Product reviews for Exam Literacy

Preparing for external examinations and tests can generate considerable anxiety, stress, restless sleep patterns, etc, as students attempt to remember notes which their teacher/tutor has given them.  In this excellent book, Jake Hunton from his considerable teaching experience and knowledge of practical research literature provides the reader with considerable insight and awareness of a range of strategies to prepare students more effectively for exams

He discusses at length the research on the benefits of regular testing for students to learn the skills of retrieving information to support retention of knowledge and application of the knowledge by elaboration within other domains

The reader will gain from the discussions on memory and forgetting where the author contrasts the values of retrieval strength (recall) and storage strength (how well we know something).  I particularly gained from the sections on the pros and cons of highlighting and elaborative interrogation. Teachers, students and parents will gain by reading the section on what might work better where the author discusses at length the benefits of self testing, elaborative interrogation and self explanation, which all demand an -˜output' by the student



This is an outstanding text that will enable the reader to promote more effective use of revision time and reduce stress levels.  The book should be a key resource within all schools and colleges to raise awareness of inappropriate revision techniques.  In particular, it highlights and raises insight and awareness into what works in raising performance levels