Found this while lurking on the S282 facebook forum, a fellow student had kindly posted their blog with study technique information - some very useful titbits here (which I will go over and fully digest in the next day or so) - the main point is always think about the exam even from day 1 of the course:
Source (By Gloria Paz):-
http://learn.open.ac.uk/mod/oublog/view.php?user=495550
SOME IDEAS ON STUDY, REVISION AND EXAMS
The OU has excellent materials on this subject, which can be found in
the “Study skills” section of their website. The following notes are
just some ideas I've accumulated during the past few years (from
experience and from exchanging points of view with other students and
tutors) and which can be of help to those students who find the
perspective of taking exams or taking level 2 courses too frightening.
They also constitute a reminder to myself for future courses. Whenever I
use a third person singular imperative, I'm talking to myself, since
I've realized how quickly I forget my good intentions and embark in very
unproductive ways of studying.
1. BEFORE THE COURSE STARTS
I've found that, psychologically, starting to focus your mind on your
next course as soon as you decide which one to take is a very good
tool to develop “friendly” feelings towards it. A couple of ideas in
this direction:
Buying books: One thing I've done in the past,
specially for courses which look very challenging, is buying a set of
(usually second-hand) books for the course in question many months in
advance. Starting to read through the course materials at a leisurely
pace and without the pressure of TMAs and tutorials can be very
soothing, because when the course finally starts you already have a
mental picture of what's awaiting you.
Buying past-papers: Again, when I've decided I'm
going to take a course, I buy past papers as soon as possible from the
OUSA. This has a double importance: first, I've discovered that the
oldest past papers disappear from the OUSA website after a while; then,
by looking at at least one past paper I can make my mind whether I'm
up to the task of taking that particular course. Of course, past papers
look very daunting and almost impossible to tackle at first, but it is
a rewarding experience to gradually realize during the course that
many of the initially obscure points are beginning to get familiar.
Surfing the web for support: Facebook groups for
courses are now a very common phenomenon, and searching for them before
the course starts or before deciding to take a course can be very
useful. You can find out from other students how they are finding their
courses, establish useful contacts with other students and experience
beforehand what the general atmosphere of that course is. Some courses
have open OUSA fora which can also be useful.
Additional material: Another thing that has helped
me in the past is start gathering and using additional material for the
course during the months prior to it. The web is teeming with
wonderful resources in the form of webpages, videolectures, podcasts,
which can help you get familiar with the topics related to your course.
I find podcasts specially interesting and use them a lot while
commuting, working out, cleaning the house, etc. If you get a general
knowledge of the subjects relating to your course, once you get to the
more detailed information which the course contains you'll feel much
more confident with it. For some of my former courses, I've even
created a blog where I listed these additional materials according to
the blocks and chapters of the OU course.
2.ONCE THE COURSE STARTS
Having the exam in sight from day one
Once the course starts, I've found out one gets very much absorbed
with the workload which reading the chapters and working at the TMAs
involves. Or, the exam is a very important part of the course, and even
with great TMAs scores, a poor exam score will have the result of
getting a low grade. Most students do much worse in the exam than in the
TMAs. So, without getting obsessed by it, I think a good strategy is
to assign from day one part of your study time to exam preparation.
This exam preparation can just consist in organizing your material
from day one in a way which can be helpful once the exam approaches.
Here are some ideas that I hope I'll apply to my next course (I've
realized how effective they are much too late):
ACTIVE READING
Just sitting in front of the books and read does not seem a very
productive strategy. Just highlighting them isn't one either. I've
found out that combining several approaches makes the time used in
reading more useful. Here is the outline of what I do:
-
Before starting to read a chapter, I print out the LEARNING OUTCOMES for it. Having before you this list of most important topics in the chapter helps focusing your attention.
-
I then turn on the “read aloud” function in the pdf
which is in the “View” menu (after having adjusted the speed and
volume to the best levels for me). I then read while listening to the
voice and highlight the most important bits with coloured
highlighters. (Though writing and highlighting on books may seem a
little vandalic, I've found out that pristine books are books you
haven't properly studied). I use different colours for different
things: glossary terms, equations, important sentences.
(I must say the read-aloud function does not always work well;
there is a program sometimes provided by the OU called “browse aloud”
which has the same function and which I haven't tried out yet)
-
I take my notes using a table format:
-
I create a text table with 2 columns and just 1 row. On the
right-hand side column, I jot down notes in a very concise format
(copying and pasting from the pdf & then trimming down the text can
help). On the left-hand side column I then formulate questions about
the text on the right. A copy of this file with just the left-hand
column can be very useful later for revision.
