So Exam is fast approaching. Check out these
tips from StudyClix, advising us on things we shouldn't do.
1.
Don't
panic
Easier said than done we know but it's important to try and keep
level headed throughout the exam. One of the main reasons for stress at exam
time is the lack of control. Students get stressed because they don't know what
is coming up. One of the best things you can do to calm yourself is to
visualize yourself in the exam hall. Reading the paper and picking out the
questions you are going to do early on will help calm you as it removes the
stress caused by the unknown of what's coming up.
2.
Don't worry about being penalized
Lots of students worry about making mistakes and worry about
spelling words incorrectly. Remember you’re being marked positively not
negatively so everything you write is getting you marks.
3.
Don't leave out questions
From experience, the main reason students underperform in exams
is not because they answer questions badly but because they leave out
questions. As a rule of thumb, every long question you leave out will drop you
by a grade.
4.
Don't run out of time
Easier said than done I know but managing your time in the exam
is vital if you are not to leave out questions. Your teacher will probably give
you a breakdown of how much time to spend on each question. A good trick is to
write your question schedule with actual times onto the cover of your answer
book while the papers are being handed out. This way, if you look at your watch
and it’s say 11:10 you know exactly how much of your exam you should have
done. Also, make sure you stick to your schedule, so many students run
overtime perfecting answers maybe gaining 3 marks at the expense of not doing a
whole 50-mark question.
5.
Don’t be tired
Staying up late the night before an exam is not a good idea.
You'll end up so tired in the exam you won't be able to work anything out.
Try and keep a regular sleep cycle so that you’re fully awake and ready to work
when the exams start at 9:30 each morning.
6.
Don’t get stuck on a question
If you get a particularly hard question don't sit there
panicking about it. The best thing you can do is having a quick think about it,
mark it with a highlighter and move on to another question. The chances are
that by the time you come back to it your subconscious mind will have already
set you up to make an attempt at it.
7.
Don't bother looking around the exam hall
One of the most common things students do, especially in exams
they find difficult, is to look around and try to see how their classmates are
doing. There is really no point in doing this and it is likely that seeing
others furiously writing away will only serve to stress you further.
Concentrate on your own exam and try and keep your focus on your own paper.
8.
Don't dwell
Once you finish an exam don't spend half the day worrying about
what went wrong and how you could have improved it. Chatting to friends after
every exam will only fill you with frustrating regrets. When you hand up your
paper, forget about that subject. You're next focus is tomorrow's exam.
9.
Don't leave an exam early
There is always something you can do to improve your answers.
Read back over your work and make sure you’ve answered all parts of all
questions. Try to read your answers as if you were the examiner and you were
correcting someone else's work. Remember the changes you make in these last few
minutes could bring you up a grade.
10.
Don't panic
This tip is so important we'll say it again. If a really hard
question or paper comes up it's likely every other student in Ireland will find
it hard too. Very often the marking scheme will be made easier for harder
exams. Stay positive and give each exam your best and everything will work out
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