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- Organise your Notes
- Reduce your notes to key headings, points and references.
- Ensure your notes are clear, easy to read and understand. Handwriting notes can help with recall and build up practice for a writing in exams. Re-write notes to help recall, coming up to exams. Make master cards with key memory triggers for whole topics.
- Use formats that work for you such as spider diagrams, flash cards, pictures, paragraph summaries, highlighted key words.
- Set yourself a Timetable
- Find out the examination schedule.
- Decide when you are going to start and work out how long that gives you.
- Decide what to cover and in what depth. Choose topics to revise. To help, read your module outline in detail and browse your lecture notes. Has your lecturer hinted that certain subjects might appear? Review past papers for topics that may come up regularly.
- Plan a timetable that is realistic.
- Use Past Exam Papers
- Practice answering exam questions on past papers.
- You can set yourself a test exam, to get used to writing in a timed fashion. Or you can come up with draft outlines for answers to the different questions.
- Past papers are available on the Library Moodle Course Page.
- Look after your Wellbeing
- Remember that anxiety, stress and worry over exams is normal. Try to start with small things to prepare, this will get you into the exam mode. Creating that revision timetable, setting up your study space, reading over notes, or just picking which topics you will revise can all help begin.
- Remember to meet friends, plan exercise and make time for things other than study. This will improve wellbeing and actually improve exam performance. Avoid people who make you feel insecure or bad about your exams and study. Friends and family who support you positively are best.
- When revising full-time it is very important to take a five or ten minute break at least every hour. Get up, move around, have a drink of something, take some fresh air. Ensure you are eating properly also and not snacking on junk food.
- MIE Student Counselling is there for any student who needs extra help. Check out the Mental Health & Well-being Library Guide.
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1. Know where you are going and what you need to bring with you.
- Ensure you have any equipment you need such as paper, pens, pencils, calculators and a watch.
- Bring in water and keep yourself hydrated during the exam.
- As a result of student feedback, and to ensure anonymity, unless explicitly informed otherwise, students write their STUDENT NUMBER and EXAM seat NUMBER on all written examinations and on assignment submissions. You will need to know your STUDENT REGISTRATION NUMBER (8-digit) and EXAM SEAT NUMBER (1 letter & 3 digits) which can be found on your profile page on MAESTRO
Contact the Exams Office if you have further questions:
Mai Ralph, Exams Officer, Registrar's Office, Marino Institute of Education.
Email: mai.ralph@mie.ie (Monday to Thursday)
Email registrars@mie.ie (Monday to Friday)
PH: 00 353 1 8057744
It is a good idea for students to keep your password active to avoid being locked out of Moodle and Maestro. For password assistance email servicedesk@mie.ie or you can manage and update your own passwords using www.mie.ie/password.
- Make sure you read the whole paper
- Read exam instructions carefully. Familiarise yourself with the instructions written on the exam papers. Read the exam paper, back and front.
- Plan out your exam time in advance. Note down how long you will spend on each question. Divide time equally among questions with equal marks. How many questions have to be answered? For example, in a 3-hour paper, if 4 questions have to be answered you have approximately 45 minutes to answer each question.
- Read the question carefully; underline key words – remember the aim is to answer the specific question, not just to air knowledge.
- Prepare an outline for each question
- Some people like to write an outline for each question they are going to answer first, then go back and answer each question. This helps if you run out of time.
- It can be a good strategy to start with your best question first, so you can get into the flow.
- Write up your answers
- Keep referring back to the question in your answer to keep you on course and show that you are addressing it.
- Do not forget introductions and conclusions. Use introductions to indicate clearly how you intend to tackle the question. If the question is at all ambiguous, state how you have interpreted it. Draw your argument together clearly in a conclusion.
- Write legibly.
- Manage your Anxiety
- If you find yourself panicking, take a couple of minutes to breathe. Take a deep breath in, hold for thirty seconds, then breath out slowly. Repeat a few times. Learning a mindful breathing technique in advance is a great idea.
- If you become stuck on a question and go blank, try reading what you have written so far, then take a spare piece of paper and write down a list of things that come to mind. This might get you back on track. Alternatively, start another question and go back to the one you became stuck on.
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