Exam Prep Discussion

I've got exams in a couple of days and am curious to hear what you guys have as your rituals.

Are you that dude with the book out trying to cram right up to the last second before the exam? Do you try to cram the whole semester into a few days? Hopefully we can get a discussion going and share rituals & tips with each other so we can all benefit from this.


I'd love to hear everything you do such as:

• Revision:
• Clothing Choice:
• Incentives for performance:
• Morning ritual:
• Before exam:
• During exam:

 

• Revision: Smoke weed then stare at powerpoint slides for an extended period of time
• Clothing Choice: Long johns and a tuque(NOT A BEANIE)
• Incentives for performance: Incentives?
• Morning ritual: Smoke weed
• Before exam: Smoke weed
• During exam: Try to remember i'm taking an exam

 

Revision: I actually read the textbook and take notes, so revising is looking over quick points in the textbook and my notes once more.

Clothing Choice: Shorts and a tshirt, don't want to be stuffy or uncomfortable.

Incentives for performance: I want to get into graduate school so strong gpa is necessary. Don't have anything specific.

Morning ritual: Shower & a red bull

Before exam: Usually last minute rush to the student store to buy a scantron test slip.

During exam: Nothing special

 

Revision: I keep up with the course along the way. Most of my courses involve math so it's important to revise using practice problems but if you get the barebone concepts and understand the theory it's relatively easy.

Clothing Choice:I typically wear sweatpants and a 100% cotton tshirt during exam time. I also study wearing pajama bottoms sometimes.

Incentives for performance: I want to eventually get my PhD in chemical engineering while focusing particularly on nanoparticles and their properties. Another reason is just to better myself and do something that stimulates my brain activity.

Morning ritual: Typically during school year itself I only sleep 3-4 hours a night due to the courseload so when exams come around I slow down a little and sleep more like 6 hours. I wake up, make a tea and warm up with some review from the day before. Usually a concept I understood to ensure it was retained. Then get into more challenging material if the course builds on itself.

Before exam: This may come off as being an arrogant prick but I'm going to be honest about it. I'm top of my class in every class. I get there and I feel prepared and ready to take it on. Often I'm approached to answer questions for some students looking for some last bit of knowledge before the exam so I've sort of set a little rule that I don't answer or talk about the exam after we get to the location where we're going to write it. This helps me stay calm and also helps me not absorb wrong information other students may be asking about.

During exam: I look for the desk that has the least amount of wobble. At this point in the course I typically know how the teacher is and how fast I have to write in order to get the exam done. For example my numerical methods and physical chemistry classes the teachers always had really long tests so I knew I had to go quickly for the exam. If I get stuck on a question I skip it and move on. Before returning I take a breath a drink of water and then focus on the questions I skipped and trying to work out either:
A) The proper way to solve it
B) The way that is most likely to get me the most marks.

Sorry for the long post Jack.

 

Just one more game of league.. 2 days before exam oh well its too late now I'll just play more league.

 

not sure what kind of exams you're dealing with (standardized, final, etc)

Revision: i generally study the night before exams, two or three days in advance for large ones, and a few weeks in advance for standardized exams (SATs, for example)
Clothing Choice: comfortable clothes (workout clothes or something), though taking exams in suits probably gives you a confidence boost
Incentives for performance: sleeping regularly for at least a handful of days before the exam
Morning ritual: get up, shower, breakfast
Before exam: relax, deep breaths, etc
During exam: kick butt. skip questions you don't know and come back to them, check your time regularly. also check the length of the exam before starting so you know what you're in for and can pace yourself accordingly. if there are lots of essays, i try to write one, do some multiple choice or something that gives my hand a break, write the next one, do some MCs, and then proofread them... essentially don't strain your hand if you can help it.

best of luck!

