Successful Exam Preparation and Test Taking Strategies Dr. Robert A. Kenedy Assistant Professor York University Faculty of Arts Department of Sociology Academic Advisor, 219 Founders College York University, Toronto

Outline Mastering Course Material • Situating ideas in the broader context of the course • Reflecting (sort, analyze, question) • Recalling and knowing versus memorizing • Distributed learning versus cramming • Applying your new knowledge

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Seeing the Course as a Whole •What are some ways to identify the main themes, topics, ideas and details in your course? Theme topics

ideas

details

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Seeing the Course as a Whole What are some ways to identify the main themes, topics, ideas and details in your course? • Context cues (e.g., course outline and description) • Text cues (e.g., headings, sub-headings, etc.) • Lecturer cues (e.g., verbal and non-verbal)

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Ways of Studying What are some ways to learn and remember the main themes, topics, ideas, and details of your courses? • Re-reading and re-writing • Summarizing and reciting • Thinking analytically and critically • Self-questioning and Self-testing • Mnemonics (e.g., AIP, ROML, etc.) • Group Study • Practice the skills you will have to demonstrate

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Succeeding with Multiple Choice •Multiple choice exams require a detailed and organized knowledge of the course work; simple recognition of ideas will not suffice •Multiple choice exams force you to make connections and find points between ideas

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Succeeding with Multiple Choice Multiple choice exams are unintentionally designed to be confusing: • there are many questions • the topics you studied are shuffled and scrambled through the test • alternative answers look a lot alike

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Multiple Choice Exams Keeping in mind that MC tests are unintentionally designed to be confusing, a few strategies can help you turn good preparation into good performance • combining the question and each alternative sequentially • skipping confusing answers • keeping track of time

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Succeeding with Multiple Choice Strategy #1 for multiple choice: • read the questions twice • on the first read, identify the topic • on the next read, identify what specifically the question is asking about that topic

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Succeeding with Multiple Choice Strategy #2 for multiple choice: •use the “cover up strategy” •try to recall a concept from memory or think out the answer before looking at the options •this helps minimize confusion and may speed up your decision making

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Succeeding with Multiple Choice Strategy #3 for multiple choice: •use the “true false label” strategy •label each alternative answer as a true or false statement and then use the resulting pattern to identify possible answers: usually the item that breaks the pattern is the answer

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Essay Exams Essay exams emphasize analytical and critical thinking about course concepts and themes •Use the wording of the question to set your focus for the answer •Use specific examples from course materials to support/elaborate your answers

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Succeeding with Essay Exams Strategy #1 for Essay Exams: •read over the questions •make any necessary choices •note the relative value of each question •plan your time

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Succeeding with Essay Exams Strategy #2 for Essay Exams: • read and re-read the questions, carefully noting what each question is really asking

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Succeeding with Essay Exams Example essay question: • Discuss, compare, and contrast how the readings help explain a concept or theory

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Succeeding with Essay Exams Strategy #3 for Essay Exams: • organize your thoughts with brief outlines, mind-maps, or diagrams before beginning to write.

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Succeeding with Essay Exams Strategy #4 for Essay Exams: • write a brief introduction including your guiding claim or statement of your thesis adapted from the wording of the question you are answering • tell the reader what information you will provide to support the thesis statement

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Succeeding with Essay Exams Strategy #5 for Essay Exams: use clear language to convey your points • use simple transitions to link your points • illustrate your ideas with examples from course materials

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Succeeding with Essay Exams Strategy #6 for Essay Exams: • restate how your claims support your thesis statement and reinforce the relevance of your points to the goals of the course • review the answer for obvious errors, legibility, labeling of questions, etc.

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Organize Your Notes and Reading Make sure you go through your readings and notes: • Organize them based on themes such as course units or topics related the units • Create your own notes based on the readings and lecture notes • Study alone and be careful regarding study group partners • Make sure you understand the material before you meet with a group.

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Academic Success Series Sources: •

Adapted from Brian Poser Presentation (SC&LD), York University.

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Ellis, Dave (2000). Becoming a Master Student: Tools, techniques, hints, ideas, illustrations, examples Methods, Procedures, Process, Skills, Resources and Suggestions for success. 3rd ed. Houghton Mifflin Co. U.S.A. Gardner & Jewler ( 2003). Your College Experience: Strategies for success. 5th ed. Expanded Reader. Wadsworth Publishing Co. Belmont CA. Van Blerkom, Dianna. (2004). Instructors Manual for Orientation to College Learning. 4th ed..Wadsworth Publishing Co. Belmont CA. http://www.yorku.ca/cdc/lsp/index.htm Other Internet Sources.

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