Use symbols and abbreviations to reduce the amount of writing time.
Appendix 1 contains a sample list of these.
3.3 Exam techniques
Sitting for an exam can be a stressful experience in which you may become so nervous that
all you have studied seems to disappear from your mind. Many students could improve their
exam results by adopting a number of simple techniques when answering exam
questions.
3.3.1 Answering easy questions first
Having understood your instructions, you can proceed to read and answer questions. You
must be prepared, however, to find some questions that are easy for you and others that are
difficult. You must handle these questions differently. Those that are relatively easy should
be answered as soon as you have read them carefully and are sure of the answer. Those that
you find more difficult and are uncertain of should be checked and passed by. Do not let
them waste your time. If you struggle with them, you may waste precious time and later find
yourself rushing through other questions, making mistakes on those you otherwise could get
right. Instead, any time you are not certain you know the answer, put a check mark in the
margin next to the question. After you have answered all the easy ones, you can go back to
these. Knowing how much time you have left and how many difficult questions there are,
you can properly apportion the time available to spend on them.
The basic reason for this strategy is simple enough. In objective examinations, all the
questions of the same kind usually count the same. You get no more credit for a difficult
question than you do for an easy one. You therefore do not want to become flustered by
difficult ones or let them lower your score on the easy ones.
3.3.2 Analysing qualifiers
There is an art to reading and deciding on the correct answer to objective questions, and you
can improve your examination results by learning and practising it. The following points
should help you to perform well on objective questions:
True-false questions are usually constructed by taking two things or qualities and stating
their relation to each other. The bare skeleton of the statement might be `Roses are red,'
`Attitudes are learned,' or `The stock market crashed.' Any such statement is usually true
some of the time and not true at other times. You cannot be expected to answer anything so
ambiguous. Tutors never intended that you should. They are interested in knowing whether
you know when and under what circumstances something is or is not true. So the statement
usually is provided with qualifiers, absolute truth or falsity. This fact dictates certain tactics
in dealing with the question.
Read carefully through the question once and spot those alternatives that are clearly false. To
help dispose of them, you can cross out the letter or number that precedes these false
statements. Now concentrate on those that may be true. Read them again, note and test the
key words as you would in a true-false statement, and compare the items to see which seems
to be the more nearly true. Once you have made a decision, mark the answer in the
appropriate space and go on to the next question. If you cannot make up your mind, place a
check mark at the side of the question and leave it until you can come back later to work on
the more difficult questions.
3.3.3 Reading other types of questions
Similar methods are applicable to matching questions. Read down all the items to be matched
in one question in order to get an idea of the range of possibilities available. Then take the
first item on the left and read down the items on the right until you find one you are sure is
the best match. If you are uncertain, leave the item and go on to the next one. The general
idea is to fill in first all the matches you are sure of. This reduces the number of possibilities
for the difficult matches and simplifies the job. Some matching questions consist only of
words or brief phrases to be matched. Others may contain whole clauses similar to those in
true-false or multiple-choice statements. In this latter case, try to identify key words and test
them as was suggested above for true-false and multiple-choice questions.
One type of question used fairly commonly in large courses is the completion question. This
provides a statement much like a true-false statement except that one word or a phrase is left
out and you must supply it. When you answer such questions, choose your words carefully,
for the tutor has something specific in mind: a technical term or a key word in some main
idea or important detail. Try to find the answer that really belongs. On the other hand, if you
cannot think of the answer that is called for, write down something that represents your best
guess. Often such answers, even though they are not exactly what is wanted, earn complete
or partial credit.
3.3.4 The course is the context
One piece of general advice about objective tests is that you must always remember that the
context of the questions lies in the materials that you have studied in the course. In answering
a question, ask yourself how this question should be answered in the light of your textbook or
what has been said in class. If possible, identify its source, from textbook or class. If this is
not possible, search your memory for any related topics that you have studied throughout the
course. Do not answer the question according to the latest magazine you have read, your
personal opinion, or some other course you have taken. Sometimes this will give you a
different answer, for all answers are relative to a given context and source of information. In
framing questions, instructors cannot be responsible for your personal reading habits, but
they can reasonably expect you to answer in terms of the course they are
teaching.
