Exam Taking Tips

Adnan Aziz
Electrical and Computer Engineering
The University of Texas at Austin

March 30, 1998

Abstract:

I've found time and time again that students who have an excellent understanding of the exam material often do far more poorly than students who have a lesser knowledge, but have honed their exam taking skills. In this note, I describe some of the techniques that worked for me.

PREPARATION

• Review material that you know; will help you do it faster in the exam.
• Look at the homework problems carefully; instructors usually base exam questions on these. Also previous exams.
• Review the lectures, asking yourself what might make for a good question.
• Make a crib sheet; even if it isn't allowed, it's a good way of reviewing.
• Take lots of spare pens/paper/erasers.
• For standardized tests (SAT, GRE, GMAT, etc.) do lots of practise runs, under the clock.

IN THE HALL

• Read over the entire exam first; get an idea of how long you should spend per mark.
• Start with the easiest questions; don't worry about proceeding in sequence.
• If you get stuck, go on to the next question. Your brain thinks in parallel, and you may find when you come back to the problem that it suddenly makes a lot more sense.
• If a problem takes inordinately long, it's a usually a sign that you misunderstood it -- very rarely do examiners give ``trick'' questions. Go back to the beginning and read it again.
• Make sure you attempted everything. Partial credit is usually given very generously.
  • Multiple choice: if you don't know the answer, see if you can eliminate possibilities, then give it your best guess (statistically, this is a good idea even when there is negative marking).
• Feel free to ask the TA/instructor for clarifications, but only when you really need them.
• Don't leave early; review what you did.
• Don't Panic.

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