Why do we have exams?

The aim of exams is to inform others, as well as you, about the standard of your work. Unless there was some form of recognised standard, qualifications would lose their validity. Formal exams are objective, as the assessors use the same criteria for judging all candidates.

Since exams have to be faced, if you can reduce the problems they may pose for you they will become less of a threat, Assessors do want candidates to do well!

To help you make the most of exams, these pages will cover:

Revision techniques workshops

The Skills Team run the following relevant workshops:

Revising more effectively

To book onto our workshops please visit the Skills workshops page.

Top Tips Printable Skills Guides

Two single page guides with top tips for both revision and examinations.

Click on the images to download the PDFs.

Other resources

Answering Exam Questions - from the University of Reading
How to Remember Information for Exams - From Mindtools.com
Memory Techniques - Links to over 20 resources to help you with remembering from AcademicTips.org
Top 5 Memory Tips for Your Exams
Mind map on revision Do you want to vanquish the revision monster?

Relevant books and eBooks in our university libraries

Study!: a guide to effective learning, revision and examination techniques by Robert Barrass
Sail through exams!: preparing for traditional exams for undergraduate and taught postgraduates by Peter Levin
How to succeed in exams and assessments (eBook) by Kathleen McMillan - also as a book.
Make exams easy by Mike Evans