump to mind? If so, write them down.
Draw any appropriate diagrams or illustrations.
Does the problem remind you of something from your text or lecture notes? If so, what was the case then? Does it apply to this problem?
If you come back to a problem and still cannot find the answer, circle the work that you want the instructor to grade (assuming you have more than one approach on the page). Cross out the superfluous work, leaving it still readable.
Talking Point: Go through information on slide. Once done ask audience if they have any questions on the information that was just provided.
Handout:

13. 5 Day Study Plan Purpose: show a template on exam prep
Talking Point: Discuss how this sheet is used to be more intentional about studying. It breaks things down in the beginning in 4 groups. From there it gives the student preparation ideas and review ideas. The back of the sheet is where the student will find how long to study for (2 or more hours a day!) and how to break things up. Day one is only preparing for the first group. The second day is prepping the second group and then reviewing the first day’s work. The reason is; the more a person sees something the better it is to be placed into long term memory. This is repeated for five days. The last day a student should challenge themselves to see how much they know. Can they talk to a friend about the content easily? Can they take a blank study guide and answer the questions? The five day really focuses on breaking down the content and reviewing that content every day.
Handout:

14. 7 Day Study Plan
NOTE:
For both the 5 and 7 Day Study Plan, feel free to be creative and modify them. Whether this be adding or subtracting the duration of studying per day, choosing your own study techniques per day, OR changing the number of days you study!
Make it work for you! 
Purpose: show a template on exam prep
Talking Point: Discuss how the first day is prepping for the exam. It is getting all the materials ready, that is it. The next several days is preparing for the exam and studying. The box on the side is examples of exam preparation. The last day is review. Key word review. Students should not be teaching themselves new content that they should have learned 3 to 4 weeks prior. That should pose a red flag on their study habits.
Also note: this is hard for STEM majors as 2 hours may not be long enough for studying/we recognize this. This is just a guide to help give ideas on how to start.
Handout:

15. Cramming
The ASC does not recommend cramming for exams. However, if you find yourself in that situation, here are some strategies:
What to do
Accept the fact that you cannot study everything. Give up the goal of perfect studying; it’s too late this time. You must make hard choices.
Relax…as best as you can. You will remember more when you are relaxed. Breathe deeply and think calming thoughts.
Start by thinking about your instructor. What knowledge do they value most? Definitions? Principles? Facts? Solving problems? Get those things as clear in your head as you can.
Look for important knowledge in books or notes. Skip less important or supplemental information. Scan pages to find what you want. Use clues like chapter sub-headings, boldface type, summaries, etc.
Purpose: to recognize that cramming happens
Talking Points: Discuss the information on the slide. Preface the importance that better study habits will help curb this from happening and that the ASC does not recommend this strategy.
Handout:

16. Cramming (continued) When you find something important, try this:
i. Read the section slowly and give yourself time to understand it
ii. After you understand, memorize this way
1.Read the line
2. Look away and summarize the line in your own way
3. Look back and check your accuracy
4. Repeat until you get it right twice
5. Mark the place for review if there is time
Keep this slide????

17. Cramming (continued)
Continue skimming pages and hunt for more information
Try to study some important things for each chapter assigned. Why? Because teachers usually try to balance the questions among all parts of the material covered.
If you face an essay test rather than an objective test, you will usually need to memorize the material more completely because there won’t be any clues available on the test.
Final advice: Study in advance next time and you won’t need emergency studying 
Talking Point: Go through information on slide. Again note studying in advance only helps in the end.

18. Time Management

19. Week @ a Glance Weekly Schedule Exercise Classes Work/Student Orgs
Eating/Sleeping/Working Out
Weekend non-negotiables
Study time (at least 3 hours/day)
Purpose: weekly schedule gives the student the overall snap shot of their school week. This tool helps keep them on task, as well as, allows them to see where the pockets of time are to study
Talking points: this tool is used to really break down how each day will look. Discuss how the student fills out the calendar. Ie: fill out the calendar with the necessary information that happens daily (found on slide). The example provided on the slide is a nice overview how a weekly schedule may look. Then discuss how the template provided also goes one step further. It allows a student to prioritize what is coming up for their week on the side of the weekly schedule. The box on the bottom of the weekly schedule is a “to-do list” for the student to do for that day. This template is used more to be intentional time. There is another template that a student can use located on our website.
We typically ask here if students use planners, etc. We also tie in that the semester at a glance is good to use in accordance with the weekly schedule. It allows a student to have a more control in their time management. Bring forth any of your thoughts in your own time management as a student.
Handout:

20. Prioritization What happens when life starts getting hectic?
There are so many things to do, and not enough time,
Purpose: we are now transitioning into prioritization.
Talking points: the questions posed on the slide is to be used for a quick prompt on what is about to come and what a student may want to think about. Usually we bring forth how students may struggle on what to start first and how overwhelming that can be at times.

21. ABC To-Do List
This allows you to use the ABC method of prioritization to organize your crazy week!
The ABC Method was originally developed by Alan Lakein and consists of assigning a priority status of “A,” B”, or “C” to each of the items of your to-do list or task list.
It allows you to take a total inventory (called the Mind Dump) of all you need to do within a week and then fill them into the high, medium, or low priority categories for each day of the week.
Just remember that whatever doesn’t get completed will need to be carried over to the next day!
Purpose: ABC list is a sheet that allows students to prioritize their tasks from high to low priority
Talking Points: Discuss how this sheet is used by doing a “mind dump” from the beginning. Mind dump is getting everything they need to do for the week written down. Ie: school work, bills, personal things. Then discuss from there they will place all the things written, into the high/medium/low priority. Discuss that whatever is in the low category will at some point be a high priority on your list.
Another example that has been given is putting things in piles to exhibit this tool. That way the things that need to be done are right there put into structured piles so there is not prep work.
Handout:

22. Work Time 

23. Exam Logistics Things to check before the exam!  Time? Location?
Grade you need?
Whether it is cumulative or not?
Which tests are going to require more studying than others?
Purpose: to give students a place to write out where their finals are
Talking Point: Go through the information on the slide and have them follow along with the handout. Let them know this is a great tool to use if they have multiple exams and want to keep their schedule structured. This way there is no surprises.

24. Thank you! Thank you! 1060 Hixson-Lied Student Success Center
Phone:
@IowaStateASC
Thank you!