My recipe for preparing & passing exams.

I’ve used the same exam preparation method since I was 16 and I have always done well when it comes to important academic exams. In 2005 I had the best Odinary Level (O-Level) results at my high school (Kyle College in Masvingo, Zimbabwe) and in 2007 my results were also amongst the top Advanced Level (A-Level) results at the same school. Subsequently my University of Cape Town BSc Computer Science degree (2008 – 2010), I was consistently on the Dean’s Merit List and my Honours in Computer Science with Unisa was completed Cum Laude.

Now, I know people who have academic records that are significantly better than mine, people who got class medals at university level, people who would score 100% or close enough in university level mathematics. I however, have done relatively well enough academically and I would like to share how I did it.

The way I prepared for exams was very structured and disciplined. I used the same preparation method from my O-Level exams in 2005 all the way through my Unisa Honours exams in February earlier this year. Tried and tested, I was always confident that if I used my exam preparation method I would do well in exams. The goal of my study method was simple, I wanted to understand and master everything that could possibly be examined.

The way I went about doing that was reading through all the material, a minimum of two times, and time permitting, ideally three times. I would not skip any material that could possibly be examined, I went through all the material in the subject’s curriculum multiple times. Once I had done that I would use past exam / test papers to gauge whether I had understood the material well enough, and if there were any areas that were still confusing  I would go through the material again.

It was very structured because I knew it was the same method I applied for all subjects / courses (Look at curriculum, Go through material twice or thrice, Attempt past questions and Review). It was disciplined because even if I felt confident in my knowledge of the material after one read-through, I would still go through it a second and third time to make sure I have all bases covered. It turns out this is a well studied method of learning. “The key to retaining information is consistent exposure over an extended period of time — that is how it is transferred from your short term (temporary) memory to long term (permanent) memory.” [1] It is also known as repetition priming. [2]

I know people who try predict the material that is likely to be examined and only study that material. We used to call this “spotting” in Zimbabwe, I’m not too sure if it is a world-wide term. I have done it myself a couple of times, under pressure. I have seen people get it right sometimes and still go on to do well. To me the prediction method is a potential sign of a lack of time management, with a student trying to cover as much as they can of the important material in the little time left before the exam. It is usually because one realizes they cannot cover all the material on time. It is also a recipe for potential failure in the case that your predictions of what will be covered are incorrect. Examiners can surprise you at times, and they can take no blame, since you had the curriculum from the day the course / subject started. The good horse doesn’t always win the race, that is why the horse betting industry still lives. So try to avoid betting on what will be examined.

My recipe is not a prescribed method of exam preparation to be used by everyone. We are all wired differently and the ways we learn are bound to differ. The reason I wrote this post is for those students who are in a space where they are trying to figure out how to prepare for exams, maybe they could try some aspects of the method I used. I am certain I wasn’t just born smart or always good at academics. The way I passed all those exams is simple to understand, I made sure I prepared thoroughly. Like anything in life, if you are well prepared, you are more than halfway there.

 

Notes:

[1] Tom Ewer talks about a technique known as Spaced Learning. How to learn anything quickly and efficiently. https://managewp.com/spaced-repetition-learning

[2] Repetition Priming. http://www.poldracklab.org/Publications/pdf/Brain%202001%20Poldrack.pdf