Exam Prep – Successful Futures

Navigating Exam Season: Your Comprehensive Guide to Success

As we dive headfirst into the hustle and bustle of exam season, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed. The pressure is real, but so are your capabilities. The key to conquering this challenging time is to make a solid game plan, use effective study strategies, and take care of your well-being. In this post, we’ll take you through the steps to prepare for your exams like a pro.

Part 1: Crafting Your Study Plan

1. Set Clear Goals
Let’s kick things off with a clear vision. What do you want to achieve in each exam? Setting specific goals keeps you motivated.

2. Create a Study Schedule
Get your calendar out and plan your time. Break your day into chunks, and allocate specific slots for each subject or topic. Real talk: Be honest about your time and energy.

3. Prioritise Units and Topics
Some subjects need more love than others. Identify them and allocate more time. It’s all about balance.

4. Break It Down
Make your study sessions bite-sized. Short and sweet is the name of the game. Remember, focus is key.

5. Use Study Aids
Gather your materials, find a cozy study spot, and set the mood for productivity.

Part 2: Crushing It with Study Strategies

1. Active Learning
Let’s ditch passive reading. Summarise, make flashcards, and even try teaching the material to a friend. Active learning sticks!

2. Variety is the Spice of Life
Keep it interesting by mixing up your study methods. Reading, note-taking, and problem-solving, all in one go.

3. Practise Past Papers
Don’t skip this! Study old exam papers to get a feel for the format and track your progress.

4. Study Groups
Friends can be more than just a social crew. Collaborate, share ideas, and conquer tough units together. Book a space to study on either campus.

5. Time Management
Stick to your schedule, and remember that study breaks are non-negotiable. The Pomodoro technique is your best friend.

Part 3: Rocking the Wellbeing Game

1. Maintain a Balanced Diet
Fuel your brain with a balanced diet. Nutrients are your secret weapon.

2. Stay Hydrated
Water keeps you sharp and focused. Don’t replace water with coffee!

3. Exercise Regularly
Move that body! Regular exercise is a mood booster and memory enhancer. It’s a win-win.

4. Get Adequate Sleep
Say no to all-nighters. Quality sleep is your ally in the battle for success.

5. Manage stress levels
When stress strikes, take a break,try meditation, deep breathing, or yoga to regain your calm.

Success isn’t just about the endgame; it’s about how you navigate the journey. With a rock-solid plan, effective study tactics, and self-care, you’ve got this. Remember, you’re not alone in this journey. We’re in it together. So let’s tackle these exams like the champions we are! Good luck, and let’s crush it! 📚💪😊
Check out more QUT exam resources online.

Exam Prep May 26, 2023

Preparing for Case Study exams

Exam questions that ask you to anlayse case studies (also called scenarios) are usually designed to test your ability to relate theories and concepts to real-world situations. Scenario questions often require a longer answer, so they will be allocated more time and more marks. Generally there is no ONE right answer, but there are concepts that the lecturer will be expecting you to apply.

Preparing for the exam

Identify the theories and concepts covered in your unit. Organise and review the information you have on these theories/concepts so you understand them.

Practise reading case studies and identifying relevant information. It’s probably useful to do this with a time limit similar to what you’ll have in your exam.

Use flash cards, mind maps and acronyms to learn and rehearse the key concepts, theories, models and protocols.

Try relating concepts and theories to real-world situations: ask lecturers and check textbooks or Canvas for examples. Try finding past exams if possible to see if there are examples of case study questions.

During the exam

Plan your time for each scenario or question. Have a clear idea of time you have for reading the exam question, reading the case study and writing your answer.

Read the exam question(s).

Then skim read the case study to get the general idea. Highlight or underline key points.

Reread the question to make sure you understand it and to focus your attention when you reread the case study. Make sure you know what is being asked of you.

Reread the case study carefully. Make a note of any ideas that you think of.

Answer the question linking relevant theories and concepts to specific information from the case study. Usually you’ll need to write your answers in clearly formed paragraphs which have a clear topic that is well-supported with evidence and examples.

Don’t just describe or restate information from the case itself, use specific details or examples to support the points you are trying to make. This is where you link theory to the facts from the case study.

Knowing how to prepare for exams and implementing strategies for preparation is a big part of managing your study time and getting good grades. Exam time can be a period of stress and anxiety for many students but if you know how to prepare for your exams, apply effective study strategies, and take care of yourself, at least you’ll feel more in control of the situation.

Strategies for managing exam stress

It’s that time of semester again and we all know that the exam period can be super stressful for many of us! Even though we know it’s coming and we have the best of intentions things often begin to unravel at the end of semester. It helps to have a plan and a reminder of some of the simplest things you can do to set yourself up for success:

Check in with yourself

Often we forget to really notice what’s going on for us. Stress can manifest in all sorts of ways but these are some common signs:

Feeling confused

Losing touch with friends

Feeling moody

Having trouble making decisions

Feeling overwhelmed

Lacking motivation

Trouble sleeping

Upset stomach, or feeling sick

Tense muscles and headaches

So how can you minimise the impact of stress when trying to prepare for exams and assessments?

