Preparing for Exams

Final Exam Preparation

Final Exam Preparation Worksheet Downloadable PDF

Divide a piece of paper into blocks, one for each course you are taking. In each block, fill in the following for each of your courses:

• The course name and the grade you currently have in that course
• The date of the final exam
• Identify;
  • Type of final exam: comprehensive, partial, etc.
  • Format: multiple-choice, essay, short answer, in-class, take-home, etc.
  • Level of thinking: memory, restatement, reorganization and synthesis, application, evaluation, etc.
• Rank your finals based on their impact; what percentage of your grade is each worth? Rank them from most critical (exam affecting your grade the most) to the least critical

List everything the final will cover

• Handouts
• Chapters
• Lectures
• Discussions
• Notes
• Additional Readings

List what you need to do

• Annotate chapters
• Summarize lectures
• List questions
• Turn in any work
• Write papers
• Make flashcards

List test preparation strategies

• Study groups or partners
• Class reviews, or self-made reviews
• Study old tests and quizzes
• Flash cards (can also be made for free online http://www.flashcardmachine.com/)

After you know what you need to do for each class, make a study calendar and get to work:

• Mark all exam, finals, and paper due dates on your calendar
• Do something from your plan every day
• Study and review for finals at least two hours each day
• Use all of your available time, including time between classes that may usually be wasted