A big difference between high school and university is the need to be able to interpret written instructions without your instructor spending a lot of time setting expectations in class.  Success at university requires you to understand each detail of what you are being asked to do, the type of thinking required for the task, and any associated academic conventions.  Here are some tips to help you understand and follow assignment or exam instructions.

Assignments:  Be proactive in understanding the guidelines

  • Start your assignment well before the deadline by spending time figuring out what the Assignment Guidelines are telling you to do.
  • Highlight key words or points you are afraid of overlooking.
  • Put the Guidelines in your own words.
  • Consider making a step-by-step checklist for yourself to break down complex instructions.
  • Well before the deadline but after you have thought about the Guidelines yourself, ask the professor or TA to clarify anything that you don’t understand about the assignment.
    • Investing 15 minutes to ask questions early in the process of working on an assignment can save you considerable time and frustration later on.
    • Asking questions in person is the best way to make sure that the instructor is able to clear up any confusion, but if this is not possible, send the instructor your question by email.
  • Note the grade percentage that the assignment is worth (from the course outline, if not given on the assignment guidelines).  When time is short, spend more time on an assignment worth 40%, for example, than on an assignment worth 10%.
  • Also note the amount of your grade lost every day if the assignment is late.

Resources for writing assignments

  • For research papers, the Assignment Calculator, off the Student Learning Commons homepage, is a useful tool for helping you break the assignment into a series of manageable steps, each with deadlines and further instructions.
  • Note the type of writing assignment and the discipline and, if needed, consult the Student Learning Commons website for more information about these.
    • Know the difference between an abstract, a literature review, a lab report, and a research paper, for example. 
    • Know the conventions of your discipline.  For example, should you write in past or present tense?  What citation style should you use?
    • Always follow the assignment guidelines, or information given by your instructor, over advice from an online source.  There are differing opinions on style and conventions for writing tasks.

Exam instructions

  • For written instructions, use a highlighter to mark important points.
    • For example, you may be asked to only answer 2 of 5 short answer questions.  If you miss this instruction, you will waste valuable time on the exam.
  • Write down the key points of any instructions that are given verbally.
  • Ask for clarification when needed.
  • Before the exam period, refer to the SLC Handouts Identifying levels of learning and Understanding action words in questions to make sure you fully understand what you will have to do if an exam question asks you, for example, to “analyze”, “discuss”, “apply” or “critique”.

Spending the time now to become detail-oriented in following instructions is a wise investment that will yield results not only in higher grades at university, but also in your ability to meet employers’ expectations in the future.