Should you study for an open book test? (2023)

Should you study for an open book exam?

You need to study for open-book exams just as you would for any exam. If you know your subject, you'll have a knowledge base to draw on. You will also understand how and why topics are linked. This style of learning equips you well for exams and 'real life' experiences.

Other studies have found that weaker students taking open-book exams rely more on their notes and texts than stronger students, and students who used their notes most ended up doing more poorly on the exam, suggesting that open-book exams may actually lead to lower scores.

You won't. Indeed, having access to books and other reference materials may actually hinder your performance. By preparing well beforehand, you will be able to manage the stress that is natural, and you will feel a sense of achievement of drawing all the knowledge and skills you have learnt together.

Cons of Open Book Exams:-

It encourages students to simply cheat and copy the answers directly from books. Students stop putting an effort to learn. The questions for OBE are tougher than usual. This makes it very difficult for students to find answers to all questions.

Before the exam

Bookmark useful chapters or pages with Post-it notes. Prepare brief summaries, e.g. in margins of texts, to provide a quick reference. Prepare a list of key information (formulae, key definitions etc) likely to be used. Use index cards to list key topics and relevant page numbers of texts.

Open book exams offer an intricate set of tricky, conceptual and case study-based questions. They calibrate the actual problem-solving skills and dynamic memory of students. Such exams trigger critical thinking where students focus on understanding and analysing concepts. Thus, they improve the quality of learning.

Open-book exams are not an easy option. Answering the questions well requires more than just copying information straight from texts. For example, having access to a textbook can stop you from giving a wrong answer if you can't remember a fact or formula, but just getting that fact correct won't get you good marks.

Electronic devices such as mobile phones, tablets, electronic readers, smart watches, or other miscellaneous electronic devices are not permitted in the examination room under any circumstance.

What are the 3 secret study tips?

IMPORTANT NOTE: Open-book exams are NOT easier than closed book exams – oftentimes they are harder. An open-book exam will require you really understand material and be able to apply or analyze information and content rather than just remember it.

Unless there is a restriction to prevent this, it is not cheating. This really gets to the heart of the matter - if a professor sets an open-book exam, it is incumbent on the professor to set appropriate questions that cannot be answered without understanding the material.

Open-book tests re-expose students to information successfully retrieved as well as information that was not retrieved, providing opportunities for additional learning. Moreover, an open-book test allows students to access correct answers, which would, in turn, minimize commission errors.

Online and open-book tests can be even worse. There are multiple reasons for this. Firstly, because the test questions tend to be more difficult, not only do you need to spend more time answering them, but any deficiencies in knowledge take disproportionately longer to fill.

What Is an Open Book Exam? An "open book examination" is an assessment method designed in a way that allows students to refer to class notes, textbooks, or other approved material while answering questions. An open book exam can also mean that students are provided with the exam questions prior to writing the exam.

(Applied Cognitive Psychology, 22(7), 861–876, 2008) showing that open-book and closed-book tests outperform re-study but are similarly effective—even using a slightly changed procedure, new materials, a different sample, and a longer delay.

How to study for online open book exam?

Use tables of contents and index pages to locate relevant sections in the books you plan to use. Bookmark useful chapters or pages with Post-it notes. Prepare brief summaries, e.g. in margins of texts, to provide a quick reference. Prepare a list of key information (formulae, key definitions etc) likely to be used.

IMPORTANT NOTE: Open-book exams are NOT easier than closed book exams – oftentimes they are harder. An open-book exam will require you really understand material and be able to apply or analyze information and content rather than just remember it.

However, if in the widest sense of the term, an "open book" exam usually means you can bring in any printed materials you like (but not electronic devices that can search for new material after seeing the questions, or electronic repositories of material).

In taking the open book exam, you can refer back to any of your previous assessments. Don't be tempted to copy any of your own words from any of your own previous assessment submissions on any course, from any year, or even a different institution; this is self- plagiarism.