Get into a healthy routine

It may seem like a good idea to pull an all-nighter but lack of sleep has a significant impact on your mood and energy levels. It’s hard to focus on revision when you’re sleep-deprived and your body starts to crave all sorts of things like caffeine! Try to aim for at least 7-8 hours of sleep a night and also make time to enjoy other activities like spending time with friends and family. Balance is the key!

Set realistic goals

Make a plan and divide your tasks into realistic goals with a reasonable timeframe. It can help to break each unit into sub-topics to focus on in one study session. Chunk your time down to 30-minute sessions so that you can see what your priorities really are. Make sure you allocate time for breaks as well as food and sleep! Seeing a plan in front of you can also help you stay on track so try printing it out or add it to your screen background.

Look after your body

We all know that nutrition plays a huge part in our wellbeing but when we feel stressed it’s easy to reach for something quick and easy. Unfortunately highly processed food and fast-release carbs can make you feel sluggish and unmotivated after the initial food high. Surround yourself with healthy snacks (fruit, nuts, energy bars, healthy smoothies, eggs etc) and try to plan your main meals during the entire study period. Drink plenty of water and eat a balanced diet to give yourself the energy you need to power through this intense time!

Look after your mind

When you start to feel anxious or overwhelmed it helps to just stop and re-set. Take some time to close your eyes and just focus on your breathing for a few minutes. By calming down your breathing you can decrease your body’s response to stress and give yourself a new perspective. It’s also important to find time to exercise. Just moving your body for 30 minutes a day can increase your energy, focus, and boost your endorphins! You don’t have to fit in a full gym workout – just a walk will do.

Balancing study with everything that’s going on can be a real challenge. Just remember that it’s only for a short time and there is always someone at QUT that can support you. There are also plenty of useful resources available!

Successful habits November 2, 2020

Preparing for short answer exam questions

Short answer questions test your recall of information and ability to apply knowledge. This requires an active approach to revision as it’s not enough just to ‘know’ the content. It’s really important to activate your knowledge by practising answers and testing your recall of information.

You can make your exam preparation more effective by setting goals for each revision session and having strategies for the exam itself.

Revision Sessions

• Study in short blocks (no longer than 50 minutes)
• Understand and memorise key terms, theories, concepts, and applications
• Make concept maps to see how theories and concepts relate
• Think about how to apply the theories and concepts to real world scenarios
• Practise any relevant calculations or formula
• Complete all questions from textbooks, online quizzes or tutorials
• Make sure you access all practice questions and past exam papers
• Develop and answer your own set of questions
• Work with a study buddy to test and motivate each other

Exam Strategies

• Carefully check the marks allocated for each question
• Make a quick plan for how long you can spend on each section
• If a question is worth 10% of the marks, then it deserves 10% of exam time
• Plan to have some time at the end to check your answers
• Read the instructions carefully and note if you need to use full sentences or paragraphs
• Answer questions you are most confident about first
• Make sure that you are addressing the question and not going off track
• If you run out of time, make sure you at least write something for each remaining question

It can be tempting to keep pushing yourself during revision but if your concentration level starts to slip, it’s much better to take a break and start again when you are more alert.
If you’re keen to learn more about exam prep and different types of assessment at QUT check out our online resources.

And above all, a positive, calm mindset will go a long way to exam success!!

Successful habits October 6, 2020

Top tips for exam prep

Near the end of the semester it can be such a relief to hand in that last assignment or submit that final blog post, but for most students the work is far from over. Preparing for exams can be a real challenge when motivation and energy levels are low so it helps to have a few effective strategies in place.

Set up your study environment

Display your timetable and let everyone in the house know you are preparing for exams

Set up a dedicated space for study to help you focus

If you’re studying in the library choose a quiet spot and use headphones to block out noise

Create a plan for the exam period – including relaxation/sleep habits/nutrition/exercise

If you live alone prepare meals in advance and freeze them for easy access during exams

Think about how you can limit distractions such as online notifications, chat and social media

Own your time

Make a detailed timetable for each exam (unit) – try concentrating on one per day

Make sure you know the details for each exam – log in to Blackboard for updates from lecturers

Check that you understand the type of exam that you will be doing

Organise and store revision notes so that you can refer to them easily

Break your study into 30-minute chunks and plan exactly what you will focus on

Try different methods to revise content

Summarise the key points for each week’s topic

Quiz yourself to identify what you need to work on

Use apps such as Quizlet or stick to hardcopy cards to carry around with you.

Make a list of things you’re not confident about you may want to do

Create your own set of questions to answer

Find a study buddy and test each other

Try any practice tests that are made available to you – note what you found difficult

While it’s important to have a study plan and stick to a routine don’t underestimate the power of a break. Give yourself a morning or afternoon off during exam time. See friends, go shopping, watch a movie, do some exercise. Taking some time out will refresh you so that you can return to study with a clear mind and purpose.

And, if it’s all getting too much for you make sure you reach out for support. Talk to friends, family, peers or access the free services at QUT Student Counselling and Welfare.

Make sure your mental health and wellbeing are a priority!