Exams: Before, During, and After
Check out this post for some tips for before you write your exam, while you are writing it, and when you are done!
Before:
Practice tests: Practice tests are a great way to prepare before an exam. Not only is it a good way to test your knowledge, but it is also a good way to ensure your notes flow well and you haven’t missed anything. Practice tests can also help ease anxiety; if you have practiced sample exams, the real one won’t be shocking or unexpected. If your professor does not provide them, you can follow up and ask, or check online to see if another school has posted some of theirs. For example, UBC posts theirs!
Group review: Going through your notes with a few friends is great for having concepts you don’t quite understand, explained in a different way. Make it fun, have some snacks while you work, and maybe watch a movie when you are all done. Group studying can also teach you new study skills, fill in any gaps in your learning, and motivate you to remain on task.
During
Read the questions carefully: There is nothing worse than rushing and missing a significant portion of the facts. Slow down and make sure you understand everything, take a breath — a extra few minutes of reading isn’t going to hurt!
Format: When you can, try to use some bolding and underlining to help show your professor that you know what the most important parts of your answers are. I try to always bold any case law that I refer to, and underline my issue statements, rules, and final conclusions.
After
Don’t discuss answers with your classmates: I strongly advise against discussing answers with your classmates after the exam. Often times your answers are very different from each other, which can cause a lot of stress for everyone. There is not much use in chatting about it when you can’t go back and change anything — it’s not worth the worry!
Take a break: Once your exam is over, don’t jump right into studying for your next one. Take a break. Get up and go for a walk outside, do some cooking, go visit a friend, or do some cleaning. You probably won’t be that productive after putting all of your energy and brain power into an exam anyways. Take some time to relax, so you can be effective when you get back into studying.
