Useful exam tips
YOU forgot to turn up for class or you fell asleep in half the lectures. Now it’s exam time and you feel ill prepared. Try these tips to leverage what you do know.
Write down what you have memorised
If you have something off by heart, like dates for a history class, equations for a maths class or words like “onomatopoeic” for English tests, write these down on a piece of paper as soon as the exam starts. Now you can’t forget them.
Read the instructions
You probably already know if you have to answer every question, choose a percentage of the questions presented or a mix of both but it’s good to make sure.
Read the whole paper
Even if you have to answer every question, don’t dive into the first one instantly; look at the whole exam. Mark each question according to how well you think you can answer each one. Now look at which one carries the most marks.
Know how much time you have
Ideally you should work out before you go into an exam how much time you have to answer each question. If you haven’t done this, you’ll have to do it in the room. Remember to give more time to questions that are worth more marks.
Do the easiest question first
It will calm you down, settle your mind, and get you into exam writing mode. Then do the second most easy question and so on.
Don’t leave blanks
It is unusual these days to find an exam where you are marked for putting down incorrect things; most exams only award exams for proper points and have no sanction for messing it up.
So, don’t leave blanks, go for it. You never know, you may pick up some extra marks.