Exam Reference Sheets
Preparing a hand-written reference sheet will not only help you answer questions during an exam, but preparing and having a reference sheet will reduce any anxiety you might experience during exams. Also, the process of preparing the sheet is actually studying, so it better prepares you for the exam (many students have told me that the act of making the sheet helped them remember things so well that they felt they didn't even need it during the test!) Lastly, if you are allowed to keep your reference sheet after the exam, it provides a quick-reference you can use to review terms/concepts in later courses.
Exam Reference Sheet Rules and Guidelines
Not every professor or instructor has permitted the use of a reference sheet for their exam. It is up to you to check with your professor/instructor to determine if you are allowed a reference sheet and what form that reference sheet must have.
Reference Sheet General Guidelines
Reference sheets are hand written and must be submitted as a hard copy. No other formats will be accepted (see next section).
Check your course announcements/materials regarding reference sheet approval or submission:
Your prof might require that you submit your reference sheet for approval before the scheduled exam, on the date/time specified by the professor/instructor. In this case, if your reference sheet is approved, it will be given to you at the start of the coding portion of the exam.
For some courses you will bring your reference sheet to the exam and it will be approved (or not) at the start of the exam. In these instances, make sure you follow all the guidelines correctly, or you will be left to write the exam with no reference sheet!
All reference sheets must be returned to the professor/instructor along with the exam. Any exam submitted without the reference sheet (assuming one was used) will be automatically assigned a 0 grade. Your professor will let you know how you can retrieve your reference sheet after exam week. Feel free to contact the professor to ask for your reference sheet, if this has not been made clear.
Specific Formatting Guidelines
- The reference sheet MUST BE HANDWRITTEN on a SINGLE SHEET OF 8.5 x 11 BOND PAPER (bond paper is the kind of paper you'd put into a printer - it's much sturdier and better for double-sided notes; you could tear a sheet out of a lined/blank notebook if you like, but it's harder to read when it's got writing on both sides, it's up to you).
- If your reference sheet is larger than 8.5 x 11, the professor may cut it to the correct size, with no consideration, instead of confiscating it entirely.
- If your reference sheet is more than one single page, the professor will confiscate extra pages, with no consideration as to which pages are being confiscated.
- Make sure you WRITE YOUR NAME in the UPPER RIGHT CORNER of the page
(with the page in PORTRAIT, not landscape).
- If you don't follow this instruction, I will write your name in the correct spot with a black marker, which may obscure any content you've written in that spot!!
- Make sure that the top-left corner of your reference sheet is blank (about 2cm x 2cm) - this space may or may not be used by the professor/invigilator.
- All content must be original only - no photocopies or other reproductions
- You may use both sides of the paper.
- You are expected to prepare your own INDIVIDUAL reference sheet.
- From previous experience, some students have indicated that group discussions PRIOR TO PREPARATION (NOT DURING) of these sheets have been extremely helpful. Note that you are not preparing the sheet as a group!!! So don't copy someone else's material - create YOUR OWN!
Reference sheets that violate any of the above will not be approved by the professor and will not be allowed in the exam.
Preparing Your Reference Sheet
The preparation of your reference sheet assists you in developing key skills such as analysis and decision making in the face of ambiguity (de la Cruz, McKindsey, Hoffman, & Lander, 1991)
You learn more when you actively pursue learning and when you use repetition and reinforcement. Preparing the reference sheet helps you to focus, prioritize, condense knowledge, and apply the content you learn.
Use the reference sheet as a memory aid or a trigger.
Use your own notes that you have made during classes, the study notes, instructor's notes and the quizzes to help you identify what the learning objectives are and what material you need to focus on. This can include short segments of code, terms/definitions, diagrams, lists of commands/objects/methods/functions/tags/properties/values/attributes/whatever.
Resources
- Instructables: Creating the Perfect Exam "Cheat" Sheet
- Girl Knows Tech: How to make the Perfect Cheat Sheet
- Knowledge Academy: How to Make a Cheat Sheet
- TikTok video from some girl that has the most amazing cheat sheets I've ever seen! - there's also a glimpse of her notes - if you can find a video from her about her note-taking, let me know!