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Exam preparation

Information and tips about studying and performing your best for exams
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On this page: explore exam formats, see how to stay ready for exams and check out our exam gameplan & tips.

Find tips and resources tailored to the type of exam you have coming up.

Understand the difference between each exam format
Essay exams

Covers assessments requiring timed extended responses
Multiple-choice exams

Covers objective exams, including multiple-choice, true/false, cloze passage etc.
Open-book exams

Covers in-person and take-home open-book assessments

Get a head start on exam preparation to save yourself the stress later on.

Take charge with your studies across the term

Get studying from the start of the course and set goals to avoid burning out.

Make yourself exam-ready from the beginning of the term:

  • Listen for hints and tips about the exam during classes 
  • Reviewing and cleaning up your notes after each class will have two benefits: you’ll build concise notes to study from, and reviewing will help build your knowledge 
  • Gather a complete set of course materials - handouts, slides, visuals and recordings. Group them in order of topics listed in the course outline. 
  • If you miss a class, catch up on the content as soon as possible; access the recordings and lecture slides, or ask other students to share their notes. Start early – at least four weeks before your exam. Short study sessions with clear goals let you track your studies and work sustainably towards exams. Try to:
    • Schedule a series of short study periods with breaks in between for sustained concentration 
    • Divide your courses into topics and aim to study a 'chunk' during each session - don't try to study the entire course in one sitting 
    • Make clear study goals, e.g. “I will revise chapter 3” or “I will work through five equations”.

Learn more about time management.

Check in with yourself to see if you’re understanding content over the term.

To make sure you’re on top of course topics:

  • Ask lecturers and tutors questions about concepts you’re unclear with – they are there to help you
  • Clarify the meaning of any words or concepts you don’t understand before trying to study a topic that contains them
  • Prioritise the hardest subjects first in each study session and allocate more time for them.

Engage in ‘active recall’ techniques rather than just memorising:

  • Ask yourself questions relating to the material after each class to see if you remember what you just learnt
  • Try to explain the topics aloud or to someone else
  • Rewrite your notes in different words without looking to internalise the content.

See more about making the most of your classes.

Find the study style that works best for you when preparing for exams.

Settling into the right study method for you makes exam preparation easy:

  • If you’re a visual learner, diagrams and pictures can help you remember

  • Auditory learners might benefit from listening to lecture recordings or making their own recordings of notes they can listen to later

  • Some people find it useful to explain key ideas aloud to themselves while moving around

  • Study groups are a good space to get feedback for practice exams and test each other on course topics.

Explore different ways to help you remember key facts and to increase your understanding of the main concepts. Ensure to review past exam papers:

  • Work through practice questions under exam conditions to know what to expect. Contact your school, faculty or lecturer to see if past exam papers are available.

  • Pay attention to the wording of the questions and familiarise yourself with clue words.

  • Review the answers and marking criteria, if provided, or seek feedback from lecturers and tutors.

The more you understand, the more you'll recall: use the SQ3R study method

S

Survey

Before you begin to study, survey the material to get a quick overview. Skim through lecture notes to get a picture of the main ideas. If you’re studying from a book, look at tables of contents, possible chapter summaries, graphs and tables.

Q

Question

Your reading is more active and memorable if you have specific questions in mind. Try to turn headings into questions. For example, if the heading is Organisational Theory, your questions might be: 'What is organisational theory and where did it start?'.

R1

Read

Read through the material once without making notes. After your second reading, use your own words to note down the main ideas.

R2

Review

Review all your notes at the end of each class to help you remember everything you learnt. Try summarising your notes down to key words that will act as memory triggers for related ideas.

R3

Recall

Close your texts or cover your notes. Try to recall what you’ve read by rephrasing it. Make notes of what you remember, then check its accuracy against your study material.

Be strategic and remember that exam writing is a skill you can improve on.

Have a gameplan to boost your performance during the exam

  • Exams can be stressful, so try this technique to help you stay calm:

    • Pause, and take a few slow, deep breaths
    • Slowly exhale, consciously relax your shoulders, hands, face and jaw
    • Sit quietly for a few moments, then go back to what you were doing, only more slowly and mindfully. 

    Stress isn’t all bad. If you're too nervous, you won’t be able to focus, but if you're too casual, you won't be alert. Aim to be somewhere in the middle; the right amount of stress keeps you on your toes, helping you think clearly and study effectively.

  • Whether your exam has a reading period or not, spend the first few minutes previewing the exam paper:

    • Read the directions and make sure you clearly understand them. Not following them can cost you significant marks. 
    • Note the clue words in short answer and essay questions. 
    • Preview the entire exam to get an overview of the questions. Locate the ‘easy’ and ‘hard questions. See what the mark distribution is like. 

    When writing time starts:

    • Read questions carefully and answer them directly. Questions never require you to write everything you've ever read about a topic, so take the time to understand what markers are expecting from you. 
    • Start with the ‘easy’ questions to build your confidence, help get you thinking and trigger your memory. Then you’ll be in the right headspace to tackle the ‘hard’ questions.

  • As you read through the exam, look at how marks are allocated. The number of marks given to a particular question will give you an indication of how much time to spend on it. For example, in a 90-minute exam with 90 multiple-choice questions, you should average one question per minute. Ensure to:

    • Decide on an outline for how to spend your time, including revision time, and stick to it. You may be able to answer some questions more quickly, buying extra time to devote to trickier ones.
    • Watch the clock and avoid lingering on a question beyond your planned time.
    • If you haven't finished a response, leave lots of space in the exam booklet. You can revisit it if you have any extra time at the end or during the revision period.
    • Don't leave the exam early. If you have extra time, use it to review and edit your responses. Make use of all the allocated time to avoid losing marks to silly mistakes.

Your study space impacts your quality of learning

Ask yourself the following about your study space:

  • Is it a quiet environment free from interruptions, loud noises and people coming and going?
  • Can you access it whenever you need to? If it's a shared space, can you work out a schedule to minimise distractions?
  • Does it have all the necessary materials and utilities (e.g. stationery and power outlets)?
  • Is the desk or table large enough to hold everything you need? Is the chair comfortable enough?
  • Does the space have enough light to read by?

Learn more about minimising distractions and avoiding procrastination.

Important tips: the hours before an exam
Make sure you get a good night's sleep

If you are well rested, you will think more clearly, remember more and be able to solve problems creatively. Don't pull an all-nighter; being alert is your greatest asset.

Pack your bag the night before

Be sure to check what materials you’re expected to bring and include extra stationery in case you need it. Neatly organise your materials, especially notes for open-book exams.

Be familiar with your exam location

Make sure you know how to get to the exam with minimum stress well ahead of time. You can visit the exam venue a few days before to establish how you’ll get there.

Arrive ahead of time

Plan to get to there at least 30 minutes before the exam start time. This will ensure you aren’t stressed and leave some buffer room for unexpected delays.

Avoid panic talk!

You don’t want other people’s nervousness or stress to rub off on you before an exam. Stand apart from the main scrum of students and keep calm.

Fuel yourself

Easily digestible, solid foods like rice, bread, savoury biscuits or bananas are the best. Keep coffee and sugar to a minimum as these will only give a short boost.

Further reading

Barnett, K. 1978, How to Study, Sun Books, Melbourne.

Burdess, N. 1991, The Handbook of Student Skills, Prentice Hall, New York.

Freedman, R. 1991, Mastering Study Skills, Macmillan, London.

 Looking for personalised study support?

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