Exams

Exams play an important role in many courses at university, but preparing for exams often prompts feelings of worry. Developing effective revision and exam techniques will help improve your confidence and reduce the stress involved in the examination process.

This page considers the importance of preparation and organisation to allow you to prepare a revision schedule and explore a variety of revision techniques for different types of exams. It will also explore tips to help you approach your exams on the day and consider how you can manage your wellbeing during the exam period, particularly if you are feeling very anxious.

Preparing for exams

Whether exams have played a significant role in your previous educational experiences or they are new to you, the prospect of preparing for and sitting exams often causes worry, but with careful planning, preparation and organisation, you can soon get on top of your exams!

The worries listed above are some of those thoughts that often occur when we are revising and preparing for exams. Keep note of any other specific worries and don’t be afraid to seek advice from your subject tutor, PAT, your Learning Developer or Student Support, Health and Wellbeing who are here to offer help through your student experience. Also, you might find it helpful to share worries your friends and family. Talking about your concerns can often offer a fresh perspective.

Careful planning, preparation and organisation will help you to start to get on top of these worries, feel in control and support you to do well in your exams.

Preparation and organisation really are the keys to a successful revision strategy.

Successful preparation for exams begins with getting organised – finding out where to start. So, some of the key questions to consider are:

• What exams am I sitting?
• When are they?
• Where will they take place?

Finding out the answers to these questions, as soon as possible, will leave you ready to begin working on your revision strategy and getting started.

Your revision strategy

Get going by creating a revision schedule that works for you.

• Once you know the exams you will be sitting and when they will take place, you can begin to think about how you might structure your revision. It will be useful at this stage to make a list of all the topics and themes you need to cover for your exam/s.
• Work out how much time you have before the exam period.
• Then you can use this information to create a revision timetable. If you already use a weekly timetable, consider how you can build revision sessions into your schedule.

Try to be realistic when creating your timetable. Creating a revision timetable is about balancing all you need to do, the time you have available, and your current schedule.

• Make a note of your current schedule: this means thinking about your personal commitments, for example, any caring responsibilities or your job, and then your study activities such as your classes or placement. Finally, add your wider interests such as sports and leisure activities.
• Next start to think about when you work best. Effective revision means scheduling different types of tasks at those times of the day when you know you will do them most effectively. For example, if you know you tend to feel focused in the morning, use this time to work through your revision notes and create essay plans. When you have had a long day, why not listen to a podcast on the topic you are revising or create some flash cards. Adapting your activity to the time of day and your body clock will mean that your revision sessions are more effective.
• Remember to include short breaks throughout your revision schedule. This means taking time to step away from your books, desk or screen for a few minutes.
• If you find that you struggle with procrastination or are distracted during your revision sessions, why not check out our content on time management in Understanding and managing your studies?

Getting started with revision

Taking an active approach to revision is important. Reading through material may help to acquaint you with your topics initially but getting active with your notes will help you to revise.

• Firstly, identify the topics you need to revise for each exam.
• Collect and review your lecture and research notes on each topic.
• It is important to start breaking down your notes when revising. This means you can focus on key points and avoid becoming overwhelmed by information.

Revision techniques that encourage active engagement with the material, such as making revision sheets or creating flash cards or mnemonics, support understanding and retention in contrast to more passive activities such as reading through notes. The revision techniques you find useful will often depend on the material you are working on as well as the type of exam you are preparing for and, not forgetting, your personal preferences. If you are preparing for an essay-based exam, why not try creating revision sheets or creating spider diagrams based on particular themes?

Have a look at our content on planning your assignments and planning techniques for more information on using spider diagrams.

Preparation for short answer questions can be done using flash cards to help you remember facts. Think about any revision techniques you have used in the past and what you think will work for you now. Sometimes it just depends on how you feel on the day; why not try out some new techniques?

Don’t panic on the day! Taking your exam

When it comes to the day of your exam, it is understandable if you are worried, stressed, or panicked. That’s why it’s so important to plan out your day ahead of the exam, and to go in with a prepared strategy; if you’ve planned out everything you can ahead of time, that leaves fewer decisions and additional things to worry about on the day. This allows you to just focus on the exam ahead.

Before the exam

The more you can prepare, the more stressors you can remove for your exam day.

Before the day...

On the day

• Be prepared: make sure you have everything you need to take the exam (Student ID, clear water bottle etc.)
• Try to relax: use relaxation techniques to remain calm, focused and clear in your thinking.
• Focus: maintain your interest and your motivation.
• Is it helpful for you to read over your notes? For some, this will ease anxiety and for others this will make them more stressed. Do what works for you.
• Think positive: focus on how much you know and remember examiners want you to do well!
• Stay hydrated: avoid too much coffee and sugar. Go to the loo before the exam!

For more guidance from the University on taking exams, please check out the Exams and Coursework page [add link]

Strategies for approaching the exam itself

The strategy you choose for your exam depends on the type of exam itself: are you doing a written exam? An exam that consists of short written answers or multiple choice questions? A take-home or open-book exam? Each of these requires a different approach once the exam starts.

Written exams – essay based

Additional tip: Will you need to reference?

If yes, make sure to jot down the relevant referencing structure/template at the start, so you can refer to it throughout and ensure the accuracy of your referencing.

If not, can you remember the names of relevant authors/theories/models or processes to provide evidence for your writing.

Have a look at our content on referencing to learn about the different referencing formats.

Written exams – long/short answers

These can be approached in a similar way to the essay based exams, although there are some differences:

• Read all the questions in the section you are answering. This will help you to relax, will enhance recall and encourage you to focus on the information required for each question.
• Allocate your time according to the number of marks given for each question.
• Use the number of marks given to indicate the depth you need to go into for each question.
• Be direct in your response and move on.
• If you have maths-style questions, try not to get stuck for too long on one question. Put as much of your workings down as you can, then come back to it once you have finished the rest, as you may still be able to get some marks even if you don’t manage to provide the full answer.

