April 25, 2018, by Lucy
Exam Tips
Preparation is Key
So, this one takes place even before the exam is anywhere near starting since there is no point in rocking up without being ready. The amount of time you give yourself to revise for exams is entirely up to you, people work differently. Whether you need six months to get your head down because you know that you take time to process information, or if you can cram it all a few weeks in advance – it’s your call. However, speaking from experience, I recommend starting early. Even if you do the odd bit here at there say six weeks before the exam itself, at least you have started to lay the foundations. Besides, the sooner you know something, the easier it will be in the long run. And by prep, I don’t mean colouring in a mind map… you actually need to process the information. Just remember that.
Get There Early
If your exam is at 12, don’t rock up at 11.59, perhaps come at 11.45 instead. Give yourself time to get your mind in gear. Getting to an exam early will give you time to relax (or at least prepare for what is to come), allowing you do to anything you need: you can have that last minute nervous wee (we all know it’s a thing), check your seat number, check your bags, you know the drill.
Be Well Equipped
Ahead of the exam it’s beneficial to find out what equipment you need to bring with you. Bringing your Student ID and a pen is pretty much a given, but away from that it is module specific. Some papers advise you to bring pencils, and with that comes rubbers, others may need you to bring a calculator. I mean, in my eyes, more is more. Can you ever OVER pack for an exam? I think not. So long as your phone is turned off and away from your persons and you don’t have any other electrical goods with you, the more the merrier I say.
Plan Ahead
Knowing how long your exam is and how many questions / marks are on the paper is crucial. We’ve all been there, you think the exam is two hours long, so you take your time only for it to hit the 50-minute mark and the invigilator is informing you that you have ten minutes left. Damn. You spend that last ten minutes answering the ½ of the paper that you had yet to complete because you thought you had more time. It’s a mistake that most of us only make once simply because the experience causes your life to flash before your eyes. Honestly, work out how many marks you should be looking to pick up per minute unless you a) have an amazing time driven intuition or, b) you want to know what it feels like to be on the brink of a heart attack.
Stay Focused
Your mind can do weird things during times when it should really focus, it’s quite amazing actually. Somehow even the most mundane things can become the most fascinating things on the planet. Oh look, the girl in front of you has a ponytail. Wow. What’s that outside? A pigeon, someone call David Attenborough! Is that a pink pen I see? This world has no limits… You know, that kind of thing. Rather than looking away from your desk, just focus on what’s in front of you, your paper that is, not the girl’s ponytail. Besides, the exam is finite, so you may as well put your heart and soul into it while you can. You can look at pigeons any other time, you can only do this specific exam once.
Great tips Lucy! One advice that doesn’t get shared is preparing your clothes beforehand. Don’t leave it till the big day to try and find something to wear.