Preparing for an exam is an important part in the course of studying. In order to be able to do well, the student must employ correct strategies and preparation. Burning the midnight oil is not a good option if you plan to score in your exams.

1. You can either do group study or study individually depending on your preference. You can also discuss questions and check answers with your friends through email.
2. Start reviewing well before the exams.
3. Prepare summary sheets of revision texts or lecture notes for quick reading / last minute revision.
4. Spend several nights before an exam making a final review of notes.
5. Try to get a reasonable amount of sleep the night before the exam. If that's not possible, try to get a nap before the exam, or at least a short rest.
6. Go over as many different problems as you can (like old homework problems, unassigned problems in the course text, and problems on old exams). Set up the solutions, but don't crunch numbers. Don't leave a problem until you're convinced you could do it by yourself.
7. Brainstorm possible things you could be asked and answers you might give.
8. Stress the following areas in your review:
• Points emphasized in class or in the text;
• Areas the teacher/lecturer has advised for study
• Questions in revision books
9. Simulating the exam conditions during your revision would be helpful in preparing yourself for the exams. Most students find that they do not have adequate time to finish all the questions in the exams. It is advisable to practice timing yourself to achieve the speed to complete all questions correctly within the allotted time. Repetition of this procedure is a critical ingredient to exam success -- the more you practise, the more you should improve. Consequently, it is important to answer past years’ papers in a simulated exam situation. Once this exercise has been done, correct your paper and note the errors you have made. The information you glean from this exercise can be used to orient your study before tackling another exam paper. This appraisal of performance is best directed by responding to five questions related to the marks gained:
• What was your total mark?
• How many marks were lost because you ran out of time?
• How many marks were lost because you did not understand the theory?
• How many marks were lost because you could not interpret a question or you answered a different question from the one you were asked?
• How many marks did you lose as a result of carelessness in your responses?
The answers to the above questions offer valuable feedback and can be used for your benefit.
The time you spend preparing for exams must be lengthy and, in addition, organised to simulate the conditions of an impending exam. The steps outlined above will give you better preparation to handle the stresses of studying and exam taking.

1. Before you start writing anything, briefly look through the whole exam paper.
2. Choose the problem or question that seems easiest to you and do it first. Continue to do the problems in order of increasing difficulty.
3. Work on a problem until you get stuck. Think about it for a minute or two. If you still cannot solve it, then drop it and proceed to another problem. Don't spend 30 minutes sweating out an additional five points on a problem and run out of time, leaving a 40-point problem untouched. You may later have time to return to the first one and you're much more likely to think of how to do it then.
4. Write out the steps or details so that both you and the examiner can tell what you're trying to do. Even if you can do the problem in your head, don't. If you're wrong, you get a zero; if you're right, you could be suspected of cheating.
5. Try to put something down for each part of every problem/question. If you don't have time to solve a problem completely, tell what you'd do if you had more time.
6. Make sure your work is legible. If an examiner can't read what you wrote, you might be misinterpreted or you might not get any marks at all.
7. If you don't understand a question, ask the invigilator for help. You might get some, and it never hurts to try.
8. If you feel yourself sweating or hyperventilating, put down your pencil, close your eyes, take a few deep breaths, and consciously relax any muscles that you're clenching (jaw, neck, stomach). When you're calmer, go back to work. Don’t panic.
9. If you have time at the end, check your solutions. Did you answer each part of every question? Did you answer the question(s) asked? Do your answers look reasonable? Do your calculations check out? (Save this one for last.)
10. Hand in your paper when the time is up.