 

Revision: I find it best to study in 40 minute increments followed by a short break to best conserve mental energy and focus to the best of my ability. Using textbooks and such is pretty standard but try to find another resource for the same information you're learning -- you may see it in a different light. Never cram, getting a good night's rest is when your brain converts information from short-term to long-term memory, so get at least 7 hours the night before if you can.

Clothing Choice: Some comfortable but not too pajama-esque. Your call on this one, I really have no preference.

Incentives for performance: Intrinsic motivation is my incentive for just about everything I do. Otherwise, if there's a certain item you've been wanting or if you to like to have a drink/smoke a fatty, those tend to be pretty good motivators for me.

Morning ritual: Breakfast, shower, morning review of anything you don't feel super confident on. Morning meditation is always a home-run for anything you're doing as well.

Before exam: Grab a stick of gum, a snack, an energy drink, anything you need to keep your focus at 100%.

During exam: WRECK HOUSE, BABY.

Good luck!

 

Revision: I read 20-30 min, then break for 5-10min and so on.
Clothing Choice: First thing I reach for in my closet
Incentives for performance: In finals my only incentive are holidays lol...
Morning ritual: None
Before exam: Discuss the possible questions that will be on exam with classmates (If I were the teacher I would totally put this question on the exam, etc.)
During exam: Answer it slowly, keep the hard questions at last, check answers only once (So I don't get nervous and change them, a lot of times I've changed the right one, so I find it better just to leave it like that) and get the fuck out lol.

 

Depends on the exam but generally

Revision: Go along with the course. Sometimes I'll make review sheets for each lecture depending on the subject. If its a course I could care less about then I usually just review every weekend. For exams usually I start a few days before, a week before for finals/midterms
Clothing Choice: Usually just workout clothes/cotton shirt since they're comfortable.
Incentives for performance: Grades, success, graduate school admissions
Morning ritual: Same as always, though I make sure to eat breakfast
Before exam: Nothing special, Just walk in the classroom and make sure I have calculator/pencil or whatever
During exam: Do easy stuff first and then come back. Review. I usually always take up the whole time...since I usually already put in the time to study..why not take the time to put in the effort during the actual thing?

 

Interesting responses so far. Entrr, that's all good - I liked that you posted a detailed response anyways lol. One thing that intrigues me is that for majority of you succeeding or challenging yourself is enough of a motivation. I find it's not quite enough for me just now... I'm naturally very smart but due to this natural intelligence I never really worked hard throughout school and as a result I have a weak work ethic when it comes to study which I'm trying to change but it's a slow and painful process. Here's mine for sake of reference:


Revision: I've been quite busy with working nearly full time so I'm reduced to learning majority of the course in a short time period. I do 45 mins - 1 hr (ish) and then take a break and try to get back to it. These chunks are usually perfect for a week's content too. Past general course knowledge the focus shifts to exam specific revision and writing a cheat sheet of sorts to revise from with only the key aspects as I can rely on my brain to make the larger connection based on a few succinct points. I then ensure to re-read this and try to commit it to memory at various times in the day with at night before sleep being most important. This is then followed by reviewing it in the morning to try and help cement the information into my long term memory which is much more efficient at remembering revision material.

Clothing Choice: I naturally dress well but I try to dress my best for exams. This does not mean I bust out a suit or anything like that, but fits that I really love that look great see use here. When you look good, you feel good and it lends to my confidence that I'm going to go in and smash this exam out of the park. For me the slight drop off in comfort from not wearing joggers & a hoodie is definitely outweighed by the confidence and mood boost from looking your best.

Incentives for performance: As mentioned earlier performing in itself isn't quite enough of an incentive. I've decided to finally cop some Jordan 1 Breds on the condition my exams go well. Shoes for reference here: http://cdn.sneakernews.com/wp-conte...r-jordan-1-retro-high-og-bred-nikestore-1.jpg

Morning ritual: Review the cheat sheet to try and commit the material to long term memory. Shower, blow dry hair, style, dress etc. Review notes one more time on the bus and then throw them away.

