Tips and techniques for survivingTips and techniques for surviving

RVC Counselling ServiceRVC Counselling Service

Why Do I need a Timetable and Why Do they Never Work?

Be Realistic! Work with how you are, not how you’d like to be!Are You a Lark or an Owl? Do you work best early or late in

the day?How Good is Your Concentration? Do you work best in 30

minute stints (for eg) or 3-4 hr blocks?Be Realistic! Work with your strengths and weaknessesTake Breaks! Otherwise your brain will take one for you and

just ‘switch off’!Reward Yourself! Revising is often boring, tedious and a bit

of a slog. Keep yourself motivated by ‘mini’ treats eg cups of tea, snacks, 30 mins of TV/gaming

Have a Life! Keeping some work-life balance in mind will mean you return to your studies refreshed and less resentful. A night out /day off during revision time can work wonders.

Making a Revision Timetable: Part I

Print out the Revision Plan from slide 5 of this presentation. Ideally, fill out one for each week for 3-4 weeks before exams.

Write in ……………..Dates from now until your last exam

Exam dates /times/lengthAny time allocated to lectures, seminars, tutorials,

placementsOther standing commitments e.g. employment, chores

(shopping/cooking)Relaxation time – as a guide, a 2-3 hr block each day plus one

whole evening/afternoon midweek and at weekend

Making a Revision Timetable: Part IIFor each module you need to revise, divide up into sub-

topics.Allocate time needed to revise depending on whether topic

is easy/hard, big/smallWork out total number of study blocks availableAllocate revision topics into study blocksTry to allow a ‘free time block’ for catching up/unforeseen

problemsA common mistake is overfilling your timetable , and

getting disheartened – Be Realistic!!!

Monday (e.g.)

Morning(subject 1) Break

Afternoon(subject 1) Break

Evening(subject 2)

Treat(see film)

Tuesday Break Break

Wednesday Break Break

Thursday Break Break

Friday Break Break

Saturday Break Break

Sunday Break Break

GOAL

REWARD

Revision Timetable

Where Do I Begin???

You cannot learn everythingBe SelectiveMake Educated GuessesLook at Course Outline Look at Past ExamsAsk Lecturers Study and Summarize Lecture NotesUse Note CardsDo Practice Exams

How Do I Learn?Active Study: Look, Listen, Write. Break your notes up

using underlining, highlighters, boxes around etcConcise Notes - reduce your lecture notes to memorisable

key words and phrasesUse Your Own Words to describe concepts/theories etcTest Yourself – write your own ‘mini’ questionsMake Prompts – use spider diagrams, mnemonics, rhymes

Do you work best alone or with others?

When trying to decide, think through…..

What helps you concentrate the best?

When do you feel more or less anxious (alone or with friends?)

If you want to work with friend(s) be clear together aims of each session

Be clear about what is right for you

How to use past exam papers

Find out if there are any available. If not, ask your tutor for advice.

Make a note of commonly occurring questions/topics from the last 3 years (and revise well!)

Use for ‘mock’ exams, and timing/testing yourselfBecoming already familiar with the ‘look’ and ‘style’ of the

exam you will be taking will help reduce your anxiety on the exam day

Reassure YourselfCheck and Double Check your TimetableCheck the Length of the ExamCheck the Pattern of the Exam – multiple choice/

essay/short answer/mixedFind the Room – be aware that this can change, so keep

checking and be prepared for this possibility

Visualize yourself in the Room

The Night Before…Part 1Prepare your Materials: You don’t want a last minute panic in

the morning! Double-check requirements: do you need a calculator?

Student ID? What else? Pack everything you will need: extra pens, pencils,

highlighter, approved calculator

Review: Review notes on basic concepts, formulae, basic principles Review revision notes

Don’t Study Anything New Looking at new things makes you worry abut what you don’t

know instead of building up your confidence about what you do know!

Studying new things the night before leads to panic!

The Night Before…Part IIDon’t discuss the exam with friends! They are bound to

have revised something you haven’t, or set off your anxiety with their own!

Treat Yourself and Look After Yourself! Avoid stressful situations, people or conversations. Do something that makes you feel good

Try to get a good nights sleep! A warm bath, relaxing music, reading through notes one last time can all help. Do not worry if you can’t sleep – allow yourself some ‘snooze time’ post exam to catch up.

The Big DayArrive On Time

Give yourself plenty of time to get there: you don’t want to arrive in a panic.

Don’t arrive too early: Exam panic is contagious! Listen to the Invigilator’s InstructionsRead the Whole Paper Carefully: Be aware...

How many questions do you have to answer, and in what sections? How many credits each question is worth If there is a choice, decide which questions you are going to answer,

and in what orderMake an Action Plan and allocate start and end time for each question

Take A Deep Breath and Begin Make A Plan for Each Question. Allow your mind to freely associate

around the question. Jot down hard-to remember key ideas, concepts, theories, formulae etc.

Keep Checking Back to See Whether You are Answering the Question Be simple, direct and to the point: you only get points for

answering the question, no matter how much else you know Watch your time: DO NOT GO OVER allotted time for each question Leave a Space Between Questions …You can always go back and

add things MAKE SURE THAT YOU ANSWER THE QUESTION! What is it

actually asking you to do…..? Make it Readable: Skip lines if your handwriting is hard to read Stop writing as soon as you are told, otherwise the invigilator will log

this

What If I Go Blank????Brainstorm Jot down any ideas that come to you or move onto

another question if you are stuck

Think yourself into a Calm Place Take Deep BreathsAvoid Negative ThoughtsDon’t Look Around! You will be sitting next to someone who is

writing furiously!!!Remind yourself that you do have the information there, it just

needs to be found

After The ExamDon’t Discuss the paper

You can never be sure of the right answers Its too late to do anything about it You need to keep yourself thinking positive Panic is as infectious after the exam as before and is as bad for

you!

Reward yourself! You deserve it! Exams are difficult and stressful

Have a Break You need a short break even if you have an exam the next day

(or even the same day ) just to clear your mind for the next thing

Hooray – you did it!!!!!

Vicki Dale, Learning Support Officervdale@rvc.ac.uk

learninghh@rvc.ac.uk

Mosby review booksIn Practice quizzesRevise notes from DLsWrite your own EMQsComputer-aided learning

e-casesQM perception quizzesVet learning resourcesWikiVet

Veterinary clinical resources

Place post-it notes around the house with a single concept/disease/treatment on each one ... Each time you walk past, ask yourself:

What do you know? What do you need to clarify?

Change the post-its on a weekly basis

Ask your friends/family to test youAsk yourself, making use of dictaphone

Test yourself

EMS will allow you to put theory into practice

Identify misunderstandings or gaps in your knowledge in advance of EMS

Offer to do as much as you can

Ask lots of questions

Make the most of EMS

Make use of BlackBoard: www.ble.ac.uk/webapps/portal/frameset.jsp?tab_id=_2_1&url=%2fwebapps%2fblackboard%2fexecute%2flauncher%3ftype%3dCourse%26id%3d_58877_1%26url%3d

Inspiration mind-mapping software

Make connections

e.g. suture materials Affix samples to your notesCreate flashcards with diagrams and photo on one

side and information on the otherUse the clinical skills centre

e.g. drugsMake flashcards with (photos of) drug boxesMake up virtual cases

e.g. jurisprudenceScan/copy articles from the Vet Record or keep a

copy of RCVS emails on vets being struck off

Be creative

Your tutorsRVC student support and counselling servicesVetLife (www.vetlife.org.uk) NightLine (www.nightline.ac.uk)

and each other!

Other sources of help