Hi guys, my name is Jamie and I am a first year emergency medicine resident.
It’s December and exam season is now in full swing.
I know many of you are preparing for your finals now.
I remember in college I used to feel like once midterms started it’s basically non-stop
one exam after another after projects and papers until finals and then the semester
is over.
I have 7 tips and these are all the tips I have used myself during college and throughout
medical school so let’s get started
BE PREPARED.
There’s no test taking strategy that will help you if you haven’t studied.
For some tips on how to study for your exams including how to make a study plan, please
check out my recent video on exam preparation.
ARRIVE EARLY.
I would arrive early to give yourself plenty of time for traffic if you’re driving, for
breakfast, etc.
There’s nothing worse for test taking anxiety if you’re running into your exam to be on
time.
WRITE OUT THE FORMULAS.
If you have formulas or concepts you need to memorize for the exam, write it out on
a piece of paper as soon as the exam starts.
If you have to recall when you actually encounter the question you’ll feel more flustered.
Having it handy makes it easier and it’ll give you confidence when you actually do encounter
the questions.
some of the examples include math formulas, acid/base equations, amino acid structures,
or something as simple as cranial nerves.
Whatever formula or equation or list you need to stop and think about-- if you think it
might show up on the test, it may be worth actually writing it out as soon as the exam
starts.
I did this for my MCAT as well as a lot of my medical school exams.
BE MINDFUL OF THE TIME YOU’RE ALLOTTED FOR THE EXAM.
Some exams, you know you will have enough time to go back and really do a thorough review.
Some exams, for example like my USMLE Step 1-2 exams, I knew I may not always have the
time to go through the entire section again before running out of time.
Knowing how much time you’ll actually have really depends on your professors and the
type of the exams but a good rule of thumb is I like to be done with a little more than
half the exam when half the time is over.
So for example, if the exam is 2 hours long and there are 60 questions, I like to be done
with at least 35-40 questions by the time the first hour has passed.
If I wasn’t there then I would try to speed up my pace so that I’m not counting down
seconds as I answer my last few questions.
Being done even couple minutes early gives you a good time to do the next tip which is….
Mark questions you’re unsure about and circle back at a later time
Don’t waste time reading a difficult question over and over.
If you give it couple tries and you know in your heart you don’t know the answer or
you just don’t understand what the question is asking, then it might be better to move
on and give your time to a question you actually have a chance at getting it right.
This is especially helpful in multiple choice exams where all questions are weighed the
same and are worth the same number of points.
If you think you might run out of time OR if the test is computer generated, then pick
the most likely answer before moving on but make sure to flag the question
Flagging the questions also give me a good idea of how I’m doing in a certain section.
It also helps me adjust my threshold for flagging questions.
At the end of the exam, I look for my flagged questions, go back and see if there is anything
I want to change about the way I answered that question.
IF I feel fairly certain that I have the correct answer, then I unflag the question.
I tend to want to know how I’m doing on a test so I like seeing the number of flagged
questions go down as I become more certain about my answers.
READ THE QUESTION.
This may sound really obvious, but there’s been many times when I go over exams with
my friends and one of us exclaims “OH I missed the NOT in the question.”
In multiple choice questions, READ the question fully and pay attention to negatives like
“least likely” “which of the following is NOT”...and of course the double negatives.
I like to highlight or circle the negatives or cross them out altogether if there are
double negatives.
This makes it really obvious what the question is actually asking and there’s no chance
you’ll answer it the opposite way.
Because you KNOW the opposite answer is always hiding in there.
BRING SNACKS.
This may not always be possible depending on your professor or the exam setting.
BUT if you’re allowed, bring snacks, coffee, water, etc.
Whether it’s real or placebo, little bit of sugar boost mid-exam really helps me focus
again.
So some of my favorite things to bring were little pieces of chocolate or candy.
To be mindful of your test takers next to you, I would avoid loud crunchy foods like
dry cereal.
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Byeee