Preparing For exams
Exams come around very fast in CIT. Start your preparation for exams, well in advance. Don’t be tempted to think that only last minute cramming will work.
What works?
Repeated learning, practice and understanding, undertaken in small, steady amounts over time is what works best. Your learning and grasp of subjects has a deep and solid foundation.
Use Memorising Tools in the run up to exams such as Mnemonics Techniques which help in recalling larger pieces of information, especially in the form of lists like characteristics, steps, stages, parts, phases, etc.
Practising past exam papers
Studying past papers are a valuable part of exam preparation.
Past exam papers are one of the most helpful tools available to prepare for examinations. They show students the format of the paper, the time allocated for the exam and what key themes or subject areas that should be covered.
All students should view examples of past paperbs before starting revision for a module.
You'll find past papers to your module here.
Exam Prep - Are You Ready?
Last semester before exams the Academic Success Coaches ran an 'Exam Prep Are You Ready?' workshop. Resources from that session are below:
Exam Prep - Are You Ready? Workshop
Five Day Study Plan Worksheet
Useful apps for students:
Here are our 5 of the best apps for students which will help you cut through the clutter and focus on your studies.
This list includes Android and Apple iOS apps and most importantly almost all are free!
App #1: SelfControl
Imagine you are studying, you sit at your desk and start to create a mind map to organize your ideas. When you’ve just created your first node on your Mind Map, you get a notification on Facebook. To avoid distractions like this, SelfControl allows you to block certain websites for a set amount of time. This enables you to concentrate fully on your studies and avoid sporadically checking social networks or your email.
App #2 Brainscape
Brainscape enables users to create their own flashcards on the website or mobile app, or choose from thousands of existing flashcards written by publishers, teachers, and students. Research out of Columbia University suggests that people who study using Brainscape tools, rather than books and old-school flashcards, retain information twice as well.
App #3 TED
The people we surround ourselves with have a great influence on how we think and behave. So why not surround yourself with some of the world’s most fascinating people to motivate you in your? Educators, radical technology geniuses, medical mavericks, business experts and legends of music, TED has it all.
App #4: ExamTime
ExamTime allows you to create online Mind Maps, Flashcards, Online Notes and Quizzes. All of these online study tools are designed to help you improve your learning and prepare for exams. Never before has it been easier to create your online study resources and share them with your classmates. Plus all your notes are stored in one place.
App #5: Sworkit
Classes and study occupy most of a student’s day so it may be the case that you’re neglecting exercise. Sworkit allows you to create training plans in 5 minutes. So now you have no excuse for your lack of exercise, five minutes is all you need!
