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Ace That Last StretchExam Preparation Skills

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Contents

What’s the Business1

Tuning In

The Battle Plan

The Battle

2

3

4

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Where to begin?    

K W L

What do we know? What do we want to know? What have we learned?

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Know thy ENEMY

Subject Codes http://www.seab.gov.sg/nationalexaminations.html

Paper Nos•Exams Timetable•Get all your notes ready•Prepare stationery

What’s the Business

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Summarise your notes which you took during lessons or from books (See the following chart).

Resources--What do you have?What’s the Business

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Know Thyself

Psychological Issues inapproaching revisionand exams – Family DynamicsProcrastinationPerfectionismChange

YOU

Your Study Style

KinaestheticVisualAuditory

Tuning In

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Are you Studying Right?Tuning In

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Study Chunks

Tuning In

Plan Not to work longer than three hours a time. For every hour you work take ten minutes off.

40 mins40 mins 40 mins 40 mins10 10

Foc

us a

nd U

nder

stan

ding

Time and Duration

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Physical & Mental Well-Being How to Relax

Stress is a basic survival skill and can be very useful in emergency situations. Before a test however, stress or anxiety can undermine your ability to do well. To restore your body to a less-stressed state, try the following exercises:  Breathing

• Breathe in for 6 seconds, hold for 6 seconds, then breathe out for 6 seconds.  This will counteract your body's stress response of shallow breathing.

Visual Imagery

• Imagine that you are in a place that you love -- your Grandmother's house or a beautiful meadow in the woods.  Imagine that you can hear, smell, feel, taste, and see what is happening around you. This counteracts your body's stress response of racing thoughts.

Muscle Relaxation

• Tighten your muscles as hard as you can for a few seconds, then relax them.  This will allow your muscles to be more relaxed than when you started, counteracting your body's stress response of tense muscles in the "fight or flight" response.

Tuning In

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Time and Targets

Set realistic and achievable goals Break down huge activities into small

manageable tasks Use short term targets and longer term strategies Recognise short term achievements Revise study skills, time management skills

Tuning In

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Study timetable

Everyone is different Disciplines and systems themselves Broken down into days per subject Start easy, work up to more difficult topics Tailored to how long you plan to study for

Tuning In

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Part One: Revision

Key Revision Tips:

Do not leave your revision until too late.

Draw up a revision timetable. Start off with a smaller number of hours and increase these week by week.

Battle Plan

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Key Revision Tips (continued)

Practice answering questions from past exam papers under timed conditions.

Do not focus on certain questions coming up in the exam. Instead, prioritise topics.

Eat well, practice exercise and do not go straight to bed after revision. RELAX

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Part Two: Exam Skills

The most common mistake in any exam is to misunderstand a question or set of instructions. Thus, to avoid this common mistake you have to be aware of certain good techniques to deal with exam questions.

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Battle Plan

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Tips to follow BEFORE the Exam

Ask yourself these WH questions: When is the exam?

Where is the exam?

What time does it start?

What will you need to take into the exam hall?

What are you allowed to take into the exam hall?

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Tips to follow DURING the Exam:

Listen to the instructions given

Read the instructions on the paper carefully

Read through the paper carefully

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Tips to follow DURING the Exam (continued):

Make sure you have answers to these questions:

How many questions are there?

How many questions are required to answer?

How long do I have to answer the questions?

How much time do I need for each question?

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Tips to follow DURING the Exam(continued):

What type of questions are there?

- Short answers

- Multiple choice

- Structured questions

- Essays

Are some questions compulsory?

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What Does the Question Mean?

Interpreting and analysing the question is the most important factor in helping you to gain more marks. This process requires you to ask yourself what am I being asked to do? In order to answer this question, you will need to highlight and interpret common key words in the question.

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Common Key Words Account for

Explains the cause of Analyse

Separates down into its component parts and show how they interrelate with each other

Annotate

Puts notes on (usually a diagram) Assess/ Evaluate

Estimates the value of, looking at both the positive and negative attributes

Comment

To make critical or explanatory notes/observations Compare

Pints out the differences and the similarities. This question needs to be carefully organised to produce a logical answer

Contrast

Points out the differences only   Review

To make a survey of, examining the subject critically   Suggest

This question may not have a fixed answer. Give arrange of responses

Describe

Writes down the information in the right order    Discuss

Presents arguments for and against the topic in question. In discussion questions you may also give your opinion

Distinguish

Identifies the difference between Explain

The word ‘explain’ means that you have to give reasons. You have to explain why rather than just define

Justify

Here you will need to present a valid argument about why a specific theory or conclusion should be accepted

Outline

Gives the main features or general principles of a subject, omitting minor details and stressing structure  

Relate

Either to show ideas or events is linked into a sequence OR to compare or contrast

 

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Tips to follow DURING the Exam(continued):

Decide the order of answering the questions

Look carefully at the mark allocation for each question to help you to set your time correctly

Start with the questions you feel most confident about

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Tips to follow DURING the Exam(continued):

Read the question carefully 2 or 3 times

Highlight the key words to help you to be focused.

Brainstorm the question (in the margin of your answer sheet)

Be Selective from the information you know when answering the questions

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Tips to follow DURING the Exam(continued):

Plan and structure your answer (Introduction, Body and Conclusion)

Check that the information you wrote is relevant to the question

Allow some time at the end to revise your answer

Write clearly and legibly.

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Tips to follow AFTER the Exam

It is a good chance to review your exam strategies. You should ask yourself the following yes/no questions:

Have I revised efficiently? Did I succeed in identifying the key phrases or

words? Did I fulfill all of the exam’s requirements?

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Test Taking - Ways to Stay Calm!

Before the Exam

• Get good sleep the night before.

• Give yourself enough time in the morning to do your regular routine.

• Eat a good, nutritious breakfast.

• Give yourself positive, reassuring statements throughout the day (such as "you can do it" or "you know the material, so relax").

• Quit studying at least half-an-hour before the exam and do something relaxing.

• Avoid getting to class too early. (The time right before the exam is usually spent worrying about the test.)

During the Exam

• Avoid students who'll ask you questions before the exam. (This will only increase your anxiety.)

• If possible, sit in the seat you normally occupy in class.

• Be sure to read all directions.

• Look over the test and do the questions worth more points first.

• Don't change your answers. (Unless you’re sure you were wrong the first time.)

• Read each question twice, slowly.

• Skip questions you can't answer and go back to them later.

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Common pitfalls

Leaving it until the last minuteReading through the same notes over and over againWriting out notes over and over againWriting out essays and learning them by heartProcrastinatingCan’t force yourself to studyPanicBoredomToo many other prioritiesStopping too soon

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Some tips and tricks

SQP4Survey--Gather together your notes and do a general reviewQuestion--How do things connect? Reflective LearningPredict--What do you think will be on the exam? What format will the questions take?Plan--What do you need to do to get ready?Prepare--Gather everything you need in one place. Make an anxiety plan for the exam itself.Practice--Revise, revise, revise

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