First Year Exams Seminar

Welcome

Anna TrivediASB First Year Advisor

Carolyn CousinsLouise Fitzgerald

EDU Learning Advisors

Q: Do I have to do exams?

A: Yes!

Exams are a major part of assessment for most courses at university, especially first year courses.

Exams for first year courses are heavily weighted, so it is important that you not only attempt them, but also do your very best.

The good news is you have time to prepare!

Introduction

The classic exam preparation technique?

Williams & Germov 2001, p. 149

Outline

1. Before the exam

• What you need to know, and where to find this information

• How to make the most of the exam study period

2. On the day of the exam

• Some tips for the big day

• Dos and don’ts in the exam room

• What if..?

• How to cope in the exam room

3. After the exam

• So what happens now?

1. Before the exam

Your exam timetable

• This is now available via myUNSW. To access this, go to myUNSW log in

and got to My Student Profile > Examinations > View Examination

Timetable.

ECON1202 – Friday 12 June (3 hrs)

ACCT1501 – Monday 15 June (3 hrs)

ECON1101 – Wednesday 17 June (2 hrs)

• Sometimes there are multiple venues for an exam depending on

what your surname is. Make sure you check where you need to go.

• Make arrangements for transport to and from the exam. For more

information on exams transport, please go click here.

• If your exam(s) are held at the Randwick Racecourse. There is

limited free parking available for students. Please note that access is

via Alison Rd, not High St.

• If you are unsure of where to go on the day, print out a University

map. To obtain a map, please click here.

Calculators

• If you have not already done so, please get your

calculator approved at the Business Student Centre

prior to your exams.

• To view the list of UNSW approved calculators,

please click here.

• If for some reason you don’t have an approved

calculator on the day, please bring along your

calculator to the exam and follow exam supervisors’

instructions.

Organise your materials: lecture and tutorial notes; textbook; readings; notes

Plan your time and your study schedule:

Plan to study during times that you know are best for you

Prioritise your subjects and topics - What is most difficult or least liked?

Break your study down into specific chunks of time and topics.

Set a target for each revision session. Make sure it is manageable.

Keep a revision checklist - tick what you’ve done, and mark what you still need to do.

Stress can help you focus but try to minimise unhealthy stress: Follow a manageable study schedule as closely as possible – but be flexible; take breaks and reward yourself; cut down on other commitments; practise relaxation techniques or do some exercise.

Remember to eat, sleep and stay well and keep some balance in your life.

Studying for the exams: plan your attack

Where do I start?

What should I prepare for the exam?

What do I need to know? What do I need to be able to do?

What is the marker looking for? (criteria; expectations)What types of questions might be used?

Analysing questions IN the exam

What is the question about? What is the question asking me to do?

Focus on understanding NOT memorising

Exams test your understanding of key concepts and methods in the

course and your ability to use/apply them.

• Can you identify and explain key concepts in your own words?

• Can you write key formulae, make ledger entries, draw diagrams, calculate

accurately and appropriately?

• Can you analyse, compare and evaluate key theories, approaches or

methods?

Can you USE / APPLY these concepts and methods to:

• calculate with unfamiliar data?

• solve unfamiliar problems?

• discuss issues, make judgements and develop arguments?

• analyse and evaluate real world cases?

What do I need to know? Get an overview of each course

Review the course as a whole:•Course Outline - Student learning outcomes / Study guide checklists

•Lecture and tutorial topics / lecture notes / tutorial topics and exercises

• What are the main topics and main themes / issues / theories?• What has been emphasised in lectures and tutorials? • What types of tutorial exercises/ assessment activities are in the course

and what knowledge and skills are they developing?• How do the topics or different parts of the course fit together?

Make an overview of the course and main topics:• Make a 1-2 summary of the whole course - a list or mind map of key

topics – work on this as you study each topic• Note sub-topics and main theories/ model/s formulae for each key topic

What do I need to know? Summarise your detailed notes

Summarise and revise the main details for the key topics : A summary is a synthesis of information and involves reading, interpreting, recording using your own words to explain.

