How to Study for an Open-Book Exam

Open-book exams require different techniques than regular tests.

Difficulty: Moderately challenging

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Post-it Notes
• Highlighter Pens
• Index Cards
• Pens
• Spiral Notebooks
• Pens

1. Look through your lecture notes to get a sense of the big themes of the course.

2. Write down these themes, each on a separate index card.

3. Check and double-check what materials will and won't be allowed in the exam.

4. Go through these materials, keeping brief notes on index cards and highlighting relevant sections of text.

5. Use a different index card for each bit of information, categorizing and stacking cards by the themes you have identified.

6. Note on the index cards exactly what part of what materials the information came from.

7. Bring these index cards to the exam along with the other allowed materials. Make sure they remain sorted by theme.

Tips & Warnings

• If you aren't allowed to bring notes to the exam, review your note-card piles several times, remembering as best as you can where you can find information on various themes.
• Just because an exam is open-book doesn't mean it will be easy. Make sure you set aside enough time to study.

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[deestew]

on 10/13/2009 Sticky note suggestion is very good, will definately use that.

on 8/8/2006 For an open book test, outlines and organization are two very important things.
After you re read all important assignments and whatnot, outline every major thing out the old fashioned way.

And, organize all materials allowed by making a notebook. Put your outline in there first, then make a table of contents for all course materials permitted. Number all of your permitted materials by the order you feel most comfortable with. Do not be afraid to copy out page numbers of anything from your text if your prof is letting you use the book.

If you can bring in the actual book, then please remember to re read everything and outline it. Professors hate if you spend a really large amount of time reading things for the first time, they can tell if you are doing that.
Then please try and make up your own system using sticky notes that divide up each chapter. You can also get a big sticky note for where the table of contents of your book is located and just go through and label the readings you were assigned in the order that works best for you.

on 11/22/2005 Put a sticker, flag or book marker in the pages you know you're going to use in the exam. Try to remember where each topic is. Also, be prepared to give original examples, different from those in the book.