Time Management and Exams

Many of you have asked about planning for an exam. What do you do? In earlier blogs, I discussed a number of studying strategies. Today, we will discuss how to create a realistic schedule that utilizes your available time.

Your time management schedule for your exams should:
1. Update you daily on your progress toward your goal - the exam.
2. Be amended when you find that your progress is slower because the subject matter is more challenging or faster because you covered the material in less time than you expected.
3. Ensure that you have made daily achievable goals.

When you begin planning for your exam, it is likely some subjects will take more time to cover than others. You should not make assumptions about what questions will be on the exam and you should therefore ensure you provide comprehensive coverage of all the module materials. As you read through the materials, you will realize that your retention of some subject materials is greater than others, and you should revise your schedule accordingly. Use chapter titles to see overall themes in the module materials. You should try and see the connections between different parts of the modules materials. For example, you should understand how they are important to the subject as a whole and how they are connected to other ideas that came earlier or later. Evaluation or critical assessment of the material you study is important as the exams at U of Leicester are meant to test your ability to think critically.

You will need to plan the use of each available study day. Many students have jobs and families and you must plan realistically to allow yourself at least one uninterrupted hour of work, followed by a 15 minute break. As stated above, goals are important. With the achievement of a goal, for example the review of an entire section of a subject module, you need to acknowledge your progress in a daily log. Daily logs give students the feeling that they are reaching their goals and will complete their task.

Additionally, students need to recognize that some modules will be more difficult than others. This calls for the reassessment of your time requirements for a particular module. When you have broken down what you are going to do, day by day and week by week, you have a good idea of how you are going to manage your time. As stated earlier, this time management schedule will be changed as you moved through the material you need to cover for the exam. Remember shorter periods of study, accompanied by self testing of your material and further review has been found to be most effective for the retention of module materials before exams.

For this reason, you should use short periods of time just as wisely as a longer days of study. Repetition and revision is the key to success in managing time through a study schedule before your exam. Good studying.

KB