Last Minute Exam Preparation

Last Minute Exam Preparation

Your hard study is nearly complete and you are on the last stretch of the road. Here are some important final tips to help you prepare for the exams next week:

• Exam Timetable – Make sure you know what rooms your exams are in and what time they start. Also make sure you know what CAMPUS you will be on as not all exams will be held on the DCU Glasnevin campus. Factor in travel times to campuses that you are not familiar with, allowing time for you to find the location of your exam hall. Also be aware of parking availability.

• Materials – Do you have enough pens, pencils, a watch, calculator, ruler, glasses, water, student card?

• Food for Energy – Have a balanced breakfast or lunch before the exam. A meal with lots of carbohydrates and proteins will give the body enough energy to get through the exam, e.g. breakfast with eggs, meats, toast, etc. or a chicken and pasta lunch.

• Last minute revision – It may help to use blank cards or post-its for writing your key notes to help with last minute revision. Some students prefer to switch off before an exam and leave the notes at home.

• Plan your timing – If you know the format your exam is going to take (check past papers to get an idea), plan out how much time you want to spend on each question and stick to it. For example, if you have 2 hours to answer 3 out of 5 essay questions, you could plan your timing as follows:

• 15 minutes	Read all questions, write down any key words/phrases
  30 minutes	Q1
  30 minutes	Q2
  30 minutes	Q3
  15 minutes	Check over each question & make sure details are correct on exam booklet(s)

• Write, write write! – If you leave an answer blank, you will automatically get no marks. If you have a tendency to ‘go blank’ in an exam hall setting, take a few deep breaths and write down any words you associate with the topic to help jog your memory. Attempt each question using insight from your lectures, examples from your tutorials and your own external research, knowledge and experience.

• Get some sleep – A good night’s sleep and being alert on the day will often be of more benefit than anything you might cram in while staying up all night before an exam.

• Nervous? – Yes, this is normal – it is adrenalin moving around the body – use this energy to motivate yourself to do well. Focus on positive thoughts to help relax your body and mind.

• If you are worried about anything – talk to your lecturer, Chairperson, family or friends. Student Support Advisers are also available Monday – Friday , 9.15am – 5.00pm if you have any concerns and you wish to talk. The extenuating circumstances form can also be downloaded here should you need to avail of it.

Read our general exam preparation tips here!

For more great tips check out DCU’s Student Support and Development guide to to getting the results you want!