Ah, the scary essay exam. Sometimes you have to take exams that are entirely essays, whether you like them or not. In the days leading up to exam day, you may feel anxious and possibly nauseous (or stomach ache) from having to take an essay exam. Fortunately, with a little preparation and practice, you can turn the nervousness that comes before the exam into confidence so you can pass the essay test well.
Step
Part 1 of 3: Participating in Class
Step 1. Attend a class or lecture
While it's obvious, it's important to remember that the first step to passing an essay exam well is to attend class. When you attend class, you can not only listen to the teacher's point of view on the subject or course being taught, but also can participate in class discussions that help deepen knowledge about the subject being studied. And more importantly, students who diligently participate in class are constantly engaged in the subject matter and are more likely to remember more information.
- Participate actively. It is important that you find the most appropriate method of participation (eg asking questions that encourage other students to think or comment on readings). In active participation, you need to involve yourself in some way in class. While you may not feel comfortable speaking at length in front of your friends, try asking questions in class from now on.
- Stay away from distractions. Put your phone or tablet away and concentrate so you can listen well and take notes. Class time is not the time to do homework or other subjects, or to just interact with friends on Facebook.
Step 2. Take notes
Another advantage of attending classes is that you can have a record of the material being taught. Although several teachers or lecturers usually provide an outline of the subject, nothing can replace the notes you write because you alone know the most suitable learning style. When preparing for an essay exam, your notes can be a major asset. Therefore, try to attend class as much as possible and take notes on the material being taught.
- Always carry or have a notebook with you. It's a good idea to provide one notebook for each subject or course so that you don't get confused when re-reading the notes you've written.
- Make sure you include the date in the notes so you can easily find or refer to the material to be tested.
- If you find it difficult to write notes (eg because the teacher or lecturer explains too quickly and you don't have time to write what he explains), ask the teacher or lecturer if you can record the learning session or lecture. If you are allowed to record a study session or lecture, you can listen to the recording again and take notes (of course at an appropriate writing speed) or review material relevant to the exam you are facing.
Step 3. Read the assigned materials
By completing reading assignments, you will not only be ready for class, but you will also save energy for preparing for the exam later. In other words, you don't have to study all the material at once if you can complete reading assignments. This also makes exam preparation less stressful.
- Make notes of the material you have read and prepare questions to ask in class.
- Follow the reading assignment schedule. Usually, reading assignments are divided into sections, based on the topic. In addition, the distribution of reading material is also carried out so that students can complete the material that must be read easily. However, if you are having trouble completing a reading assignment, talk to your teacher or lecturer about an assignment schedule that can be tailored to suit your needs. For example, if a given reading assignment needs to be completed within a few days' deadline, you may need to divide the assigned material so that you can read one section per day (eg one chapter per day).
Part 2 of 3: Reviewing Materials
Step 1. Collect notes from the subject or courses to be tested
By preparing or managing notes and other materials in one place, the material review process will run smoothly.
- In addition to preparing a notebook for each different subject, it's a good idea to prepare a binder or folder for a separate subject that contains all the material being taught.
- Further manage existing notes or materials by categorizing them by exam. Don't throw away notes or material from previous exams. These notes or materials will come in handy when you have to study for your mid-term or end-of-term exams. Therefore, save and categorize the materials like chapters in a book (eg the first exam as the first chapter, and so on).
Step 2. Find a quiet place to study
Stay away from distractions that are around you, such as loud, noisy noises, the television, or the radio. For some people, having a special study room at home helps them study well. Some people even prefer to study in the library or coffee shop.
- Limit phone calls and other distractions such as texting. It's a good idea to turn on silent mode on your phone or other device while you're studying.
- The television should always be turned off when you are preparing for an exam.
- If you want to listen to music, make sure you listen to soothing or soft music. Also, make sure you play it at a low volume. Otherwise, your mind will be distracted by the music you hear.
Step 3. Review the material taught in class
Once you have organized and sorted the existing materials, you can begin the review process. Research shows that reviewing new material within 24 hours of it being acquired can increase recall of that material by (about) 60%. In other words, don't wait until the night before the exam to review your notes. Divide your study schedule into days.
