One age-old example of a good essay exam item is: "Make up a question and answer it." I tried using that item...once, and most of the students objected vehemently that the item was unfair, that they did not know how to make up good exam questions. Their job, they said, was to answer questions, not ask them! From that time on, I have required my students to write exam items as a part of their assignment. I assure you that writing and answering items is a very valuable tactic in preparing for exams.
Why should you write and answer questions over the material on an up-coming exam? The answer to that question lies in understanding the way we remember information. Something "comes to mind" when some cue that is associated with that information occurs. By writing exam items, you are making up various cues that will later help you recall the information. And by answering the items, you are practicing the very behavior required on an exam, namely recalling information from memory. Every time you recall something, it is easier to recall it again in the future.
Furthermore, making up items often forces you to think about the topic more completely. For example, this chapter began with the distinction between learning and memory. The most obvious exam item would be, "What is the difference between learning and memory?" You should first rehearse the answer, "Learning is getting information into your knowledge system, memory is getting it out."
Can you think of other questions the professor might ask to determine if you really understand the distinction? Making up and answering alternative items is what best prepares you for the exam. Let me suggest a few illustrative questions:
Why is the distinction between learning and memory important? Which is more important, learning or memory? Give an original illustration of the difference between learning and memory. Why might a student not be able to answer an exam item? Give an analogy to the difference between learning and memory. . . .Etc.
What I hope is clear is that "rehearsal" does NOT mean repeating the same thing over and over in order to memorize it. Rehearsal means to practice answers to various possible items over the same information. The more ways you have thought about it, the less likely you are to be baffled by the professor's item.