Before exam: I'm a huge believer in the fight or flight idea taking effect in exams. Last minute cramming doesn't help me in any way. Sure I may retain one or two things but I also manage to work myself up into a panic as there's always more things to learn for the course. If I'm all nervous when I sit down to take my paper I won't be able to properly go through my thought processes so my critical thinking and ability to regurgitate important information takes a significant hit. I focus on listening to music a lot before the exam to calm myself. Also ensuring I have had enough to eat prior to the exam is key since you can't concentrate with an empty stomach.

During exam: We get given 10 minutes or so to "read over" the exam. I choose to not open the exam at all and instead use this time to meditate to ensure I'm calm and reflect on times where I've been truly productive and rewarded for my study. For the exam itself I typically go at a leisurely pace as I've never been overly pressed for time before but if I am stumped on a question I read it over, circle it and leave it for later knowing full well my sub conscious will still be toying with it. If I still have no clue I try my best to at least write something down that is at least somewhat relevant and hope to pick up some marks in that way. It may be complete bull shit but it's better than nothing.

 

Revision: I don't how your teachers do it at where you're from but back in school and university, my teachers and lecturers would give us a pretty detailed set-up and idea of how the exams is gonna be. ie. What's sub-topics it will be focused on, which areas are going to be a major part of the exam etc. So in highschool, I'd just open the text books, skim through the chapters which were mentioned and dot-point pretty much everything. I never really spent much time reading through all the information because I found it a waste of time, whereas writing shit down I actually remembered easier. In University, we were given like questionnaires of questions which are similar to the ones in exams or questions which were actually IN the exam, so I just memorized every answer lol.

Clothing Choice: Whilst studying; Sleeping attire (primarily for comfort), During exam: Singlet with hoodie over and shorts w/ 3runs (or whatever foot attire you find comfy)

Incentives for performance: I was always one of the guys who had panic-attacks pre-exam, so I started taking Krating Daeng (pretty much an Asian RedBull) pre and during exam times to get super hyped. This drink literally got me so focused whilst doing my exams, the world did not matter to me at all :laugh: It also made me feel so confident during and post-exams. This is just a me-kind-of-thing.

Morning ritual: Go over my notes which I dot-point for a good 45mins or so before leaving the house, then leave that shit at home cause it's just going to make you want to cram whilst waiting outside the exam room and you'll get nervous.

Before exam: I ALWAYS went to the gym pre-exam so I can just sit and mellow out in the Steam Room, Sauna and Spa for a good 1 hour. I did not work out, this'll just tire you out lol.

During exam: I did not have the luxury of choosing where I wanted to sit like Entrr did but that would've been a swell idea.
We had 15 minutes reading time. TBH, I never understood what to do during this 15 mins because I see everyone reading through the questions and marking down what I assume to be the easy questions first. I never saw the point in this because you're going to be going over the question again anyway, so I just gave myself a head start and started writing down answers from the top onto my cheat sheet. Probably not the best advice but I guess whatever works for you.
Obviously, like already mentioned, skip the ones you don't know. Some of the hard questions might contain answers in the easy ones so yeah just go at your own pace and some of the easy questions may jog your memory and find an answer for the hard ones :idea:

 

Revision: For all my courses the notes are usually put online (although not in detail). I am one of those guys that tries to cram the whole semester into a couple days of studying lol. I just try to memorize the slides and am happy with a 60 lol.
Clothing Choice: Whatever is comfortable at the time.
Incentives for performance: None really. I have no plans for my degree.
Morning ritual: Slap myself in the face a few times to try to stay awake because i've been up for the past 48 hours cramming.
Before exam: Slap myself in the face a few times while no one is looking.
During exam: If I notice myself getting tired i'll slap myself in the face a few times while no one is looking.

 

Little background on my schooling since it might differ from most people since I live in Japan and I am in the military. I take an online course, but its a webcam to an actual class. I have to upload my work via scanning it if it needs to be handwritten or upload to the site if I can use word. For test they send the test to your OIC (officer in Charge) and he will put me in a room with no cellphone and give me however much time is dictated by the professor.

