Expectations
In an open book exam the emphasis is on understanding key concepts, rather than recall or memorization. It is important not to be blasé about preparing for such an exam as the key is locating information in a quick and timely manner.
Preparation
- Prepare as if for a closed book
Time is limited in exams and therefore you don’t want to be looking up concepts unnecessarily and spend time reading. You should still enter the exam understanding the key ideas and themes from that course. - Use post it notes
In order to assist in finding information quickly prepare texts by using post it notes marking key chapters and highlight and annotate key areas within texts - Concept Map
Concept mapping can be a useful strategy to use in summarising whole chapters. Rather than scanning through text, a concept map can provide you with a visual ‘snapshot’ of what a chapter includes.