Now that all students everywhere are finishing their courses online, many will have to write open-book exams. We’ve done the research for you and compiled our top tips!

Take-home and open-book exams have always been part of post-secondary education, but for the first time ever, students are facing this task en masse, and for many students this will be the first time they’ve written this kind of exam. Here are 2 common misconceptions students have about open-book exams:

“I don’t need to study much for my exam because the information will be right there for me to look up”

or

“All I’ll need to do in the exam is copy the answers out of the text”

The truth is that take-home exams require strategic advance preparation, just like any exam. Follow our tips for a roadmap to success!

What should I expect?

• The instructor knows that you have your notes/textbook/slides right in front of you, so they are unlikely to ask questions that just call on you to copy information. In fact, the exam may be more challenging than a regular exam because your instructor’s expectations may be higher. They know you have the course materials, so they are often looking for you to demonstrate critical and analytical thinking.
• Open-book exams tend to ask students to apply, analyze, synthesize, compare/contrast or evaluate¹ information. Instructors are often looking for you to demonstrate that you understand the “big picture” of the course and how course concepts work together.
• For example, you might be given a problem or a scenario and asked to apply concepts from several parts of the course to develop a nuanced answer. Instructors are usually looking for arguments/solutions that are well-structured and clearly presented.
• Carefully make note of the verb or action you are being asked to take (also known as the “command term”). Your instructor may ask you to “summarize”, “analyze” or “evaluate” and there are important differences between these tasks – for more info, check out a great resource from Simon Fraser University here.

How should I prepare?

• Organize your resources ahead of time so that you can find the information you need efficiently:
  • Identify key concepts & themes from your course. Check out our post “What Should I Study?” for more info.
  • Write key concepts on sticky notes and use these as tabs to index your textbook, notes, and other materials so you can find them quickly.
    • Tab and label any tables of contents or indexes of books; you can even colour-code the tabs for quicker access.
  • Prepare a condensed set of notes, or summary of the course.
    • Include page references for where you can find the “long version” should you need to fill in some details after you’ve drafted your initial response.
    • Consider making a quick concept map to show the relationships or connections between different parts of the course.
    • You may be able to collaborate with classmates during this stage of studying/exam prep (*ask your instructor if you are unsure of their expectations*)
    • If formulae will be part of your exam, put these in a separate, easily accessed place.
• Once your summary is complete and your material is indexed, use retrieval practice or self-testing (aka the single strongest study strategy) to answer questions that ask you to: apply, analyze, synthesize, compare/contrast,  and evaluate.
  • Practice self-testing with relevant practice exams, previous exams, or flash cards/practice questions you or your classmates have created.
  • Although you may decide to bring your written answers to practice questions to the exam, do not expect that you will be asked the exact same questions and be able to copy entire answers. Your answers need to directly answer the question that is asked, not a somewhat-related question that you may have prepared. Always carefully read and re-read exam questions – far too many students suffer by providing an excellent answer to a question that wasn’t actually asked!

Other preparation logistics:

• Find out from your instructor exactly what you are permitted (and not permitted) in the exam.
• Decide what you are going to bring.
  • Bringing lots of extra materials may distract you. Be careful not to spend too much time looking up details which won’t actually gain you many points.
• Find out if you need to cite sources in your answers.
• Learn your material as thoroughly as you would for any other exam. During the exam, there may be time to quickly refer to materials, but not to learn something new, such as how a formula works, or the relationships between various course concepts.
• Do not count on having time to look up all your answers.

What should I keep in mind while writing these exams?

• If you are writing an exam with a relatively short time limit (i.e. a few hours), maximize your success by answering any questions that you know off the top of your head, before referring to your course material for supporting details.
• After providing the basic answer to questions, then if necessary, look up an exact formula, a numerical value, or supporting evidence for your answers.
• Copying long passages or quotes is often a waste of time and not what your instructor is looking for; instead, paraphrase and condense any information you find in your materials. Aim for concise, well-supported answers.
• If you have time for review at the end, you can check your materials more extensively to verify accuracy or to find additional points.

Remember, effective studying should feel like it takes effort, which is exactly why it’s nearly always more effective than strategies like re-reading your notes or highlighting the textbook. You’ve spent a lot of time learning your course material already, now show ’em what you got!

As fun as this looks, we want your last few weeks of term to be as stress-free and successful as possible!