•Revision: I love to write, so I take huge amounts of notes (most of the time more information that is actually needed) so about a week or two before my exams I will re-write my notes which to me helps me remember what the course was about and gives a good refresher.
•Clothing Choice: Sadly I cannot rock a bro tank and some shorts if I am leaving my room / working out (we have dumb clothing regulations just type mco 1020.34G into Google if you want) so either I am in uniform or Jeans and a shirt.
•Incentives for performance: Well in order for my college to be free I have to keep at least a 80% average and college is way to expensive for me to pay for myself. Other then that I mean why start something if you don't want to give it 100%? It doesn't make sense to me.
•Morning ritual: Coffee, Iced Carmel Latte with 3 espresso shots (STFU I know I'm a white girl when it comes to my coffee)
•Before exam: Review any material I struggled to remember while re-writing my notes.
•During exam: When it doubt C your way out (if multiple choice) If not I try to act like I'm writing my notes and it usually comes back to me.

 

I hardly ever studied. For my upper level CS classes I had to teach myself what I was supposed to learn in class and didn't because who listens in class. I'd also skim the textbook for like 15 minutes if I was bored. I also skimmed my notes for Ethics because that's the only class I ever took notes in.

 

Revision: Youtube videos -> notes. Textbooks -> notes. Exam papers. Section assessments/exam style question. Sometimes nothing at all
Clothing Choice: Jeans practically all the time or three quarters when its warmer. Indoors just joggers/tracksuits whatever people call them nowadays.
Incentives for performance: Future where I'm not cleaning someone elses house.
Morning ritual: Sleep on the bus because I didnt get enough sleep.
Before exam: Nothing really
During exam: Just do what I can and once its done, forget about it till I have to see the results.

I barely study as im a lazy cunt but had I studied when I should've, I would've actually been places. Predicted all A*s etc.

 

just hit that bong nice and hard before you take the exam

 

I just read the book, until I fully understand it..
before 2 days mostly, and believe me I always get A+
which is 90+ in our country =)

 

Revision: Cram the whole semester, barely any breaks. I cram for however long I thought I would need, and have never run out of time yet. This wouldn't really be called revision though, since that assumes I'd be going over what I'd already been introduced to...
Clothing Choice: The same as any other day.
Incentives for performance: None.
Morning ritual: Either already awake, or wake up and immediately go to exam (have to catch a bus to train station, then train to the area).
Before exam: Continue cramming.
During exam: Entirely calm, nothing out of the ordinary.

 

Cramming moments before entering an exam can help slightly with perhaps a small concept but the tradeoff isn't worth it. In the event you don't fully comprehend the concept it can actually distort your initial plan leaving you with less marks than before. Another possibility is creating a small amount of panic which could actually cloud your knowledge in subjects you were prepared in advance for. So good call on not cramming right before.

 

Revision:
Personally i'm always calm. Never stress out because everything i've learned is already saved inside my head.
Stressing is something you should never do, as it causes you to focus on the expectations of the exam. By doing that you are more likely to answer, the questions that were not in your expectations, wrong.

Clothing Choice:
Anything i would wear on a regular day. Stop bothering about appearances, as long as you feel comfortable with it.

Incentives for performance:
The fact that higher grades will never hurt you. Lower grades can hurt you though.

Morning ritual:
Always a little bit nervous, so i just read a book, or work out to take my mind completely from the fact that i have an exam.

Before exam:
Few hours before exam, make sure i have eaten like i would eat on any other workday.
Change in your own pattern can cause you to lose focus.

During exam:
Doing it one question at a time.
To me, that is very important, as i am the kind of person that second guesses every choice he ever makes.
And personally to me, read the question 2 times!! I always mess up on answering wrong because i read the question wrong.
Stupid expectations!