Advice For Exam Revision Obtaining Past Test Papers

Article Written By: Joan Hughes

A crucial step to preparing for a test is to give priority to study material that will be of greatest use for revision purposes. To do this you must have a good idea of the type of questions that will be asked during the exam. You can obtain this information by talking to their teacher. Ask them what key areas will be emphasised in the test. Whether the test involves multiple choice or written answers and what reading material your child should give the greatest attention to.

Another great way of preparing your child for an exam is to obtain past test papers. There are a number of good reasons for doing this.

1. Obtaining past papers will enable your child to see how the questions are arranged and how the answers are marked. It will also provide a general idea of the types of questions and key revision areas to give priority to.

2. If the test papers involve written questions rather then multiple choice some answers will carry more marks then others. The more marks that are rewarded for each question usually the more points that have to be given for that answer. It is important your child dedicates the right amount of time and written material to each answer. Past test papers enable your child to see how to answer a question and not just what answer to give.

3. Managing time effectively during an exam is crucial. Past test papers make it possible to carry out timed practice tests. It is important that they learn to resist the urge to spend too much time on a single question which could prevent them gaining points on other questions. Knowing how much time and effort to devote to each question is crucial to passing a test.

When revising or writing down revision notes it is important to give priority to reading materials that are most relevant to the exam. Obtaining past exam papers will have made that process a lot easier.

Dont let your child get bogged down writing too many notes from books. In fact its best to avoid writing linear notes altogether. These can be monotonous, boring and difficult to recall.

The most effective notes are those that utilize colour, drawings and highlight the key topics that make it easy to locate the information that matters.

Mind maps involve images, words and symbols to represent key concepts and information in a visual form. The main topic is located at the centre with subtopics arranged around that central image. Related information is connected using branches.

Mind Maps are very effective note taking techniques due to the way that mind maps arrange and present information. Images and drawings are much easier to remember and the branches on the mind map help the mind to organize and associate related information which is crucial for recall. Also the most important information is easier to find and scan quickly making it easier to review information quickly before an exam.

When creating a mind map it is best if they start off creating a mind map of knowledge they have already gained from books, school, the media and elsewhere. Building upon pre-existing knowledge is a great way of improving recall.

Memory works best using images, order and association which is why mind maps are such a powerful tool.

Over time their mind map will become more detailed with drawings, keywords, and phrases representing key ideas and information.

They should keep reviewing their mind maps and try and recall as much as they can using the images and keywords to jog their memory. This will assist recall, re-enforce knowledge gained and help preserve the knowledge in long term memory.

Mind maps are great for reviewing information as they are quick to scan and the most important information stands out. Also trying to recall as much as possible for each key area using the mind maps helps to review gaps in their knowledge which can be revisited before the exam

A day before the exam you should insure they get plenty of rest. Tiredness can hinder concentration. Also dehydration is shown to produce brain fog and tiredness. They should drink plenty of water just before the exam.

About the Author

Download past exam papers to help prepare for a test. We offer free Sat papers for English, Maths and Science

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