My first semester concluded yesterday with the final exam. For me, this is the first time appearance in Open book exams. Initially when the semester started, I was so happy that open book exams would be easy since we can write exams with the help of books. But now I have realized that these exams are often harder than regular exams, there won’t be much use of carrying books! For some of the papers there was no point in opening any book. However, my first advent with open book exams was pretty good and my learning can be summarized as below 🙂
- Be aware of the time constraint and be specific on what to write.
- Keep a tab on time closely as you write answers. The problem with an open-book exam is that you have access to so much of information that you could write forever.
- Pay more attention to quality of content than style.
- Talk to the professor well in advance and ask what all material can be brought into examination hall.
- Study hard for the exam, there is no short cut for success!
- While preparing for the exams, try to mark or create a cheat sheet that will have index for all the topics which you think might be important for exams. This will greatly help while writing the exam!
Have you ever taken an open book exam? What are your thoughts on these kind of exams? Feel free to add your comments on how should one prepare for such exams.
keerthana says
Oh my god!, Open book exams are more horrible than the normal ones. First of all, No one would’ve “opened” the book before the exam and once the question paper comes, then the real story starts!!
sharmila says
… yes ! when i was in grade 8 in a British school – my first thought too was the same … “taking book for exam – that would be easy ” later realised it was used only to quote so as to support ur answer !!!
Best of luck with ur result 🙂
Eric Ouyang says
Great tips! I really like your website, so I put up a link to it on mine. Thanks again for your help with the fix on the Flickr photo gallery too!
Manjunath says
i always dreamt of having this system way back in our engineering 🙂
Srinath says
yes, thats the point. Telling that u can get all these into exams => you can’t get answers to anything from any external sources (books, notes, web). Only the brain cells will have to work hard on the problem in the exam to get the answers. there is no other way 🙂
Mohan says
We repeatedly asked if laptops are allowed, but our professors as well as the coordinator said a strict NO! Even if the laptops are allowed, I don’t think we can find the answers to their questions (by then) that easily.
Srinath says
Open book exams are created to tell the students that u don’t have to remember (i mean “mug”) from any material. All you have to do is to read the material and understand it. Books will not be of any use in open book exams. in most of these exams here, books, notes, anything including laptops (and free wifi in campus) is allowed. Even a 10-15 min short quizzes that are done once in one-two weeks are open book and hard 🙂
Rishi says
Go though the whole material once. If possible, twice – at a slower speed the second time. And if you are really Chuck Norris, do it a third time at even slower speeds. That’s all you need to do to go to an Open Book exam.
Sadly, all of this is hard work which might be as good as not having an open book at all.
Mridula says
I often have seen students doing worse in an open book exam because they think they can write what they have brought with them! But a well made paper will make sure that the questions have an applied part and hence just reproducing stuff will not do.
Good to hear that your exams are over. My grading still is not 🙁
Manikanth says
Open Books exams seem to be very comfortable ,Just open the book and write….. But if we see actual open book exam papers from bits pilani site, we would be tensed up. We must solve each and every exercise problems to answer all the exams.
Thank god, our open book exams are very realxed atleast for COSS and Networks . “Open The Book , Understand as fast as u can” and start writing….
Mohan says
Hi All,
Thanks for sharing your views.
@Radhika Ganesan
Oh yeah! it is a great relief for the time being. Well, there will be an index towards the end for all the books. That is of some help for sure. However, if one needs to have an exhaustive info, then they need to create cheat sheets. Yes, it is allowed to carry one’s class notes as well.. Again depends on the professor!
Radhika Ganesan says
congrats ! you are finally done with your (much discussed :)) exams … I have never given a open book exams ! And In case its tougher than the usual one’s then i am seriously not inclined to give one ! The last point was the best of all…page numbers mapped against topic could be wonderful speed booster ! But is that allowed … did you ask ur instructor ;);) !
Mousumi says
Feeling like cheating in exam hall. (For OS and Network)
While preparing for the exam, instead of Mug up the topic, just need to remember the page number or the chapter section of the book (but you need to understand).
I feel Data structure and DBMS was like real open book exam, though I am still not clear about “What is OPEN BOOK exam” 🙂
Hardik says
Open book exam to me was just like creating a mind-map. All you have to do is understand *all* areas that are part of syllabus and then creating their mapping into the place where you can find those things from the book.
Two things to pay attention to:
a) What to write? [make sure you are as relevant as possible]
b) How much to write? [really matters when it is bounded time exam i.e. 2-3 hrs kind]
Few more tips @: http://www.ehow.com/how_11277_open-book-exam.html [Courtesy: Y! search http://www.ysearch.com]
shrirang says
Excellent summarization on preparation for open-book exams. If for any reason “Study hard for the exam, there is no short cut for success!” is not met, at least need to skim through all the topics, so that it saves searching time! 🙂
Supriyo Bose says
Summarizing all the points in a “cheat sheet” is helpful. More importantly, whether in a closed book or open book, “anticipating the instructor” is crucial.
All in all, no short routes ! Hard and practice pays.
Sourav Basu says
Cheat sheet is the most important part. The preparation of an open book exam constitutes making of “chits”, taking which in a closed book exam is unthinkable! 🙂