It’s that time of year again! Hell-week is fast approaching and there is nothing more stressful than prepping for these exams. One exam that is the most hated of all college exams is the history exam. History exams are a special breed of exam that require patience and a little bit skill… trust me, I’m a history major, I’ve seen a lot of history exams in my life. But I’m also an education major, so I know a few study tips as well that have come in handy. Hopefully you haven’t waited until the very last minute, but it is smart to give yourself at least a week to prep for the exam. Anyway, there’s no need to stress about that upcoming Contemporary Europe or Modern East Asian Societies exams, here are some skills and tips to make that history exam the least of your worries.
1. Find, Make, or Ask for a Study Guide
Sometimes your professors will provide you with a study guide, others won’t. Some students will be willing to share theirs with the and make a study group, or you may be left to your own devices. Don’t worry, whatever happens, you have everything you need. Be sure to avoid overwhelming yourself when making this study guide, not EVERYTHING will be on the exam.
2. Pay attention to the study guide format
The format of the study guide can help you and scare you at the same time. For example, my one history class was given a study guide with over 130 terms on it, and only 10 of them were going to be featured on the final exam and I would only have to write about 5 of those 10. Yep, 125 of those terms were not going to be featured. I was panicked wondering how I could possibly get all of those terms completed. The best piece of advice an upperclassmen history major gave me was “work smarter, not harder.” This professor was not one to trick students and choose terms that weren’t even mentioned to be on the exam. Instead of doing every single term, he told me to go through my notes and match major concepts and people that were covered in class to the ones on the study guide. Once I was able to eliminate the unimportant terms, I was able to focus my attention. He said once I got the major terms written about and identified, I would most likely have some working knowledge of the remaining ones and I could at least get by if the professor had a sneaky obscure one on the test.
3. Try to figure out the test format
Some professors will explicitly tell you how the test will be formatted, or they will say on the study guide, and if they don’t there is nothing wrong with seeing them during office hours to discuss the exam. This also will connect back to the way you create a study guide and how the professor formatted it. Once you’ve figured out the format, you can better prepare. Questions to consider asking your professor if they don’t explicitly tell you include: Is the exam open note/book? What types of questions will be on the exam (essay, multiple choice, matching, true and false, document based, etc.)? Are there particular skills that you will be looking for (in writing, are they looking for lots of evidence, your organization, your grammatical structure, etc.). Also, look back at previous exams if you’ve had any, especially midterms, because most professors will format their finals like midterms and so you’ll have some idea about how the test is laid out.
4. Read EVERYTHING!!
Sorry, no ways around this one, you need to read everything. Notes, class readings, previous tests, and essays. This does seem to contradict what I said about not overwhelming yourself, but
you need to gain a working knowledge of terms, especially if your exam is multiple choice and matching intensive. Something else to consider reading if your exam is writing intensive is to read professors’ comments on your previous essays and if you can, schedule to meet with your professors about your exam to clarify any parts of the course you may have been unclear about and if they have any new comments to make about your papers. You can even form a study group and split the readings and summarize it for each other if it seems like you can’t manage all of it on your own.
5. Re-write your notes in a format that is easier to study from
If you saw the notes I took in class, there is absolutely no way you would understand what I wrote. In the moment of a hurried lecture to take down every single word the professor says, my notes are the very definition of word vomit. That being said, I can’t study from sloppy notes, that will only add to the stress as I try to decipher the chicken scratch scrawled across the paper. So that’s why I re-write my notes on a regular basis so when finals roll around, my notes are neat, organized, and even highlighted! Yeah… you don’t have to say it… I’m such a nerd.
6. Write as much as you can beforehand
This is especially true for writing intensive exams. Most professor will give you a working prompt, or if you’re lucky, the prompt exactly as it will appear on the final exam. It is often a good idea to write out your complete response to that prompt if you are given it, and at least an outline for a working prompt highlighting the major point of that topic. Then once you have those written out, do it again. Yep, them again. If your exam is not open note or book, you need to memorize that information and so it is best to write it as much as possible and read it as often as possible.
7. Use your resources
This has been a common theme in the previous tips I’ve given you, so you need to take advantage of it. You are paying to have as much information imparted to as possible, and so it’s extremely beneficial to get as much help as possible. Your history professors, especially the ones here at Saint Vincent, want their students to grow in knowledge and skill, and are beyond willing to help. If meeting with a professor is still too daunting for you, you can always contact a history tutor, or you find a history major have them help you out. They can give you tips and advice, and if you’re lucky, they’ve taken the class before and can give you a great deal of insight. Use your resources! They won’t disappoint.
8. Relax
Relax babe! You’ve got this. At the end of the day, you need to take time to unwind and give yourself and your brain some TLC, which is nothing you haven’t heard before. Get some sleep, eat a good breakfast, and crush that history exam. Good luck!
HCXO,
Cat