• You cannot bring any material or resources in a closed book exam.
• You're required to rely on memorised knowledge and learnt understanding to respond to questions.
• Marks are awarded for knowing and understanding key facts and concepts and constructing an argument.
• They can include short or long-form answers, be multiple choice, or indeed, any other format.

• Open book exams are assessments where you can consult your notes, textbooks, and other resources during the exam. 
• These exams focus on evaluating your ability to construct an essay drawing on sources and notes you have taken into the exam.
• There is a greater expectation for evidence to be used and referenced. 
• They can include short or long form answers, be multiple choice, or indeed, any other format.

•  In ‘seen’ examinations, you are given the essay question(s) in advance.
• This allows time for thorough preparation, research, and planning before writing your answers under exam conditions.
• This type of exam aims to better assess your understanding and analytical skills by focusing on an in-depth exploration of the material.

Top Tips for approaching 'Seen' exams:

• Avoid rote memorisation: Instead of memorising an essay word-for-word, focus on understanding the key points and structure.
• Bullet point planning: Develop a bullet-point plan with a clear conclusion directly addressing the question. Learn this list to draw upon in the exam room.  
• Timed practice: Write the full essay under timed conditions to familiarise yourself with exam constraints and refine your response.
• Clarity and structure: Ensure your essay is concise, well-structured with paragraphs, and uses clear signposting for key ideas.
• Review and refine: Allocate time to review your work to ensure you have not missed anything or made an obvious error. 

In some subjects, you are examined not in written form, but by talking. This is typical of language subjects. In other systems, such as that used in Italian universities, oral exams are much more common. 

• Although they don’t involve writing, it can be useful to prepare notes and write down ideas and phrases so you can check them for accuracy. 
• Some of these are open-book exams. It is important to check carefully the rules relating to each exam. These can usually be found on the module VLE or in the module handbook.

In this type of exam you are asked questions and provided with a list of possible answers to select from. 

• Used in many subjects. 
• They are mainly a test of knowledge and understanding. 
• They usually don’t require you to write any answers. 
• Some exams are only partly multiple choice in combination with questions that require written answers.