How to Ace your University Exams

Exams are the bane of our lives, right? We don’t want to think about them or the fact that they can define our future, but deep down we know the importance of them, particularly at university level. There are a wide range of exams that you may come across at university; for example essays, reports, multiple choice papers, and more. To equip you with the best chance to be prepared and pass your exams, here are a few key tips.

Study, study, study! Why is this a tip, isn’t it obvious!? Well yes, but many students don’t take studying seriously enough and really underestimate the importance of taking the time to study. You cannot study for an exam for a few hours and suddenly expect a pass… you have to continuously study, up until the point you have learned everything that you need to know about the topic. Please don’t let yourself down by not taking studying seriously enough!

Make use of every resource available to you. Exams are tough, and thus it should be your priority to do everything that you can to get that pass. There are so many resources at uni that you can refer to in your exam preparation. For example, your tutors are there for you to ask questions, you can use the library to find books and references, use past papers to better understand what is being asked of you, and most universities have a Learning & Development centre which you can get help from.

As mentioned above, past papers can be a really effective way of understanding what you are being asked to do and the best way to do it. With past papers, you shouldn’t expect any of the same questions, but they will improve your understanding heading into any exam, whether that be a question exam or an essay.

Prioritise and plan your time well in advance. University doesn’t make it easy for you, trust me! You will have periods in your term where you may have 2,3,4 exams due really close to one another. So how are you going to manage this? You have to prioritise which exams are most important and due first, thus placing more of your time towards those exams primarily. You should also be aware of which exams you may face a bigger struggle coping with, allowing you to plan ahead and decide which topics need more of your time. 

I hope these 4 tips have given you some clarity when it comes to preparing well and passing your exams during your time at uni. You will come across many exams within your modules, so take this advice on board and smash your exams!