Start with your lecture and tutorial notes and exercises or discussion questions for each topic. Make notes of important points. Add notes from the textbook and readings where relevant. Note important examples.

Add your own comments. Summarise connections between material - Make point form summaries of

similarities, differences, strengths, weaknesses, reasons, uses

Condense your notes into summaries. For example, 20 pages -> 8 pages, then summarise again.

Try to summarise each unit/topic in only one page.

What do I need to be able to do? Practise, practise, practise

Practise doing what you think you will be asked to do in the exam:

• Revise and redo the tutorial exercises.• Do additional exercises e.g. from the textbook.• Practise applying concepts to new situations.• Write definitions and explanations in your own words – include examples.• Practise explaining ideas verbally to someone. • Draw graphs, diagrams etc.• Practise writing short answers and essays – explain; compare and

contrast; give reasons; discuss an issue and develop an argument - think about how to express your own ideas/position on key issues.

• Practise making quick plans for short answer and essay questions.• Practise doing past exams under time constraints - find in MyCourse.• Check your practice against the course learning outcomes – can you

achieve those outcomes?

What do I NEED to memorise?

Memorise only what you have to:– key concepts and theory

– key facts and definitions and formulae

– main points / aspects of key topics

– analytical frameworks and calculation methods

DON’T memorise:

– answers, essays

– passages from the textbook …

Memorising techniques:

• Verbal and visual aids eg. Mind maps, flow charts, diagrams, graphs, lists. Put them where you can see them e.g. on your study wall.

• Colour code your notes e.g. main points in red; sub-points in green

• Record important facts, key terms and formulae on index cards or separate sides of a page – look at them while traveling, cover and say etc.

• Record key information and listen to it when you can.

2. On the day of the exam

Before you leave home

• Eat a healthy breakfast, don’t drink too much caffeine!

• Leave yourself plenty of time to get to the exam venue. You need to be there by at least 8:45 am for a 9 am exam.

• Don’t forget to bring:

- Your writing materials

- A map (if you need one)

- Your current UNSW student card

- Your calculator

- Any drinks/snacks for before/after the exam

Once you reach the exam venue

• Read over any final notes if you need to.

• Go to the toilet if you need to.

• Drink some water – you will not be permitted to

bring a water bottle to your desk.

• Keep calm – breathe.

In the exam room

Here are some important general tips on exam room conduct

DO:

• Follow all instructions given by the exam supervisors , including advice about where

to place your personal belongings.

• Sit in the seat that has been allocated to you. You will be given a card indicating your

seat number before the exam starts.

• Display your current UNSW student card on your desk during the exam.

• Switch off your mobile phone and any other electronic devices that have the potential

to disturb others during the exam (including iPods and MP3 players).

• Answer all questions in English, unless otherwise stated.

• Be considerate to those around you.

DO NOT:

• Be late. Students cannot be admitted into an exam room after 30 mins into the exam.

• Eat or drink in the exam. You will not be permitted to take any food or drink (including

water) to your desk during the exam, except under approved supervision.

• Talk. If you need to speak to an exam supervisor, quietly raise your hand to get their

attention.

• Leave the exam room in the final ten minutes of the exam.

• Cheat

Cheating

Q: What is cheating?

A: At university, cheating is classified as academic misconduct. This is a very serious matter, and there are serious implications for cheating at UNSW, including permanent exclusion from the university.

To view the UNSW Policy on Academic Misconduct and Student Misconduct, please click here.

Here are some real examples where students have been found guilty of academic misconduct in recent years:

•taking unauthorised materials into an examination

•impersonation in examinations

•permitting another student to copy answers in an examination

•exchanging notes between students in an examination

•improperly obtaining prior knowledge of an examination paper and using that knowledge in the examination

•removing an examination paper from an examination room when it is specified that the paper is not to be retained by the student

Unfortunately sometimes students do experience illness or misadventure on the day of the exam.

