You can access past examination papers through the Library homepage or by clicking on the Past Exams Database.
Why familiarise yourself with past exam papers?
Familiarising yourself with past exam papers is one of the best ways to revise for your exams. It not only helps you get to grips with what you can expect on the day in terms of the amount of questions you will be asked and the time you will have to answer them, but it also gives you a fantastic chance to see what sorts of topics come up and how they are presented and examined.
Preparation is key
Knowing about all this will mean that you will be better prepared for your exams. This will help to improve your performance and keep the stress levels down on the day of your exams. It’s a win-win situation and should be something that you look at before you begin your revision as well as in the immediate run-in to the exam.
By knowing what to expect, you will be able to determine how much time to allot to each question as well as give yourself some really important time at the start of the exam to determine what questions to answer as well as exactly how you're going to tackle each question and at the end of the exam to review your answers.
Most exams are uploaded on to the Past Exams Database in the weeks following the completion of a term’s exams. Some exams don’t make it there for a number of reasons. If you have any query about an exam paper that should be available, just contact a member of library staff or your course administrator.
Past exam papers can be accessed via the purple "Exam Papers" button on the library homepage or by clicking on "Past Exams" under the Collections tab on the library website.
Past exam papers are hosted in a Sharepoint folder. You will need to log in with your student email and password to access this folder. You can browse through folders or search for the papers you need.
When you open the exam papers folder, you will see a list of folders categorised by whether the course is an undergraduate course (full- or part-time), a postgraduate course (full- or part-time), and undergraduate and postgraduate previously run courses. Click on the option that is relevant to the course you are studying.
You will then see a list of course codes. Select the course that you are studying.
You will then see a list of module titles. Click on the module that you would like to see exam papers for.
Once you have clicked the correct folder for your module, you will see a list of available exam papers. Click on each file to open it.
You can also use the search box at the top of the page to find exam papers.
Simply type in the name of your course or module, and browse the list of results for the folder or paper that you need.
If you cannot view the past exam papers after opening them, you may need to download Adobe Acrobat to open PDF files. You can get a free copy here (adobe.com/ie/acrobat.html).
If you still can’t find what you’re looking for, just contact a member of the library staff - you can pop over to the library desk, email us at library@ncirl.ie or use the LibChat service on our website to chat with a librarian.
Remember - reviewing past exam papers can be a great way to familiarise yourself with the format, material, and types of questions that you will have to face in your exam, but always keep in mind that regulations, questions, and/or topics may have changed since these exam papers were set. If you have any doubts at all, please contact your course administrator.
