University of Western Australia
Studying for exams
As part of your study, you may be asked to participate in one or more exams. Resources to help you study for exams are below. You can get more support to help you study from:
More information on Exams at UWA is available at:
Using an exam study planner
To help you get ready for your exams, download the UWA Exam Planner (XLSX, 93 KB). This includes a customisable schedule that you can use to plan your study and exam times during the pre-exam study break and the two weeks of exams. It also includes a summary table for all of your units. This will help you see all of your main exam details at a glance, and will assist you in planning.
Improving your exam study techniques
Improve how you study for exams by watching the videos in the player below, or access the UWA exams study playlist on YouTube.
Studying for on-campus exams
These guides and resources are designed to assist you to study, prepare for and complete your on-campus exams.
- Exam essays (PDF, 623.1 KB)
- Memorising (PDF, 284.3 KB)
- Multiple choice exams (PDF, 472.5 KB)
- Open book exams (PDF, 240.6 KB)
- Preparing for Exams (PDF, 479.0 KB)
- Tests and quizzes (PDF, 204.3 KB)
Studying for online exams
Preparing for an online exam is very similar to preparing for an on-campus, so all of your usual good study habits and exam preparation activities still apply. However, there are some additional things to be aware of with online exams. These guides and resources are designed to help you to study for online exams.
- Setting up for online exams (PDF, 667KB)
- Preparing for online exams (PDF, 559KB)
- Preparing for online multiple choice exam questions (PDF, 1.33MB)
- Preparing for online essay exam questions (PDF, 1.28MB)
- Preparing for online open book exams (PDF, 739KB)
Online exams and your LMS
For online exams, you'll need a device that can access the internet and the LMS. You will also need a reliable internet connection for the entire duration of your test. Check that your device is connected via an ethernet cable, or if you are using wi-fi, that you have a high signal strength.
These guides and resources are designed to assist you to prepare for and complete examinations using the LMS.
- Online exams in the UWA Blackboard LMS System
- UWA student LMS help page
- Blackboard tests and surveys page
- Turnitin
If you receive a blank screen when you are logged into LMS, try clearing your browser cache or using a browser such as Chrome or Firefox. More information for troubleshooting this is available at askUWA.
Typing and online exams
It's useful if you have some typing proficiency to complete online exams. If you would like to improve your typing skills, try these courses:
- Learning Typing - a course you can join via your UWA LinkedIn Learning account. This course includes handouts and an exam, so you can learn the techniques properly and test out your skills.
- How to Learn Touch Typing: A Complete Guide for Beginners – This is an open website which has practical tips for absolute beginners, as well as links to other sites for further practice.
Studying for non-examination assessments
To prepare for non-examination assessments scheduled during the exam period, including take-home exams, you can apply the same study techniques that you are already using for both on-campus and online exams. Your LMS page for the unit will provide information on the assessment, duration and timelines of non-examination assessments.