Exam Prep: Tips and Tricks.  [30.01.23]

The first exam period at the University of Hohenheim is just around the corner and you are probably already studying hard. We listed different types of learners and ideas how you can improve your study success. Check out our latest Podcast episode “Juggling your studies, social life and hobbies: tips for exam period”, too.

Exams and studying

The first exam period at the University of Hohenheim is just around the corner and you are probably already studying hard. Or maybe not, nevertheless we would like to give you some tips and tricks about studying with this blog in addition to our latest Podcast episode “Juggling your studies, social life and hobbies: tips for exam period” and some general information about the exam periods at the university. To begin with, if you have not already done so, you should first find out how you learn best or what type of learner you are.
In the following, we will introduce you to four different learning types and give you the link for a self-test.

1) Auditory learning type
Auditory learners are particularly good at absorbing, retaining, and reproducing information they have heard. Explanations of facts or certain topics are coherent and easy to understand for this type of learner. 
Tips for learning: If you are an auditory type, it is helpful for you to read texts or notes aloud. Talking to yourself while learning and explaining tasks can also be helpful. You can also record yourself with your cell phone and play it back again and again like a kind of audio book about your learning content. In addition, it may be that a quiet environment is more conducive to study for you and loud noises or music rather disrupt your learning.  

2) Visual learner
As a visual learner, you learn best by reading information, texts or notes, and by looking at charts or illustrations. For you to understand content, illustrations through graphics and pictures are advantageous.
Tips for learning: Since pure explanations probably stick less with you, it could help you to write down during lectures and then repeat these notes at home. Sketches, mind maps or diagrams could also help you to put your learning material into pictures or to make it more visual. The same applies to textbooks, look for books with pictures or search the Internet for suitable diagrams on a topic or issue that helps you to better understand the context and make it more tangible. A better-known method that can also help you is to write flash cards and generally put the learning material “into your own words". Self-written words stay longer in your memory than read words. Another tip is to "decorate" your room, bathroom or kitchen with charts, flash cards or sketches that relate to the learning content, so you are constantly confronted with the topics and learn, so to speak, along the way.         

3) Motoric learner
If you are more of a motoric type of learner, you will probably always understand processes best if you can perform them yourself or observe their execution, so to speak "learning by doing". It is important for you to understand the connections between topics or processes otherwise the individual aspects of the topic seem complicated or unrelated.
Tips for learning: For example, make a model you can touch or try other ways to make your learning materials more tangible. It can also be helpful for you to learn in a group and produce learning material together or to role-play the learning material. In addition, movement can support your learning process, walk around the room while studying or take a walk and take your materials with you.

4) Communicative learning type
If you are communicative, you learn best through discussions or conversations about the topic. In dialog with others, connections and meanings become clearer to you. You usually learn less well on your own. Through discussion, you can remember the material, for example, by arguments used. Asking and answering questions is also helpful. 
Tips for learning: It helps you best if you study with friends or fellow students while you explain problems to them or try to find solutions together. This can also be done in the form of role plays, e.g., an interview. Discussions about an existing or emerging problem are also helpful. Create quizzes or formulate questions and then try to answer them.

Link with test: Which learning type am I?   

Study Tips to Consider

Planning.
Plan study times during the week or create a study plan so that you have an exact and detailed overview of what you want to learn or what you have already learned. Also plan for rest periods or free time for not studying. You can do anything during that times that you enjoy or helps relieve stress and frustration.  

Create a productive atmosphere.
Try to choose a workspace that is well lit and has a friendly or even motivating atmosphere. Also, your place should be tidy because this will reduce distractions.  

Avoid distractions.
Find out if total silence helps you study well or if a "study playlist" on Spotify helps you focus. Put your phone away, possibly in another room or at least out of reach, and be sure to put it on silent and switch off notifications. Other distractions, such as clutter, appointments, or other responsibilities should be avoided or taken care of before study time.  

Create study plan.
As already mentioned, a study plan can help you to determine early and in detail when to study which topic or for what exam. Also helpful is the division into which topics will be learned when and how much time you plan to take for it. Be sure to plan a buffer in case you cannot keep to your plan. Better to start "too early" than too late!

Pomodoro Technique.
Tomatoes?! Yes! The pomodoro technique is super helpful to avoid going into stress mode while studying. Pick a task or topic, set a 25 minute timer. Work on it until the time is up. Take a 5 minute break! After the break, start all over again. After a full pomodoro (4x 25 minutes), take a break of at least 15 - 30 minutes.

Study group.
Form a study group during lectures or search via Facebook or other social media channels for fellow students who are also on the search. Groups are a great way to exchange and help each other as well as to discuss things that one may have better understood or differently. Remember: "the lone wolf dies, but the pack survives" :)

Flashcards.
Create flashcards with keywords, definitions, or questions that you can look at and learn on the go. You can also create flashcards in an app and thus have them conveniently on your cell phone. One advantage is that you already learn and remember the material while creating the cards. Do not write too much on these cards, though.

Mindmaps.
Mindmaps can help you get an overview of the subject area or different topics and their context or just what you need to learn. It is also easier to see and understand connections.

Old exams.
Not to be neglected are old exams, and practice exams, which are often published by lecturers. It may also turn useful to look at “old” transcripts and experiences of higher semesters. To check your study level, you can always time yourself when working on old exams. Where to get these: ask your fellow students - ask senior students - check the ILIAS folders, oftentimes there is a exam prep/mock exam folder. 

 

Facts about the examination period in Hohenheim
At the University of Hohenheim there are two examination periods in both the summer and winter semesters. The first exam period starts on February 6 and goes until February 24, these are centrally organized exams.
For examinations of the Faculty of Economics, the examination period has already started on January 23 and ends on February 3, these examinations are organized decentrally.
The second examination period of the winter semester 2022/23 starts on March 20 and ends on March 31; these are again centrally organized examinations.
Exceptions are again exams of the Faculty of Economics; these are also scheduled from March 20 to March 31 and as well organized decentrally from May 30 to June 2.

By the way: The re-registration deadline for the upcoming summer semester 2023 also falls within the first examination period, and tuition fees are due by February 15, 2023 (!).

 

And finally, make sure to sign up for one of our "No Guesswork, No Stress - Study Skills for Success" workshops in May & June 2023 (will be announced soon via Instagram and on the #CatchUp website of the university!) where you will where you analyse your own learning behaviour and develop valuable strategies to improve your learning behaviour under the guidance of an expert.

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