When you’re in an exam it can feel like the weight of the world is on your shoulders. Don’t let the pressure get to you though! Following these simple tips can really help you make sure that you achieve the best possible grades.
Keep calm: Stress is the enemy of good grades. Once you start to panic you won’t give your best answers. Remember that you have prepared and revised for this exam. The questions are designed for you to show everything you’ve learnt, not to trick you. Make sure you eat properly on the day of you exam, and go to the bathroom before you go in! Take a deep breath and approach your paper just like you would your homework. The only difference is the ticking clock.
Read the questions: It can be tempting to read a question and just start answering it. While you might be worried that you only have a limited amount of time, it’s actually much more important to ensure you’ve answered the question correctly. Read through the question a couple of times before you even start to think about answering it.
Write an outline: If it’s a written exam, then a useful tip is to write an outline of how you plan to answer the question. This way you can write out exactly what information needs to be included in order to answer the question fully. This approach will actually save time. The last thing you want to do is to start writing a detailed answer to a question only to have to go back later because you’ve realised you haven’t understood what the question is actually asking you.
Time Management: If the paper is English or History, for example, and comprised of a few essay questions, read through all the questions in the exam paper first. This is important as then you can decide on which questions will take the longest to answer. Set aside time for the questions that need a longer and more detailed answer. Before you begin just write down how long you think you’ll need to spend on each section. You don’t have to stick exactly to those times, but they will be a useful indicator of when you need to move on to another section of the exam. For other types of exams, scan the various sections of the paper and manage your progress against the clock accordingly.
Time Management in exams
Proof reading: Another important aspect of an exam is to make sure your answer actually makes sense and is free from errors. Allow some time to proof read your answers. Go back over all your answers and double-check that each sentence and paragraph actually makes sense and that your work is free from silly spelling or grammatical mistakes.
Practice exams beforehand: Practicing on mock exams and regular feedback from tutors who have been through the process themselves will give you much more confidence when you actually enter exam conditions. Like anything in life, the more you practice, the better you will become. Make sure to practice answering the questions under the same timeframe as you would in a real exam. It really will make you more confident when it’s time to do the real thing.
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