Types of Exams and How to Prep for Them
- e+n
- Apr 7
- 3 min read
As April begins, the impending doom of final exams advances. And guess what? Each exam is slightly different—multiple choice, short answer, and essay. How fun! 🙃Likewise, your prep for each exam will look a little different, too. I’d like to share my tips and tricks for each type of exam with you!
With these exam-specific tips and tricks, you will be on your final exam grind with no stress—well no, you will still be stressed but hopefully, a little less! 😀
Keep reading to find out how to prep 🥰
📑 Multiple Choice
Multiple choice exams are my favorite type of exam! It is all about test-taking strategy and memorization (most of the time).
Active Recall and Spaced Repetition: These exams depend on the little details to distinguish between right and wrong answers. This means you need to prioritize memorizing even the little details while understanding the big-picture concepts. Read my blog post on active recall and spaced repetition to do just that!
Flashcards: Sometimes, the little details just don’t stick no matter how many times you review your slides! Create a flashcard deck for these weak spots and practice this set of cards frequently. I personally use Anki for this tip! Read more about Flashcards and Anki on my blog!
Process of elimination: Regardless of whether you can spot the right answer or not, ALWAYS use the process of elimination. What does this mean? At the end of a question, you should know what makes the correct answer correct, and what makes the wrong answers wrong. Mark up your exam paper by writing your reasoning in the margins during this process.
📊 Short Answer
Short-answer style exams tend to ask students to analyze graphics and figures or apply their understanding to a novel situation. For the most part, these exams are application-based!
Write out concepts: Instead of verbally explaining concepts or thinking through concepts during your exam review, it may be worthwhile to write them out with pen and paper. This allows you to get in the habit of writing out the concept which makes it easier on exam day!
Practice exams: Complete all practice exams in the exam conditions. For example, only use the materials that will be available to you and use a timer. This allows you to practice analyzing questions and writing coherent answers in stressful exam conditions.
Create your own questions: Take your practice exam a step further! Create your own questions that are similar to the style of the practice exam and use them as practice questions. Make sure to still simulate the exam conditions when answering your questions. Who knows? Something similar might show up on your real exam!
🖊️ Essay
By far, this is my least favorite exam because it requires the most prep and brain energy (at least for me!). These exams require you to create a coherent piece of writing typically with an argument.
Think about the big picture: These exams often require you to connect different concepts and ideas to answer a big-picture question. During your review, use mindmaps or other visual representations to create a flow for big-picture concepts. The headings in your mindmap might end up being topics for the essay’s paragraphs!
Create outlines: Test-taking is very important during these exams. You have to write clearly and concisely while also watching the clock. It may be worthwhile to get in the practice of using 5 minutes to create an essay outline for each question; this can help you order your ideas which can make the writing process smoother.
Practice: Practice is absolutely key for these exams. Create essay questions and sit down and practice writing in exam conditions. When you’re reviewing these practice essays, consider what you could’ve added to your outline to strengthen your argument. You can keep these ideas in mind for the actual exam!
Sometimes, test-taking is half the battle! Optimizing your exam prep is absolutely key for test-taking! I hope these tips help you optimize your exams :)
All my best,
N
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