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If you are about to take a test or you are helping your child study for an exam then you may find the following tips for exam revision helpful.

Revising for exams can be stressful for anyone. It can be particularly stressful for children who are under pressure to do well in an important exam.

The earlier your child starts to revise for the exam the easier it will be for them to absorb the information. Cramming in information a few days before the test can just create more stress which can hinder recall during the exam.

Obtaining past test papers

First talk to your childs teacher and ask him or her what kind of questions they will be asked in the exam and what areas will be emphasized in the test. You can receive valuable information this way that can help your child to prepare and focus on the reading materials that matter.

Another great way of preparing your child for an exam is to obtain past test papers. There are a number of good reasons for doing this.

1. Obtaining past papers will enable your child to see how the questions are arranged and how the answers are marked. It will also provide a general idea of the types of questions and key revision areas to give priority to.

2. If the test papers involve written questions rather then multiple choice some answers will carry more marks then others. The more marks that are rewarded for each question usually the more points that have to be given for that answer. It is important your child dedicates the right amount of time and written material to each answer. Past test papers enable your child to see how to answer a question and not just what answer to give.

3. Obtaining past exam papers will enable you to test your child against the clock. It is vital your child manages his or her time effectively during the exam. Getting every question correct but partially completing a test paper can still result in a fail. Using past test papers enable you to carry out practice timed assessments to establish how they should manage their time during the exam and how much time they should dedicate to each question.

Note taking techniques

When revising or writing down revision notes it is important to give priority to reading materials that are most relevant to the exam. Obtaining past exam papers will have made that process a lot easier.

Note taking is an important aspect of revision but only if they employ the rules of note taking and the notes you create are not monotonous and boring.

Effective note taking is crucial for learning, creativity and memory if the correct note taking is utilized. Avoid linear note taking and instead focus on Mind maps which utilize drawings, colour, keywords and phrases.

Mind mapping involves the use of images, symbols and words to represent ideas and knowledge in a visual form where the central theme or topic is located at the centre of the mind map and subtopics are arranged around a central image or keyword.

Only the most important information is presented. This can make it a lot easier to review important information just before a test by quickly locating the key points that matter. It can also save a lot of time then writing linear notes which can be more of a hindrance then a help when trying to find key information before an exam.

It is best to create mind maps based on pre-existing knowledge. They should therefore start by creating a mind map of knowledge they have already gained and can recall from memory. This will help strengthen and re-enforce recall and help build upon existing knowledge.

Memory works best using images, order and association which is why mind maps are such a powerful tool.

As they revise for the test their mind map should become more detailed with keywords, pictures, and phrases representing key ideas and points.

Reviewing the mind map every few days and trying to recall as much as possible from memory is an essential element of revision. This is because constantly recalling information is important to preserve and re-enforce knowledge in long term memory.

Reviewing before the exam

Reviewing before the exam should be easy with mind maps as it simply involves scanning the mind map and recalling from memory what has been learned. The images and keywords act as triggers for memories. Reviewing a mind map this way also helps to review gaps in their knowledge which can be filled in by revisiting the material.

A day before the exam they should get plenty of sleep and make sure they understand the requirements for the test such as what can be brought into the exam room. Drink plenty of water as dehydration can cause tiredness and diminish concentration.

If they have prepared well, have studied the relevant material and have created mind maps to absorb the information and aid efficient exam revision this should greatly increase the chances of passing the exam.

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