Written by: Abdur Hayat
Exam periods are renowned for being a stressful and overwhelming aspect of university life. However, with effective preparation, this challenging time can become much more manageable.
A typical exam period for Economics BSc in the first year consists of mostly in-person written exams with one or two essays due around the same time. This is due to the nature of the course as students’ need to have the fundamentals of economics solidified, which is done through knowledge-based exams, rather than essays. The type of exams you will face will vary depending on your course, some courses are only assesses based on coursework.
The way you will study will depend on the type of exam that you have.
For an essay, I would personally recommend creating a brainstorm of potential topics that you want to talk about in your answer, then finding academic readings to supplement and support your points. On the other hand, for an in-person exam preparation will be like what you have done previously in secondary school.
Firstly, start of by ensuring you fully understand the content, then move onto practice questions to test whether you truly understand a topic or not. Doing timed practice questions and past papers are the best ways to revise for in-person exams as it means you will be used to the type of questions that you encounter in your exams.
There is an abundance of study spaces in and around Newcastle University, including but not limited to student hubs, libraries and cafes.
My preferred space to study will depend on the type of work I need to complete. When doing exam practice, I prefer the Philip Robinson Library as I need a quiet and fitting environment that allows me to focus. Another place where I spend a lot of time studying is the FDC (Fredrick Douglass Centre). On the first and second floor, there are many different study spots, ranging from relaxing sofas to standing desks with dividers to help with concentration.
Finding study spaces on campus during exam period can be difficult but has been made easy thanks to the university providing study space finders and presenting live information on library capacities through the Newcastle University app.
Something I found very helpful during the semester one exam period was having a revision timetable that outlined when and what to revise. This gave me reassurance as I did not have to constantly worry about what topics to revise and how much content I have left whilst also allowing me to maintain a healthy work-life balance.
As the timetable planned out the times I need to study, I knew when I could relax without feeling guilty about not studying. During these breaks I would do things that I enjoyed such as going to the gym or watching TV. It is very important to maintain a healthy work-life balance if you want to succeed in the long run as otherwise you will burn out.