•If you find yourself in this situation, it is up to you whether you decide to attend the exam or not.

•You may be eligible for special consideration, but simply applying does not automatically mean you will be granted a supplementary exam or that you will be awarded an amended result.

•NB - If you are granted a supplementary exam, your original exam will not be marked, and only the mark achieved in the supplementary exam will count towards your final grade.

What if..?

• If you need to apply for special consideration, do so as soon as practicable after the problem occurs, and within three working days of the exam.

• Supporting documentation should be provided if you apply. If it is on medical grounds, you will need to provide a medical certificate date the same day as the affected exam.

• For more info on special consideration, please click here.

• For important ASB specific information on special consideration and supplementary exams, please click here.

How to cope in the exam room

Tips on focusing

Managing your time in the exam

Answering different types of exam questions

Tips on focusing

Use your 10 minutes reading time: Get an overview of the paper: questions (number, type, marks); instructions

Carefully read, then re-read each question. Take a few deep breaths and plan your attack:

•Allocate your time (proportionate to marks)

•Decide which questions to answer first – the easiest? the quickest?

Tip: Some students answer the easiest or the MCQs first to gain confidence; others tackle the largest task e.g. essay, first. Early questions sometimes test basic understanding and may warm you up for the later, more challenging ones.

Check that your name and student number are on the paper, exam booklets or answer sheets! Answer in the correct booklet. Write the number of each question above each answer.

Multiple choice questions: Keep checking that your answers on the answer sheet match the question, especially if you leave some questions blank.

Tips on managing time

• Set time allocations according to marks e.g. for a 3-hour exam, a question worth 10% should take you no more than 18 minutes.

• Try to stick to your time allocation and move on to the next question - leave a space to come back later if you haven’t finished a question.

• If you run out of time - finish with bullet points; if necessary, guess …

• Be strict with time on multiple choice questions – keep checking the time against your progress (e.g. after 10 minutes).

• Don’t get carried away on a question you know well – you won’t get any bonus marks.

Multiple choice questions

• Read the question, cover up the answers and get your brain to generate an answer (using recall). Then see if your answer is listed.

• Don't know an answer? Circle the question and go on to the next question. Later questions may relate to earlier ones that could prompt your memory.

• If you get stuck, eliminate the ones you know are wrong and then make an educated guess. Look for a grammatical match between the question and the options.

• Read the questions carefully. Note key words such as;– same, many, always, sometimes, never, more, less, least, best, to some extent.

– may, might, could, should

– always, never – beware these absolutes!

– negatives e.g. do not include and double negatives e.g. not unlikely

E.g. Which of these is not likely to contribute to success….

Why is it not necessary to complete….

Sample multiple choice questions

1. A firm operating in a perfectly competitive market will break even in the short run when:

a) Price equals Average Cost

b) Price equals Average Fixed Cost

c) Price equals Average Variable Cost

d) Price equals Total Cost

2. The best medium to support rapid random access of a computer tile containing 13,000 records of customers is:

A. magnetic oxide C. a DBMS (DataBase Management System)

B. CD ROM (Re-writable) D. magnetic disk

3. From the following data calculate the variance:

Year A Limited

1995 - .20

1996 .50

1997 .30

1998 .10

a. .0892 d. .0298

b. .0982 e. None of the above

c. .0829

Short Answers & Essays

Analyse the question

What is the question about? What is the question asking me to do?

(topic and specific focus)

Make sure you ANSWER THE QUESTION

Typical instructions: Define / Describe / Outline / What are … (the main functions of; the roles of a …;

the stages in . . . )? Explain the characteristics of … / Explain how …/ Explain why …. Compare and contrast (roles, systems etc)? Explain the difference between … What are some of the reasons for . . . ? Why …? Why are … important?

Short Answers & Essays

Analyse the question

What is the question about? What is the question asking me to do?

