The Scoop About Jim's Exams
Getting Ready For Those Puppies (come on Jim, they're BEARS)
JIM'S SUGGESTIONS
Let's look at some preparation tips. Permit me to preface these by encouraging you to modify, adopt, and/or discard any of the tips at your discretion. Indeed, experiment and find out what works best for you.
To help you organize and recall material, devise mnemonic devices or hooks. For example, you may use acronyms like CPU to remember the controlling, predictive, and understanding advancement features of theorizing and its impact on information use. Memorize these hooks and vary the order in which you commit them to memory. In this way, will be able to recall concepts at the beginning, middle, and end of your hook lists.
Remember, HOWEVER, that exam questions will test your ability to understand and apply theoretical and research principles and concepts across situations. Hence, mere memorization of information WILL NOT BE SUFFICIENT TO PASS THE EXAM. Although "applied" items may seem difficult, one can handle most examples if he/she is able to explain, recognize, and evaluate (ERE) the target concepts and principles.
To help you prepare for such questions, take your hook lists and create examples which help you understand and explain a concept. For example, let's say your mnemonic device is CPU. After you have listed what the letters represent, be prepared to recognize and explain each factor in an example. Although my examples will most likely be different than yours, the decision rules will be the same. By designing such scenarios, then, you are devising questions to test your recall, understanding, and application of the concepts. In a very real sense, you are assuming the role of exam writer. Also, THINK THROUGH THE CONCEPTS BEING SURE TO UNDERSTAND THE UNDERLYING IDEA(S).
Let's now consider some final and broad strategies. First, plan your schedule so that during your last hours of preparation, you will not be unnecessarily interrupted or distracted. Second, get a good night's sleep before the exam. Third, on the day of the exam, your mind should be totally focused on the exam. Do not lose this concentration. Indeed, literally put the world on hold until after the exam.
Remember to read each question slowly and carefully. Higher order exams require you to think, as well as apply principles across contexts. PLEASE DO NOT UNDERESTIMATE THE RIGOR OF THE EXAM.
If the class selects the essay option, some tips follow:
* To prepare for the essay part of the exam, you may want to develop and reproduce an outline. Many students have used this technique successfully. Please remember, though, only the essay itself will be evaluated.
* Another key strategy is to be sure to demonstrate your understanding of the concepts in question. Thus, mere reproduction of info without sufficient explanation and analysis will be negatively evaluated.
* Instead of creating multiple examples to "drive home" the concepts and principles, employ only one detailed case.
* Finally, to save time, provide me with a legend of abbreviations at the top margin of the paper. Use those consistently throughout. Some examples could include: comm= communication; sci. method= scientific method; etc.
* Allow yourself at least 5 minutes to review and proof your written essay.
In conjunction with your notes, you should be sure to read the applicable text material closely to round out your understanding. On a final note, please, please, DO NOT CRAM FOR THIS EXAM. SPREAD YOUR PREPARATION TIME OUT.
If the class selects the short answer/definition option, note the following. A short answer is deemed equivalent to two well-developed paragraphs. There would be two of these on the exam and they are unannounced. For definitions, you would write 2-4 sentences, provide an example, and NOT use the term itself in the explanation. For example, if a question was to define internal validity, it would be incorrect to respond that internal validity is validity...There would be three of these on the exam and they are unannounced.
ADVICE FROM FORMER STUDENTS
Be sure to peruse the classes' page for some advice from former students about quizzes and exams [jimsclasses.html]
Let's look at some preparation tips. Permit me to preface these by encouraging you to modify, adopt, and/or discard any of the tips at your discretion. Indeed, experiment and find out what works best for you.
To help you organize and recall material, devise mnemonic devices or hooks. For example, you may use acronyms like CPU to remember the controlling, predictive, and understanding advancement features of theorizing and its impact on information use. Memorize these hooks and vary the order in which you commit them to memory. In this way, will be able to recall concepts at the beginning, middle, and end of your hook lists.
Remember, HOWEVER, that exam questions will test your ability to understand and apply theoretical and research principles and concepts across situations. Hence, mere memorization of information WILL NOT BE SUFFICIENT TO PASS THE EXAM. Although "applied" items may seem difficult, one can handle most examples if he/she is able to explain, recognize, and evaluate (ERE) the target concepts and principles.
To help you prepare for such questions, take your hook lists and create examples which help you understand and explain a concept. For example, let's say your mnemonic device is CPU. After you have listed what the letters represent, be prepared to recognize and explain each factor in an example. Although my examples will most likely be different than yours, the decision rules will be the same. By designing such scenarios, then, you are devising questions to test your recall, understanding, and application of the concepts. In a very real sense, you are assuming the role of exam writer. Also, THINK THROUGH THE CONCEPTS BEING SURE TO UNDERSTAND THE UNDERLYING IDEA(S).
Let's now consider some final and broad strategies. First, plan your schedule so that during your last hours of preparation, you will not be unnecessarily interrupted or distracted. Second, get a good night's sleep before the exam. Third, on the day of the exam, your mind should be totally focused on the exam. Do not lose this concentration. Indeed, literally put the world on hold until after the exam.
Remember to read each question slowly and carefully. Higher order exams require you to think, as well as apply principles across contexts. PLEASE DO NOT UNDERESTIMATE THE RIGOR OF THE EXAM.
If the class selects the essay option, some tips follow:
* To prepare for the essay part of the exam, you may want to develop and reproduce an outline. Many students have used this technique successfully. Please remember, though, only the essay itself will be evaluated.
* Another key strategy is to be sure to demonstrate your understanding of the concepts in question. Thus, mere reproduction of info without sufficient explanation and analysis will be negatively evaluated.
* Instead of creating multiple examples to "drive home" the concepts and principles, employ only one detailed case.
* Finally, to save time, provide me with a legend of abbreviations at the top margin of the paper. Use those consistently throughout. Some examples could include: comm= communication; sci. method= scientific method; etc.
* Allow yourself at least 5 minutes to review and proof your written essay.
In conjunction with your notes, you should be sure to read the applicable text material closely to round out your understanding. On a final note, please, please, DO NOT CRAM FOR THIS EXAM. SPREAD YOUR PREPARATION TIME OUT.
If the class selects the short answer/definition option, note the following. A short answer is deemed equivalent to two well-developed paragraphs. There would be two of these on the exam and they are unannounced. For definitions, you would write 2-4 sentences, provide an example, and NOT use the term itself in the explanation. For example, if a question was to define internal validity, it would be incorrect to respond that internal validity is validity...There would be three of these on the exam and they are unannounced.
ADVICE FROM FORMER STUDENTS
Be sure to peruse the classes' page for some advice from former students about quizzes and exams [jimsclasses.html]
246 CMUN Midterm Study Guide
248 CMUN Midterm Study Guide
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