3.3.5 Completing the examination
We recommend you read through an objective examination, answering the easy questions
and coming back later to the hard ones. When you begin working on the hard ones, see how
much time you have left and allocate it among the remaining questions. However, in
planning your time, leave some for a final rereading of your examination. Before handing in
your paper, you should read it through again carefully just in case you have made any foolish
mistakes, such as writing down a different answer from the one you
intended or leaving some questions unanswered.
When you reread your examination, you may be tempted to change some of your answers. In
this case, do not do it hastily or impulsively. You put some thought into choosing an answer
in the first place, and you should not change it without good reason. To have such a reason,
you should read the entire question again carefully and weigh the various alternatives. If you
do, you may recall something relevant that escaped you on the first reading, or you may
perceive more clearly the meanings of the alternatives. In this case, it is recommended you
change the answer, and in so doing you probably will increase your chance of being correct.
Make sure the final choice is the one you have most confidence in.
3.4 Taking essay examinations
The term `essay' is used to refer to any examination in which the questions themselves are
relatively brief and most of your work is in composing answers to these questions. Essay
examinations may consist, at one extreme, of short-answer questions, which require you to
write down a rather specific list of things. At the other extreme, are discussion questions,
which ask you to cover a rather broad subject at some length.
3.4.1 Planning your time
In taking essay examinations you must plan and allocate your time even more than in
objective tests. Even if you are not an outstanding student, you have sufficient knowledge to
write much more than you have time for and you may get carried away on certain questions
you know the most about. Hence, if you are not careful, you can spend far too much time on
some questions and neglect others. If you do this, you will usually draw a low grade on some
questions, for the tutor rightly expects you to budget your time and give each question its
equal share.
To strike such a balance in your examination, read the whole examination through before you
start to write anything. See how much time you are expected to spend on each question. If
this is not stated, make an estimate of the time you think should be spent
on each.
If the examination offers you options permitting you to take some questions and omit others,
make a tentative decision at the outset. Choose and mark the questions you are sure you can
answer. If you are in doubt about any, let these go until you have thought about them and
make a decision. Be sure to number correctly each question you answer.
3.4.2 Following directions
Essay questions have key words as do objective questions. But in this case, the key words are
really instructions. The key words are usually those such as `list,'`illustrate,' `compare,' and
`outline.' Each has a different meaning and examiners choose the one they want for a good
reason. Students are tempted to write around a subject and to tell what they know about it
whether they were asked to or not. They do this especially if they are not prepared to do
exactly what the key word calls for. This, however, is a waste of time, for the instructor
usually ignores what is not asked for and considers the student to be evading the set question.
Therefore, you should note the key words in the question and then stick as closely as possible
to what they imply. If it is a `list,' do not discuss or illustrate, except possibly as a way of
adding pertinent information to your list. If it says, `illustrate,' illustrate; do not list, discuss,
or compare; and so on.
3.4.3 Being explicit
Students commonly make the mistake of expressing their points in brief, sketchy language
and then expecting the examiner to know exactly what was intended. They often choose their
words carelessly, and the examiner, not being a mind reader, is uncertain whether students
actually know what they are talking about or are just bluffing. For this reason, it is important
to nail down every point you make. Say it as precisely as you can the first time, but then give
an illustration or an important relevant detail or something that makes it clear that you know
what you are talking about. Thus, you can convince the examiner, otherwise you will not be
credited for something you may really know.
The previous techniques should be adopted in the exam room, but can be effective only if
you have studied hard and revised your notes.
Morgan, C.T. and Deese, J. (1969), How to Study, (2nd edn),
McGraw-Hill Book Co., USA.
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