(Before taking any notes from the main text itself, I apply the
method explained above to the summary of the chapter, which is a source
of very important information).
-
I then make my own mp3 recordings of my notes,
first reading aloud the notes themselves, then reading them in a
question-and-answer format. For this I use the open source program
“Audacity” which can be downloaded for free. I use these mp3 recordings
daily while commuting, cleaning the house, working out, etc. They are
very important resources when the exam approaches.
(The last time I installed Audacity in my computer, I was unable
to install the program “Lame” which is necessary for converting into
mp3. I solved this by downloading a free wma/mp3 converter).
-
All of the above I do page by page, because I've found out that
tackling difficult tasks in very small chunks is a good strategy for
me.
_ _ _
-
Another thing I do while reading the chapters is trying to identify sentences
which sound like probable multiple choice questions in the exam. Being
aware of words like “important, key, crucial, note that, don't
forget that” can be useful (the pdf search function can be of great
help in this regard). Those sentences I store in a text document for
more intensive study. For working with this document, I use the
“fill-in-the-blanks” technique which is described later.
- - -
-
The summaries of the chapters are a crucial part of the courses; one
fellow student suggested once that by studying just them you could
already pass the exam, albeit with a low grade. Whether this is true or
not, investing time in working with them is a very good idea.
-
Some ideas on how to work with the summaries:
-
It is a good idea to make a file with all the summaries from the pdf and the Learning Outcomes from
the website and print them out. This is rough-and-ready guide to the
course one keeps getting back to during the year. Organizing them both
chapter by chapter seems the best way to do it.
-
In the kind of notes taken while reading described above, I always
copy-paste first the part of the summary relating to that particular
section. This, together with the learning outcomes, is a good guide to
keep focused while reading.
-
I make a mp3 recording also of each summary, both as plain text and in a question-and-answer format (i.e, I read a part of the summary, formulate questions to myself, and answer them by re-reading the relevant bits).
-
Making a copy of the file containing the summaries, detecting the
important bits, highlighting them and selecting the white ink in the
font menu of the text processing program to hide them converts this
file into a “fill in the blanks” test which can be
very useful for revising. When you take the test (wait some days to
take it after you have prepared it), fill in the blanks, and then
select all and choose the black ink again. You will then be able to
check your answers.
WORKING WITH PAST-PAPERS
The courses I've taken till now have had a “Past-Papers e-tutorial”
where there was a lot of useful discussion between students and tutors,
making this a very good opportunity to train for the exam.
What I've discovered about how to use past-papers in a productive way, is following:
-
It is a good idea from day one to try and identify which questions
of the PP relate to which chapters, and even make a number of files
(one for each chapter or topic) in which to copy-paste the questions
for each chapter from the pdf files of the past papers, so that you'll
end up with a file with exam questions for each chapter. This can also
help focus on the most important passages while reading the chapters.
-
While following the e-Tuts about PP, or working on one's own on
them, I've found out that the most productive approach is to try and
solve all the questions from the different chapters that relate to the
same topic in a row. Even the most difficult problems get much easier
once one has done them two or three times in a row. The files I
mentioned before where all questions about the same topic have been
regrouped are very valuable for this task.
-
Creating a spreadsheet with the topics of the questions & the
years when they've appeared can be very helpful to determine the
prevalence of certain types of questions and intensify study on those
areas.
---
OTHER TOOLS WHILE STUDYING
-HUMOUR:
- For those items I find impossible to retain in my memory, I try to
concoct little absurd tales and jokes, which I then write in big font
and many different colours in pieces of cardboard I hang on the walls.
People coming home to visit laugh a lot at this crazy decoration idea.
- COMPUTER "GAMES":
- I use both "Anki" and "Mnemosyne", two open source free
downloadable programs, to create electronic flashcards about the most
important topics of the books, which I then play like a sort of
computer game when I feel too tired or have too little time to do
proper study. One can just copy-paste from the pdfs to create the
questions & answers.
- MIND MAPS:
When I get too lost in the maze of a chapter, I try to regain
distance by creating a mind-map of it all, usually in a very big piece
of paper of cardboard, and with many different coloured pencils. Then I
realize how each piece related to the whole picture. And of course
they go to join my other "wall decoration" stuff.
BEFORE THE EXAM
General considerations
-
If you have a look at the success statistics which are published
once a year in "Sesame", you'll see that the overwhelming majority of
students having passed the TMAs do also pass the exam.
- My experience last year in my 1st OU exam (S283) showed me that the
psychological preparation is at least as important as the academical
one. A couple of ideas in this direction:
-
Rehearsing the exam situation is, in my opinion,
one of the most important things you can do during the revision
process. For the rehearsal, all the conditions of the exam must be
mimicked: time limitations, material (rough and definitive work
leaflets, computer marked form, calculator), complete isolation, etc.