(topic and specific focus)

1. (5 marks) Explain the characteristics of perfect competition and how they differ from those of a single priced monopoly form. Draw two diagrams, one showing a single price monopolist, the other showing a perfectly competitive firm in the long run.

2. (5 marks) Why does a single price monopoly produce a smaller output and charge a higher price than would prevail if the industry was perfectly competitive?

3. (5 marks) What are the options available for government in regulating the pricing behavior of a monopolist?

4. (5 marks) Distinguish between a price discriminating and single price monopoly and explain what prevents all monopolies from price discrimination.

 

Short Answers & Essays

Briefly plan your answer – use the blank reverse pages of the exam booklet if you can.

Set your answer out clearly in paragraphs:1. First sentence: start answering the question … introduce the main points of your

answer.2. Define concepts (if necessary) 3. Elaborate / Explain (what, how, why …)4. Give examples to illustrate the concepts or your points - possibly include a diagram5. Conclude and reinforce your final answer to the question6. Be concise – focus on the question - be selective - don’t do a ‘memory dump’

Language and style: Complete sentences Formal language – no abbreviations, short forms, slang, techspeak Correct technical language Try to use your own words – don’t reproduce memorised passages from the textbook

Sample Short Answer

Q: What are business rules? Why are they important to a database designer?

Business rules are narrative descriptions of the business policies, procedures, or principles. They are particularly valuable to data base designers because they help define entities, attributes, relationships and constraints. To develop an accurate data model, the database designer must have a thorough and complete understanding of the organization’s data requirements. The business rules are very important to the designer because they enable the designer to fully understand how the business works and the role data plays within company operations.

Sample short answer (10 marks)

Q. Briefly discuss three reasons why firms may be more efficient than markets at coordinating many forms of economic activity.

There are three main reasons why firms may be more efficient than markets at coordinating economic activity: reducing transaction costs, and using economies of scale and team production.

1) Transaction costs - these refer to the costs of finding someone with whom to do business reaching an agreement as to price and other features of the exchange and then ensuring that terms are met. Firms can reduce transaction costs by conducting a single transaction which would require many in a market e.g. a firm may buy 1000 items at a time requiring a single transaction, whereas in a market these may have occurred as 1000 separate transactions.

2) Economies of scale - refers to a change of scale when the firm increases its use of all factors by an equal amount. When a firm experiences economies of scale, an increase in scale leads to a fall in long run average cost. Economies of scale are caused by such factors as increased use of machinery, automation, specialisation of workers, economies of buying in factor markets, financial and marketing economies and economies of increased dimensions eg… [example included]

Economies of scale accrue to larger organisations and this encourages production by firms which can reap benefits of economies of scale, rather than individual market agents.

3) Team production - team production refers to the process whereby …

Thus, firms can be more efficient than markets at coordinating many forms of economic activity because of their ability to reduce transaction costs and reap the benefits of economies of scale and team production.

3. After the Exam

Relax and debrief with your friends

So, how did you go?

Move on

Results and Reflection

It is expected that final grades for Semester 1 will be emailed to students’ z-mail accounts on July 10.

How do your results compare with your expectations?

If you fail, it is not the end of the world. It doesn’t mean that you can’t go on to be a good student and one day graduate. Instead, use it as a learning experience. Think about what you’ll do differently next semester.

How the EDU can help you.

The EDU offers online resources on a range of topics including exam preparation and time management. Click here.

The UNSW A-Z Student Guide - ‘Essential Information on Exams’

The UNSW Counselling Service – workshops and self help resources on topics including stress management and time management. Click here.

The UNSW Learning Centre – useful tips on exam preparation. Click here.

Williams, L & Germov, J. 2001, Surviving First Year Uni, Allen & Unwin, Australia.

Where can I get more help?

Conclusion

To access the links provided in this seminar, you can download this presentation from the EDU website.

Your feedback is an important part of the continuous improvement process. You will receive an email shortly inviting you to complete an online survey as a way of providing your feedback on today’s seminar.

Finally...

GOOD LUCK!