Study tips at the eleventh hour

IF you have a lousy teacher or you’ve been skipping classes, these emergency study tactics can get you through the exam.

Find old exam papers

Past papers will help you see what topics come up on a regular basis. Analyse questions, make a list of things you need to learn to score good marks and work up a study guide for yourself. Note: If the course, book or teacher has changed, this may not be accurate. Ask your teacher if you’re uncertain if there has been a change.

Read the study guide

The study guide lays out the course for you, analysing what you need to learn from each topic. Good study guides take the main textbook apart and set questions so that you can track your understanding. Excellent ones also point out alternative resources. If you have this, make the most of it.

Master the main text

If you have a main text, and it’s written specially for teaching courses, pay attention to the learning objectives in each chapter. If you master these, you’ve got the book down pat. If your books are not laid out in this way, read each chapter and highlight the important points. Develop study notes as you read, then condense these and you have a good chance of knowing what you need to know.