Preparing for Exams

It is vitally important to prepare well for exams. The first step in preparing for an exam occurs during the weeks before the exam. Keep up with the material. You cannot effectively cram for exams the night before. Your instructor will expect more than a regurgitation of facts or writing based on superficial memorization of concepts you don't really understand. Work with the material a little at a time, read a paragraph over and over until you understand it. Ask yourself questions as you read. Work problems and examples until you feel proficient. Mastery, understanding, an ability to think creatively and critically, and an appreciation of the subject are expected goals of the learning experience. Don't assume you know something because you understood the lecture, or the textbook readings, or how a problem was worked in a solutions manual. The instructor, the book, the solutions manual are all trying to present material in a logical and comprehensible manner. If you understand your instructor's lecture, that should give you the confidence that you can learn that material when you sit down to study..but don't think you have already learned it. There is a world of difference between listening and understanding and actually doing. Imagine that you were required to explain a concept or work some problems in front of your class; you would prepare well for this as you would not want to be embarrassed. Keep this same personal pride in mind when you are studying for exams. Don't fool yourself. If you can talk about something, apply it to problems and examples, teach it to someone else..you probably know it. If you can't do this, you don't know it. Test yourself; don't let your instructor be the first to test your knowledge. Let's imagine that you have done the things suggested in the previous two paragraphs and that you have a pretty good understanding and working knowledge of the material. Now is the time to prime yourself for the exam. You want to make sure the results of your effort are on the forefront of your mind, that you remember well what it is that you have learned and understood, that you are ready to perform. You can test yourself by making a topic outline and making sure you can explain in depth and with understanding the topics without referring to your notes or textbook. You can make a list of representative textbook problems and prove to yourself that you can work all types, one after another, without hints or assistance. You can always do more in studying, but, if you are honest with yourself, you will know when you have done enough.