新加坡六合彩开奖直播

 

Getting ready for crunch time

- November 26, 2008

First-year arts student Ashley Stead discusses her study routine with Chris
Giacomantonio, a Masters of Sociology student and a study skills coach with the Studying for Success program. (Danny Abriel Photo)

Ashley Stead鈥檚 exam preparations would not be complete without one essential thing: 鈥渁n extra large tea.鈥 Steaming cup in hand, the first-year arts student usually settles into studying about two weeks before her exams. 鈥淚'm not one of those people who start a month before ...I just don鈥檛 find it motivating to begin that early,鈥 she says. 鈥淎t the same time, I don鈥檛 like to cram at the last minute.鈥

She鈥檚 on the right track, according to experts. Patricia Schappert, academic advisor and coordinator of 新加坡六合彩开奖直播鈥檚 Studying for Success Program, says students should make academics their highest priority two weeks before finals.

鈥淧reparing for exams really should be a semester long process, and not something that you do the night before,鈥 she says. 鈥淏ut about two weeks before exams, you should be trying to do as much work as possible, while balancing studies with sleep and time for other activities.鈥

Burning the midnight oil may be one strategy, but students who leave things to the last minute usually don鈥檛 end up getting the results they want.

鈥淲hen you cram, you're storing information in short-term memory which means you are making very few connections to what you are actually trying to remember,鈥 says Ms. Schappert. 鈥淭hen when you're under stress, it's difficult to retrieve information and develop a coherent response when asked a question.鈥

She says while exam periods are an integral part of a student's academic life, they are about much more than grades. 鈥淭est taking is in large part about measuring and challenging your strategies for learning, which is a lifelong activity鈥 The time you spend as an undergraduate is an apprenticeship for developing and honing these skills.鈥

The Studying for Success Program, part of Student Services and located in the Killam Library, provides one-on-one personal coaching sessions, or group workshops tailored to students鈥 fields of study. The coaches are graduate students who are trained to teach things like time management, note taking, critical reading and writing, and exam preparation.

新加坡六合彩开奖直播 offers a range of other supports for students, from general study tips, to tutorials, to academic counselling. Dal's My Guide offers comprehensive information for students. The new Mark A. Hill Accessibility Centre offers a variety of services for students with permanent or temporary disabilities including exam accommodations, tutors referral, computers, adaptive software and hardware and a note-taking program.

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Exam tips

A week or two before exams:

鈥⑻齅ake academics your highest priority in the weeks leading up to finals, but maintain a balanced schedule. Experts recommend dividing your time exactly between sleep, study and other activities (56 hours of sleep, 56 hours of academics, and 56 hours of other activities per week).
鈥⑻鼵omplete as much work as possible now, to free up study time you鈥檒l need later.
鈥⑻鼼ather and condense notes from lectures, and get last-minute help on any areas of difficulty from the professor or TA.
鈥⑻齌ake advantage of any tutorial sections of your courses, and find out if your professors have special office hours for review sessions. Be sure and attend final lectures before exams.
鈥⑻鼵onsolidate and condense your lecture and reading notes into study sheets. Get clarification in specific areas of difficulty from the instructor or TA.
鈥⑻齅ake a point of attending all lectures and study sessions. Find out as much as you can about the format and grading scheme of the exam. Confirm the location, day, date and time of each exam.
鈥⑻鼳ssess what you know, what you should know, and what you can realistically review. Keep learning new material (which will be stored in short-term memory) to a minimum.

While taking the exam:

鈥⑻齀t sounds obvious, but make sure you put your name in your exam documents and that you label your answers to corresponding questions when using a separate booklet.
鈥⑻鼴udget your time wisely regardless of the exam format.
鈥⑻齍se relaxation techniques鈥攍ong deep breaths, stretching and visual imagery.