Take-home or open-book exams

For these types of exams, the planning and time management are similar to the other kinds of exams.

The differences here will be:

• Make sure you understand the rules around your exam;

• Make sure you have the right books/pages/resources ready to go and incorporate them into your plan.
• Are you expected to include references? If so, make sure to jot down the relevant referencing structure/template at the start, so you can refer to it throughout and ensure the accuracy of your referencing.
• If you have a take-home exam, make sure you have arranged a space that is appropriate for completing an exam, that you will be undisturbed, that you have a drink, and that you have all your necessary resources ready to go before you start. If connection to the internet is necessary for your exam, ensure that you’re in a location with reliable and stable internet connection.

Multiple choice exams

Find out more about what to expect when taking an exam at CCCU by watching this short video

Managing anxiety around exams

Anxiety is a natural response that can be helpful in many situations. However, sometimes people feel that anxiety may impact how well they perform in certain circumstances. Students often cite exams or presentations as examples of these situations. Understanding anxiety and recognising your own feelings and what prompts them will help you consider ways in which to approach and organise your studies.

Understanding your anxiety response

Anxiety evolved as a ‘fight or flight response’. Its initial evolutionary function was to keep us safe from things that we perceive might physically harm us, for example, bears, lions, heights and so on. Anxiety is an essential emotion that can sometimes make us feel uncomfortable. We may feel anxious when we are unsure about a new situation or experience, when things are important to us or when something is worrying us. It is not unusual for people to find that exams, assessments or delivering a presentation come into this category and this is why we may experience some of the symptoms discussed below.

Adrenaline, the main chemical component of anxiety, does amazing things to our bodies; some of these things can feel scary if we don’t know why but they have a good evolutionary reason. It is important to remember that our body will never produce more adrenaline than it requires, and the physical sensations of anxiety can make us feel very uncomfortable but cannot harm us.

What we know about anxiety

As we have seen, anxiety is a natural response that can be uncomfortable but avoiding situations which make us anxious can increase or maintain the anxiety response. Generally, the more we perform an activity, the less anxious we will feel. This means that in a setting which could trigger our anxiety like an exam, the more we engage, or rehearse engaging, with the situation, the less threatening it will appear and the anxiety response should begin to reduce.

Managing anxiety around exam time

Organising yourself as you prepare for your exams following some of the advice and techniques explored above will be a useful first step in this process. Ensuring that you are aware of the exams you are preparing for, when you will sit them and what you will be expected to do in the exam will help you to feel on top of things. Sometimes your anxiety lies in being unsure about things so knowing where you are and what you need to do will help to increase your feelings of confidence.

Creating a revision schedule can help you to deal with feelings of anxiety. Often you will be balancing your revision alongside working on other assignments which can enhance your worries, so your time planner will play an important role here. Why not check out this example planner? You might want to use this or you might prefer to perhaps design your own. When thinking about balancing assignments and revision schedules, why not browse our page on Time Management for more useful tips organising and prioritising your time.

If you are worried about something or not sure, then ask – there are many sources of help and advice at the University. Don’t be afraid to seek help. Your Learning Developer can offer advice on developing and managing your revision schedule as well as choosing techniques to help you revise.

While worry and anxiety are very common feelings when preparing for exams, sometimes these feelings can get bigger and start to impact on daily life and wellbeing. It is very important that if you are experiencing anxiety which is impacting on your mood, confidence and day to day living, perhaps going beyond what might be usually expected in these situations, that you contact staff in Student Support and Wellbeing or your GP who will be able to offer you support. If you feel comfortable, talk about your feelings with friends, family or your PAT so that those around you are aware if you are struggling and they can guide you to support.

Practice for your exams

Much of the anxiety around exams is fear of the unknown. Finding out about the structure of your exam and working on examples of the types of questions that are likely to come up in your exam will help to alleviate those feelings. Knowing that you can tackle the questions is important, as is becoming familiar with the format of the exams you will be doing. Use some of the advice shared above to help guide you in your preparations.

Be kind to yourself

Remember to be kind to yourself as you prepare for exams and not let revision or the thought of exams to become your only focus. Getting caught up in the buzz of revision can impact mood, perhaps feeling organised one minute and then worried the next. These feelings are all very common to the revision process. It is important to remember that exams are just one aspect of your studies. Try to keep an open mind and replace thoughts such as ‘I can’t...’ with thoughts like that ‘I will try...’ Remember to balance your revision schedule with little treats and activities you enjoy doing so you have something to look forward to; this might mean choosing a film to watch, going for a swim or planning to meet a friend. Also, don’t forget to maintain a healthy sleep schedule. Prioritising yourself and your wellbeing will help you to maintain motivation.

Key takeaways

If exams form part of your studies at university, planning your schedule and managing the revision process can help you feel on top of things. A successful exam strategy starts with preparation and organisation.

Getting going with revision and thinking about the techniques you will find most useful is a good way to feel organised. Engaging in active rather than passive revision sessions will help to support understanding and recall of your course material. This will help facilitate learning and the way in which you use your knowledge to answer questions, whether they are essays, short answer or multiple-choice style questions. Remember, it is not unusual to feel worried or anxious about exams, particularly if they are new to you. Support is available from your tutors, the Learning Skills Team and Student Health and Wellbeing to help you manage all aspects of the exam process and maintain your wellbeing. Talk over your worries with friends and family and never be worried about asking for help.

Credit

Written by Kat Byrne, Ade Olowolayemo and Gaynor Williams

Last updated 2026