- Get in the habit of reviewing the material being taught after class is over. This helps you reduce the anxiety that usually builds up before the exam because there isn't too much material to review. Plus, you can find answers to questions you might be thinking about before exam day.
- Studying all the material in one night is not an effective method. Several studies have shown that dividing a study schedule into several days is more effective than studying all the material in one day or one night. Moreover, such a study method will only sharpen the sense of hopelessness that can cause you to panic and experience pre-exam anxiety.
Step 4. Find out the topics (or questions) that will appear in the exam by outlining the material
When you study large pieces of information (in this case a topic or chapter of a particular subject), you need to learn from the concepts first, then the more detailed information, not the other way around. Basically, such a method makes it easier for you to learn detailed information if you want to learn the basic concepts and theories first. In other words, writing an outline helps you organize so much information that you can identify certain topics (which may be essay questions on exams) more easily.
Writing an outline of the material also makes it easier for you when it comes to making essay responses. Therefore, try to practice and start writing an outline of the material learned in class
Part 3 of 3: Practice From the Beginning
Step 1. Understand the structure of the essay
Get to know how to write an essay. A good essay begins with an introductory section, followed by a main section, and a conclusion.
Step 2. Outline the answers to the questions
Outline the essay questions that may appear on the exam based on the appropriate topic (revisit the previous step on reviewing material). Try to find the main sentence for the answer to the question, then arrange the supporting information under the main sentence in the form of bullets.
- Don't wait until the night before the exam to outline your answers. As you study and manage the materials taught in class, look for questions that might come up on the exam. You can read, review and revise the answers if necessary.
- Sometimes teachers require their students to write essays with a certain number of words. However, don't focus too much on word count. Write what you can and try to improve your answer without making it seem too long.
Step 3. Identify the different types of questions
As with other exams, the essay exam consists of several types of questions. It's a good idea to identify the types of questions that may arise early on so you can practice answering each of them. The types of essay questions, among them, are:
- Identification – For questions like this, you usually need to provide short and direct answers.
- Explanation – Questions like these require more detailed answers.
- Comparison – Questions like this require an answer in the form of a relationship between one thing and another.
- Argument – For questions like this, you need to give an answer based on your own point of view.
Step 4. Revise the written answer
Try to practice often so you can give better results or answers. After you have made an initial draft of your answer, review the draft again. Try to explain in more detail or clarify the content or answers that have been written. Most importantly, make sure you are able to answer the questions directly. If not, reread and review the relevant materials.
- This can be a good opportunity to re-examine your work and look for any grammatical errors you may have made.
- Ask a friend, parent or other person to read your essay. Usually, it's a good idea to ask other people to read and review, and give their opinion on your work.
Tips
- For exams that are open-note or open-book (in this case, students are allowed to open notes or textbooks), you still need to study hard. It helps you prepare for exams with rules that don't allow students to open notes. Plus, you can finish your exams faster and easier because once you've thoroughly studied the material, you don't have to bother looking for any information in books or notes.
- Stay positive. If you continue to think negatively and feel that you will not do well on the exam, there is a good chance that you will do the exam as you thought you would.
- Try practicing writing. Make sure you can write well in other situations so you can express your thoughts clearly.
- Tidy notes and study space. With a neat note and study environment, you won't feel too pressured while studying. Other than that, there won't be much to distract you.
- Add learning activities to your daily schedule. It is certainly easier to read and review notes daily than to study all the material in one sitting or one night.
- As much as possible don't re-learn all the material overnight. Such methods only trigger stress and, in general, make it difficult for you to remember the information or material that will be tested.
- Form study groups. Studying with friends can provide many benefits.
- Don't copy notes from friends' notes or textbooks. Write notes in your own words to ensure that you understand the material or topic being tested and can reread the notes.
- Never cheat. If you get caught, you will get in trouble. It is better for you to get a small grade than your work not being recognized by the teacher or lecturer.
