An entry by a student to www.studyskillshandbook.com.au

2. 1. Relax
One of the most important things to
not overwhelm yourself; you don’t
want to enter an exam with too much
stress, nor do you want a small amount
of sleep the day before.
Strategies for relaxing:
0 A brisk walk while listening to music
0 Watch a sit-com television show or
read a light-hearted book (you don’t
want something too heavy, as it may
stress you out more)
0 Talking to friends/socialising

3. 2. Create An “Action Plan”
0 I have only recently adopted this strategy, but it
really helped my exam nerves. You are already
nervous; you don’t need the feeling that you
know nothing!
Basically, this is what I do:
0 Write an outline of everything that’s being
tested, and a small summary of what it is,
etc.
0 Then, I write little notes or helpful hints (or
even mnemonics) so I remember them for
the exam.
0 This whole process shouldn’t take more
than 20 mins, and by the time I’m finished, I
feel relaxed; I am content that I know
everything in the exam –I have recalled all
of the information now, I can do it again.

4. 2.1. Benefits of an Action Plan
0 An action plan should, ideally, outline everything on your exam, even
the tiniest things “you’re sure you know.” The benefit of writing an
action plan is that even those small things I’m sure I understood come
into my focus, and I realise I couldn’t verbalise it from the top of my
mind. It also lessens my stress, because when I wake up the next
morning, I think, “Oh, this is all there’s going to be on the exam? I can
do this” instead of a scattered, unknowing feeling.

5. 2.2. Math Action Plan
Math is a little different from other subjects, which is
why I like to write (in words) the whole procedure for a
certain equation or application. Then, once I print it out
(you are welcome to handwrite it, if it works better), I
begin highlighting important equations and putting
numerical forms of some things beside it.

6. 3. Create an Exam Strategy
0 All your hard work is over, once you’ve
finalised your action plan (which may
take a while, depending on your subject
and course length). Now, you can choose
to create an exam strategy, which is
guaranteed to improve your efficiency
on your exam, and boost your
confidence.
I’ll use a personal example. My last math
exam had the three topics: logarithms,
exponential functions and statistics.
I was most fluent with logarithms, then
statistics, and then exponential functions;
so I wrote them in order, which didn’t take
me any more than 30 seconds, and entered
the exam with a plan.

7. 4. Get a Good Nights’ Sleep
0 I cannot exaggerate how important
this is. Sleep will help you recall
information that a few hours of extra
cramming will not. Even if you left it
all to the last minute, ensure that you
recall whatever you know by getting
enough sleep.
0 If necessary, wake up early in the
morning to do one last revision before
the exam. But don’t sacrifice sleep, as
it is one of the most important
aspects of exam success.

8. Good luck!