My Psychology course is assessed entirely by exams and I sat one last Monday and one this morning. Both went fine. What was interesting was the process of studying for these exams. Exams, pah, I thought. Sat hundreds of them, know how to do well in them. What I hadn't accounted for was the huge amount of time that has passed since I learned anything truly new, as opposed to building on existing skills and knowledge.
It took several attempts to really grasp the material and be able to construct coherent arguments in essay form (or, truth be told, any form - including explaining Freud to a friend over coffee). I'd become so used to being an expert, being able to grasp problems & solutions quickly that it was a bit of a shock to discover my learning skills could do with quite a retune.
I even contemplated not completing the course because I found the exam preparation so little fun.
So, I've learned a lesson. I can learn new stuff. I need to keep learning new stuff, especially if I don't want to go back to my old career and I will have to work at it to pump up those learning muscles.
Oh yes, and last minute cramming really isn't clever at all.
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