Exam Checklist

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The next couple of weeks are the home stretch–I’ve blogged previously about exam prep, exam writing, and exam follow up, as well as tips for online exams. This week I’ve pulled out the essentials from six earlier blogs for an overview checklist. 

Most of these are obvious. The value of a checklist of the obvious is to prevent face-palming over forgetting something you really meant to do, or didn’t think of until too late.

Here goes:

Coordinate with others:

  • _____ Arrange time off from your job, if you can.
  • _____ Make sure others in your household will not all be ZOOMing or gaming during your exam times. Or arrange for enough bandwidth to accommodate everyone.
  • _____ Check to make sure the instructor has credited you for all of the quizzes, presentations, papers, labs, etc… that you have completed.

Schedule your next two to three weeks. Include:

  • _____ Exam times and deadlines in red
  • _____ Other appointments
  • _____ Work schedule
  • _____ Study time and breaks
  • _____ Nutrition, hydration, sleep, mediation, and human connection
  • _____ Realistic bedtimes and wakeup times
  • _____ Flex time, in case life happens

Ensure any accommodations :

  • _____ Are arranged and
  • _____ Appropriate instructors are informed.

Review the syllabus for each course and any subsequent notes to determine:

  • _____ Which part of the course the exam covers
  • _____ The exam rubric and delivery–Online? Timed? Open book? Proctored?
  • _____ The exam date and time (this is a double check)
  • _____ Course weighting for the exam and work done to date

Check that your technology meets the exam and proctoring requirements. This may include:

  • _____ Camera
  • _____ Software, downloaded and tested
  • _____ Face recognition (especially if you are a person of colour–there have been some serious glitches with this type of proctoring that has required special arrangements for some people of colour)
  • _____ The ability to document what you are doing and timeframes in case there is a glitch in connection or submission
  • _____ Backup technology

Each night plan the next day:

  • _____ Review your planner/scheduler
  • _____ Endorse for effort throughout the day
  • _____ Write out your to-do list for the next day

Each night, prepare your study bag for the next day. Include:

  • _____ Water, tea, or other hydration
  • _____ Treats
  • _____ Texts
  •  _____ Notes, labs and returned assignments–if any notes are missing, check with your study buddies to see if they can help you fill in.

Before each day with exams, prepare your exam bag for the next day. This is everything you will require for each exam the next day. Prepare the exam bag the night before, then put it where you won’t see it until you need it the next day. Include:

  • _____ Texts
  • _____ Scratch paper
  • _____ Pens, pencil
  • _____ Calculator
  • _____ Notes, labs and returned assignments
  • _____ Hydration
  • _____ Treat

Nothing interesting to see here–unless something is missed.

For more depth on exam study and exam writing technique, see my earlier blogs at https://www.stevevogel.net/category/exam-preparation/ , which includes the biggest open- book exam trap, and especially https://www.stevevogel.net/the-online-closed-book-timed-exam-what-could-go-wrong/ 

You’re so close! Send me a quick note if you have found this useful, and especially if you have critical items to add that have worked for you [email protected]