The specimen paper provided in many courses can be very useful for
this, because it allows to do some marking afterwards, although the
most important part of this exercise is the physical and psychological
preparation of the exam, not the academical part.
-
Sleeping, eating, and exercising properly in the days prior to the exam is also very important.
Last year, I decided that
the day before the exam would be completely free from study, and in the evening I went for a long walk and to the cinema.
On the day of the exam itself, I took a walk prior to the exam and brought a bit of food and water with me which were very useful, as well as
earplugs
and lots of pens, pencils, a slide rule (useful if you have to trace a
graph, which we did) and batteries for the calculator.
DURING THE EXAM (this refers mainly to Science exams)
-
Multiple Choice part: Make sure whether they are asking for wrong or right questions and how many of them.
Discard asap the more absurd ones.
Have a first general glimpse of all of them and have a look at the longer questions in the second & third part of the exam just to see if some of the subjects overlap.
Make a first general round of "attack" by writing short schematic answers in the rough work booklet.
Leave enough time aside for the numerical ones and
review them after having left them rest for a bit while doing something else.
-
I would distribute the MC ones along the 3 hours as a way to rest from the longer ones.
- Long questions Have a good look at them to decide which ones to choose.
- A tutor at a exam preparation workshop suggested using the
left-hand side sheet of the exam workbook (not the rough work booklet)
for jotting down the preliminary skeleton of the answer: this would
have 2 practical effects. One, having in front of you all the time your
answer plan while you write; second, maybe the examinator will have a
look at the rough work after all (even if you cross it out), which
could earn you a couple of marks in case you don't have enough time to
finish that answer.
- This same tutor also suggested copying the text of the question
on top of the sheet where you'll be writing the answer and keep
checking back after writing each paragraph whether you are still
answering what's been asked (in order not to get lost in your prose).
It seems one of the major causes of loss of marks in exams is not
answering what you've been asked, but something else instead.
-
Write all calculations in very big, tidy font in spare paper and check powers of ten, units, etc a couple of times at least. Using the rough paper work horizontally
allows more space for calculations, and this is quite useful, since
many times data get confused or lost when transferring from one line to
another.
Make a rough calculation of probable results before starting the question and check that the results look plausible.
Pay good attention to the number of significant units required
Always check that you've included the units and that they make sense
For graphs: use slide rule, coloured pencils, eraser, make them as tidy as possible and label all axa.
PSYCHOLOGICAL ASPECTS
I've taken a considerable number of exams during my life, and I do
think psychological preparation is one of the most important things you
can do. I've read somewhere that elite athletes make
visualization exercises
during the period leading to the competition in question, where they
relax, breath deeply and imagine themselves calm, prepared and ready to
yield a positive result. This has worked for me many times in many
different situations in life, and I'll try to apply this technique to
exams too. Recording these visualizations as mp3 and listening to them
after having attained a state of deep relaxation can be very useful.
Funnily enough, one thing that works for me is
lowering my expectations. If
I repeat to myself that the world will go on whatever my score will be
and that I'm studying just to improve my mind and have nothing really
important to lose, I can approach the exam situation in a much calmer
mind-frame and the results are much better.
With the OU, I keep reminding myself I'm doing this just because I
like it, and I don't have to prove anything to anyone, and that even if
I fail, nothing too bad would happen. This makes me relaxed and
improves my results.
During the exam, whenever panic or anxiety arises, following can be useful: remembering to take a
few deep breaths, find the
points of tension in the body (usually in the neck, shoulders, hands and stomach), direct the deep breathing towards them,
stretch,
drink some water and maybe repeat a little calming mantra.
If one gets too anxious about one particular question, just
abandon it and follow on with something else. One can get back to that question later, or just change one's mind and choose something else instead.
Having something to eat & drink at the exam, like some chocolate
or nuts giving energy very quickly, water or an isotopic drink, can
also help to overcome moments of panic or blanks that can be due to
low levels of sugar in the blood or dehydration.
AND AFTER THE EXAM....
Forget about it, don't fret, and congratulate yourself on all the work you've accomplished during the year....
Enjoy life, enjoy the people in your life which you may have
neglected in the last few weeks, and don't get obsessed by the result;
as a Spanish poet says: “the important thing is the path you walk down,
not where it gets you to; you make your own path as you walk” (Antonio
Machado)....
And 2 months later, you may get an unexpected present in the form of a
much higher grade you thought you'd get... or maybe not... who cares
anyhow? Your life will be filled with quite different things by
then.......
