Exam preparation tips

Everyone has their own way of preparing for, and surviving exams. If you have a
method that works, you are best to stick with it. There is no point in
reinventing the wheel.

Also, every degree and discipline has its own expectations and preferences as to
the contents and structuring of exam questions; international relations likes a
big ‘swing finish’, whereas anthropology likes answers that are played with a
straight bat. If in doubt, ask your Tutor.

Oxford exams require strategic preparation and application in the exam hall,
especially when you have multiple exams to write in a limited period of time.
Good planning and a clear strategy are a key ingredient to success.

Preparing for the exam

• Be strategic with your studying – be focused, not broad

• Look at past exam papers (http://www.oxam.ox.ac.uk/main.asp) and your
reading lists to determine which questions are most likely to appear on the
exam
• You will need to answer three questions, so prepare at least four, if not five

• Study outlines, not essays

• Use cue-cards to distil the information into easy to remember structures
that you can remember in the exam
• Focus on four things: answer outlines, key readings and arguments, and key
definitions, key examples or cases
• Develop a memory device to help you organize the material: like a mental file-
cabinet
• What you should be able to reproduce is an outline that deals with the
question set, not reproduce an old essay that you try to make fit

• Write practice exams and practice questions

• Leave yourself the time to write practice outlines, practice one question
answers and whole 3-hour exams
• It’s all in the delivery, so the delivery should be part of your preparation

The day before the exam

• Review your cue cards – quiz yourself on the key answer elements
• Write practice outlines and a practice question
• Eat well
• Get some exercise
• Prepare your sub fusc, your pencil case, your Bod card, and everything that
you will need for the exam – don’t leave this to the last minute
• GET A GOOD NIGHT’S SLEEP!! This is THE most important thing that you
can do. 8 hours’ sleep will serve you better than 5 hours’ sleep and 3 more
hours’ studying … trust me

The hour before the exam

• Review your cue cards and your outlines

• Get some fresh air
• Then play your anthem – a song that gets you pumped up and feeling like
Rocky – mine was ‘Tumbthumping’ by Chumbawumba
• Don’t forget your Bod card…
• Don’t get the Exam Schools too early – they only let you in to the room 5
minutes before the exam, and you don’t want to be in the cauldron of anxiety
that is Schools any longer than you have to

During the exam

• Budget your time. You have three hours. Know how you are going to use it.
• When the exam starts, use the scrap paper to download the key points you
want to remember. Give yourself 5 minutes to have everything on paper that
is fresh in your mind – things that will help you jog your memory during the
exam
• Read ALL the questions in DETAIL – the number one reason why people don’t
do well in exams is that they answer the wrong question – don’t just look for
key words
• Pick your three questions, and re-read the questions
• Take 5 minutes to write your outline for each question – underline key terms
in the question – use as much scrap paper as you need
• That’s a total of 20 minutes spent preparing before starting your first
answer…
• That give you 50 minutes to write an answer, and 10 minutes at the end to
read over your answers
• DO NOT RUN OUT OF TIME… but if you get to your last answer and you
only have 20 minutes, write a good introduction (see below), then do the rest
of the answer in point form. You won’t get full marks, but you may pass
• Write clearly and double-spaced – an exam is not a time to be
environmentally friendly – but friendly to the person who is reading your
exam and giving you a mark. They have to read hundreds of these things.
Make sure that yours is not the one that gives them a headache.

• Structure your answers. Examiners are looking for a clear understanding of

the question, how the question relates to the discipline, demonstration of
breadth of knowledge, analytical power, a clear argument, critical evaluation
of the topic and originality.
• How do you do all that? Follow this simple formula:
• First, have an introduction that goes from the general to the question
• Second, state the question explicitly: “This leads to the question…”
• Third, answer the question, clearly: “In this paper, I will argue that…”
• Fourth, introduce the structure to the answer, and indicate that your
previous statement was your thesis statement: “To support this thesis, I
will… The first part of this paper will… Next, I will… Finally, I will…”
• Research has shown that the examiner decides on the mark for the paper,
plus or minus 2%, after reading the introduction. Make it count.
• Use the active voice
• Make sure that your sections are clear: you should have a section on key
definitions and terms, a section on key writings and tensions within the
academic debate, examples of how this tension plays itself out, either in
theory or in practice, and what the relevance of this debate is to the
broader development of your discipline
• At the end of your paper, wrap-up what you have written, and consider the
big swing-finish

• Ordering your answers: Do your best question second, your second best
first and your worst last. I don’t know why this works, but it does.

• Don’t stress! Easier said than done. If you feel the pressure rising, look
away from your paper and focus on one of the paintings in the Hall. Ask to
get up and go to the bathroom or get a glass of water.

• Remember: Thousands of students have done this before, and done well. If
they can do it, then you can do it!