our future, your future 2007 distance and flexible learning handbook

ASSESSMENT
How do I prepare for my tests and
examinations?
• Get a good night’s sleep the night before
your examination. Try and avoid staying up
late doing last minute cramming. You need
to be fresh and alert.
allocated to it, then leave it and move on.
You may have time later to come back to it.
It is most important that you attempt all of
the questions you are supposed to do.
Your final examination is important as it counts
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for a large proportion of the total marks for the
course. Some courses have a minimum mark
to be scored in the examination. Check if your
course is one of those. If you have worked
steadily throughout your course and have
completed all your assignments, there is no
reason for you to be afraid of the examination.
Sometimes people do badly in examinations
because they are so nervous, because they
have not prepared themselves properly, or
because they have not used sensible tactics in
actually writing the exam.
• Start revising well before the examination.
There is no substitute for thorough
preparation. Generally you should start
preparation as soon as you have
completed your final assignment.
• Review all activities in each unit. Your exam
questions will be based on what is in your
course material and set texts, so make sure
you have a good understanding of the
topics in each unit of the course. Become
very familiar with all of the course material.
• Go over the past examination papers.
Often these are provided in your
Introduction and Assignments Booklet. If
not, the library at your USP campus
may have copies or you can download
them from USP website at http://www.
usp.ac.fj. Begin testing yourself
by writing some draft answers to last year’s
questions. If you feel unable to answer
some of the questions, then go back to
the Course Book and revise the sections
on which your knowledge is weak.
Remember, old exam papers can only give
you an idea about the type of questions
that will be asked. The exam paper that
you have to answer this semester will
definitely not be exactly the same as a past
paper.
• Read through your graded assignments.
Take particular note of any comments
written by your tutors or co-ordinator.
• Make sure you read the rules for sitting
examinations. These should be provided
to you when you are notified about your
examination date, time and venue. Not
knowing the rules will not exempt you from
being failed if you are caught breaking
them.
• Make sure you have everything you
need, including your USP ID card, before
you enter the examination venue. If you
are unsure what to take, ask the staff at
your USP campus. Also make sure that
you are not taking anything into the
examination venue that may disqualify
you, such as calculator covers with
writing on them. Even if the writing has
no relevance to your course, you
can still be automatically failed.
• Get to the examination venue early. Settle
yourself at your allocated or your selected
place quietly. The examination co-ordinator
will read you a list of rules and outline
the procedure for completing your
examination paper. At the scheduled time,
the co-ordinator will ask you to turn over
your examination paper and allow you a
certain amount of time to read.
• Read the instructions very carefully. Make
sure you are clear about how many
questions to do, and which questions you
must do. If you are allowed to use a
highlighter, highlight the compulsory
questions you must do. Then highlight
the other optional questions that you have
chosen to answer. Do not begin answering
the questions until you have been told to
do so.
• Plan your time wisely. Take a watch with
you to the exam to help you stick to
your plan. If all questions are of
equal value, then spend equal amounts of
time on each of them. If a question is
worth more marks than others, then
give it more time. If you have not
finished a question in the time you have
• Read each question carefully. Think
through what you are really being asked to
write about.
• Plan your answer. Before writing your
answer to a question, take a little time to
jot down a brief outline of how you are
going to organise your answer.
• Do not leave the examination before
you are really sure you have done
everything possible to complete the
answers. If you finish early, then check
over what you have written. You may be
able to correct mistakes or add information
you did not think of before. Remember
that someone has to read your answers.
Although you will be trying to write fast,
make sure your writing is legible.
ASSESSMENT USP