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University exams in the corona pandemic: No problem with the right preparation (symbol image)
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*Knock Knock*
"Who's there?"
"The exam phase."
No punch line.
Even in Corona semester number two, students have to write exams and pass exams.
What is exhausting under normal conditions, becomes an organizational feat during a pandemic - for those who have been tested and those who are testing.
Because classroom exams can currently be a health risk, many universities rely on so-called distance exams, which take place online.
But how do you prepare for them?
In terms of content preparation, there are hardly any differences between online exams and the usual exams in the lecture hall: You should master the lecture material as completely as possible and train understanding and knowledge transfer.
The main differences are in the way the exam is run.
So that you don't stumble during an online exam, you should keep the following tips in mind when preparing.
1. Build yourself a bunker - with internet
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Most online exams take place at home in front of your laptop.
So you should take a few precautions to ensure a productive exam process.
First, make sure that the environment is calm.
Register your exam with your roommates, neighbors, and family members.
Please be considerate.
Also have headphones or earplugs ready so that you don't lose your concentration when there is street noise or spontaneous home improvement projects next door.
For the duration of the test, isolate yourself from your surroundings - with one exception: Make sure that your internet connection is working.
In an emergency, you should also have some data volume left on your smartphone so that you can set up a hotspot.
2. Prepare tools
You can use your learning materials to help you with some forms of online exams.
So-called open book exams
allow you to look at your abstract or textbook during the exam.
This means you have to learn less by heart.
However, you should invest the time you have gained to prepare your documents accordingly so that you can quickly find the information you are looking for.
So plaster your scripts and notes with post-its, underline what the highlighter can do, and create a table of contents.
Mark all central content, special data or formulas so that you don't lose time looking up.
Before each online exam, find out exactly which aids are allowed - and prepare them meticulously.
3. Determine an initial ritual
Do you remember back then?
You went out of the house on the day of the exam, met your fellow students in front of the lecture hall, had a coffee and went through your documents one last time.
Then the exam began.
This form of recurring action is called ritual in psychology
- and rituals can help you achieve your goals.
Therefore, you should also establish a fixed ritual before online exams.
For example, go for a lap around the block or just take a few minutes of deep breath.
It doesn't really matter what you do - the main thing is that you send a signal of departure and put yourself in a focused mood.
4. Talk to your fellow students
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Contact between students is very limited this semester.
Now, in the examination phase, this isolation becomes particularly clear: While many students have already got used to online lectures, individual exams in online mode are new to many - and the students alone with their nervousness and insecurity.
No encouragement immediately before the exam, no meaningful glances across the lecture hall.
Therefore: Contact your fellow students before the exam.
Call them or set up a short video conference.
Talk to your fellow students one last time and make yourself aware that you are not alone in the exam situation.
5. Simulate your exam
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Title: Bachelor of Time: Time Management in Studies
Editor: Studienschiss
Number of pages: 144
Author: Tim Reichel
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A few days before your online exam, you should hold a dress rehearsal.
By that I mean an endurance test in which you work on old exam tasks under real exam conditions.
That means: only with approved aids, without external support, on a temporary basis, with a running webcam and so on.
Try to simulate your exam as best you can.
Pretend it's the real exam.
In this way you will develop a feeling for the upcoming challenge and familiarize yourself with the situation in advance.
You can also identify gaps in knowledge and potential for improvement that you can still work on.
Conclusion
Online exams feel weird at first.
Your laptop, the exam questions and you - nothing more.
No fellow students, no rustling paper, no professors who stumble through the lecture hall and shout "Everything is in the task list".
Some university romance may be lost through this type of examination, but it doesn't have to be to your disadvantage.
With a few strategic adjustments, you can master this digital exam situation.
The first students have already told me that online exams are better than the usual exams.
Maybe it's the same with you - I'll keep my fingers crossed.
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