Surviving the Exams

«««««««««« When you are sitting your exams you are going to feel nervous  (to a greater or lesser degree). This is normal. Use that nervous energy to help you. Don’t let it panic you into writing too soon. ««««««««««

Exam Technique

Read the instructions and descriptions (rubric) at the front of the exam. Make sure you know which sections to read and which questions to answer. It will tell you how long you have and how many marks there are for that paper. Follow the instructions carefully.  The examiners are on your side. They are trying to find ways to give you the marks. They are not trying to take away marks from you. But if you make it like hunting for a needle in a haystack, it is very difficult for the examiners to find anything worth giving a mark to.

One of the most common mistakes is that people don’t read the question properly and answer the question they think they read, or wanted to read, not the actual question. As good as the answer may be, if it’s not the one to the question, it won’t get any marks.

Address the question showing understanding and detailed explanation. You must demonstrate clear thinking and understanding of the topic. A muddled answer is hard to award marks to. Plan your answer. Even if it is jotting down all the key words that you associate with that question, numbering them, and then using them to construct a full explanation. It may help to underline or circle the questioning word (how, why, what, explain, compare, contrast, describe, outline etc). Also highlight the key words or concepts mentioned in the question. Doing this gives you a breathing space if you need it, and helps to clarify your thoughts and ideas, so that you can communicate them clearly.

In an exam, everyone’s writing gets more untidy than it would be normally. However, it must be legible. If the examiner can’t read it, it doesn’t matter how good the answer is. If you know this is a problem for you. Practice writing out answers. Get someone else to read them to check that it is legible.

You may not know this, but if you cross out a correct answer and don’t replace it with a wrong answer, the examiner can give you credit for it even though it’s crossed out. However, if you obliterate the crossed out answer, it can’t happen. Use a single line to cross out, so it can still be read. Just in case!


R