MCQ & UnseenSchool of Nursing & Midwifery

Dr. Mark MatthewsStudent Learning DevelopmentStudent Counselling ServiceTrinity College Dublin

1. Planning

Learn from the past

• Get detailed information about what your exam paper looks like

• Identify and revise topics you do not know well

• What works for you?

Know Yourself

1. What are your exam concerns? Why?

2. What do you do well?

3. What could you do better?

4. How do you study?

5. What strategies do you use to prepare?

6. How do you manage your stress?

Building Self Confidence

• Think of exams as an opportunity for you to show what you know

• Get familiar with the examination space• You get what you put in• Set learning targets and rewards for yourself

2. Revision

mcqs

Revision

MCQ Exams recognition & accurate knowledge

Tissue oedema is caused by: a. b. c. d.

Thus for revision:

• Think vocabulary, words, terms, concepts, systems

• Make flash cards & test yourself

• Recite for precision

• Create summary sheets, diagrams, charts, tables, mind maps

MCQ Practice

• Read each question carefully• Circle key words or negatives• Identify modifiers and qualifiers (e.g. only,

never, sometimes)• Anticipate answer before looking at options• Read all options before making choice• Check before marking answer• Leave time at end

The following are all bones of the skull except:

a. Parietal bone

b. Temporal bone

c. Tarsal bone

d. Frontal bone

Short Answers

Short Answers Revision

Short Answer knowledge

understanding key ideas/facts at basic level

Short Answer Practice

• Deconstruct the question

• Think in own words

• Find and use key words

• Show what you know: Define key words, concepts, theories

• Stay relevant

Overcomplication

Decision trees are used in data mining as a way of progressively breaking down data into groups. As this happens, the number in each classification may be noted. A customer database may break down as 70% male, 30% female. The males may be divided into those that spend over €1,000 a year with us (90%) and those that do not (10%). The same subdivision for female shows that only 2% of females spend over €1,000 with us. The high spending males break-down into 77% under 30 and 23% over 30 years of age. When females are divided into high and low spending, it might be found that 80% of high

spenders are repeat customers and 20% are not. Low spending females, on the other hand, might be 90% non repeating customers. A parallel analysis of high spending male customers might show that…

Q. Outline the structure of fats OR carbohydrates

• Choose question

• What are they looking for?

• How would I answer this?

• How would I revise in order to be able to answer this?

• Practice answering this type of question, varying topic

Seen Questions

Seen Questions

• Not an essay, you have a limited time to answer

• More depth than unseen question

• Start practising:– Work on what’s relevant to question– Make diagrams– Write out answers – timing and quality

• So how would you revise?

Outline and briefly discuss the three main approaches to understanding and defining stress

• Stress – what is it?

• 3 main theories

• Compare & contrast – definitions, causes, etc.

• Examples

3. Practice

Would you sit your driving test without ever driving a car?

Practice makes perfect…

Develop your technique

• Understand what is being asked• Only answer the QUESTION• Do not include irrelevant material• Understand the format in which your answers are

required• Practice answering previous exam questions• Simulate Exam Conditions

4. Performing

Where you might lose

marks

Why you lose marks

Re-interpreting the Question

Not Answering Multiple Choice Questions

Poor English

Padding

Answering the Question

• Demonstrating that you understand the question is the first step in producing an answer

• How you structure your answer is as important as what you know

• More is not necessarily better

Think about your

examiner

How to Do Well in Exams

1. Planning

2. Revising

3. Practice

4. Performing

Sources:

Exam Stress Guide, SU & Student Learning

How to Do Badly in Examinations, Dr. Frank Bannister

Online Workshops

Student Learning Development

Thank you for your time

Visit our website at: http://student-learning.tcd.ie

No practice leads to..

• Poor Handwriting

• Brain Dumping

• Irrelevance

• Poor Structure

• Running out of time

• Anxiety