This article will show you how to study for an exam. If you want other free essay help resources then we have pages of those too!
While tests are stressful enough, given the choice, many students would most likely prefer those multiple choice exams that provide a higher probability of guessing the right answer and require less skills since writing is not involved. However, there are those classes where the dreaded essay exam appears on the syllabus as a mid-term exam or final exam for the course.
However, you don’t have to fear the essay exam even if studying and preparation for one might differ slightly. Some essay exams are even open-book or allow you to use prepared notes, but many essay exams are a question or questions and an empty lined exam book where you must write your essay answers.
Study Tips and Prep for Essay Exams
Don’t stress when you open up that blank essay exam booklet. Smile and know that you are prepared to get that “A” because you took advantage of the following study tips for an essay exam:
· Review and understand the main concepts: Your starting point should be to reflect on all the information you have from the course, including notes, handouts, textbooks, presentations, essays, assignments and quizzes. Compile all that you have and reread as much as possible to absorb the main ideas. This process also gets your mind focused on the project at hand and helps you immerse yourself in the coursework, which will help you with recall on the day of the essay exam.
· Schedule study time: Students tend to do everything on a last-minute plan, but an essay exam study plan needs more time than the night before. Try to start at least two weeks in advance so you have enough time but don’t start so early as to begin to forget what you’ve been studying up on. Studying a little bit each day will help you retain the important concepts and give you the time to consult with your instructor, work with a study buddy, and spend quality time on your own.
· Create potential essay questions or use what’s provided: Use the coursework, quizzes, and past essay exams from the semester to formulate what you think might be potential essay questions. Often, an instructor may even say in the midst of a lecture that what they are talking about might make a good essay exam question. Hopefully, you are not texting or snoozing at this point in the lecture because this is a heavy hint and should be the basis of one of your practice essay exam answers. Of course, other instructors will actually give you the essay exam question to practice with just before the exam is given.
· Write out main ideas in outline form: Once you have everything together, create an outline that you might even be able to use if the instructor has allowed for open book or open notes. Even if you are not allowed to use it, writing everything out will help you retain the information and focus on the key points.
· Draft many versions: In order to keep your mind from going blank on the day of the test, keep drafting various versions. The process of writing it out over and over again will help you learn the potential answers to the point that you could take the essay exam in your sleep.
· Work as a team: Studying with others can help you remember some concept you might have forgotten on your own. You can also critique each other’s answers and just support each other so there is less stress.
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