Exam Day Tips

Make sure that when exam day comes, you've done all of the exam prep you needed to in order to feel confident. If you've been preparing but some exceptional circumstances have occurred that you believe will affect your performance, apply for special consideration. The earlier you can do this the better. Consult the Disability Liaison Unit about alternative exam arrangements as early as possible if you have a disability or ongoing medical condition.

The night before the exam

Don't spend the night before an exam trying to cram in more or new information. At this stage, it's best just to work with the exam notes or flash cards you've made during revision sessions.

• List or recite the main points on a topic and then check your recall against your notes.
• Look over your essay plans, formulae and/or any mnemonics you have devised.
• Pack your bag for the next day, eat a good meal and try to get a good night's sleep.

If you feel anxious about the limits of your knowledge, remind yourself that you will earn more marks by being refreshed and alert in the exam than by trying to cram another topic into your short-term memory. Often short-term cramming doesn't work. It's better to know well what you've learned over the longer term than to panic and exhaust yourself at the last minute.

On exam day

• Allow plenty of time in the morning to get ready to leave for the exam.
• Have a healthy meal - preferably with protein and complex carbohydrates (low GI) that will provide slow energy release over several hours.
• Take water and barley sugar with you to sustain you through a three-hour exam.
• Dress appropriately for the weather and remember that exam rooms can sometimes be a little extreme in temperature - so be prepared.
• Make sure you take your student card and appropriate writing instruments (pens, pencils, ruler, eraser, etc).
• Arrive in good time but don't talk with other students about the topics or the exam. This may confuse you and is likely to contribute to exam anxieties.
• If you're feeling nervous, focus on staying as relaxed as possible. Wriggling your fingers and toes will keep muscles loose, deep breathing can reduce anxiety and chewing gum (quietly, so as not to annoy others) can help to prevent tensions building in your jaw and neck.

During reading time

• Get an overview of the entire paper by scanning through it quickly first.
• Read the instructions VERY carefully and work out how many questions you need to answer.
• Calculate the time you can spend on each answer relative to its mark value. Allow yourself 10-15 minutes for review at the end.
• Decide which questions are the best ones to attempt. Skim the paper again and tick any questions you feel you could attempt. Then go back and read these carefully.
• Decide the order in which you will respond. The general rule is to start on the one that seems easiest to you. Also, plan to attempt the ones worth most marks reasonably early. Leave the ones you are least sure about to last; you may get some idea about them along the way.
• If you have any time left, analyse the questions you will attempt. Ask: What exactly is the question asking? Can it be broken down into parts? Can I restate it in simpler terms? How does it relate to the semester's work? What information is provided? Are there any clues elsewhere in the paper?

During writing time

• As soon as you can, write a few things down:
  • List, in order, the questions you will attempt
  • Write your approximate time allowance per question
  • Write out formulae, key terms, lists or plans you've memorised and note which questions you already know you'll apply them to
• Re-read each question and plan your answers. Don't rush or feel that you have to begin writing an answer straight away.
• Identify any modifiers and qualifiers - eg. only, always, sometimes, rarely. Exact words such as always, never, none, must, without exception, mean that there is no exception. Therefore, if you can think of one exception, statements that include these words are incorrect or false (distractors). In contrast, indefinite words, such as rarely, usually, seldom, some, sometimes, frequently, often, can tolerate exceptions.
• If possible, don't look at the options provided until you think of an answer. Analyse the responses available and match your answer with one of the choices - read them all before making a choice. If your answer does not match exactly, find the choice that most closely approximates your answer.
• Some people prefer to write a brief outline of their planned response for each question before beginning to write detailed responses. This may help if you know your concentration wanes over time. Also, if you have a mental blank later, you have your outline to which to refer.
• Stick to your allocated time for each answer - if you get stuck, move on.
• If, despite your best efforts, you run out of time, jot down notes on how you would have proceeded to solve the problem or answer the question. Point form is fine at this stage.
• If you have no idea of the answer, don't leave a blank. Write down anything you can think of that's related to the question.

Tips for maximising your exam marks

• Avoid spending too long on difficult questions for which your answer may or may not be correct, especially at the expense of running out of time to attempt the questions you're more confident about.
• Be sure to answer the question asked. No matter how brilliant your response, it will earn ZERO marks if it does not relate to the question.
• Answer all parts of the question. Be aware that essay or short-answer questions can count in parts. For example, 'How and why are contemporary romantic films different from those of the classic Hollywood period?' Be sure to discuss both 'How' and 'why'.
• Try to identify how the marks have been allocated. For example, if you are asked to explain four causes of heart disease is worth 20 marks, it's likely that 5 marks are available for each of the causes you discuss.
• Make sure your writing is legible. Examiners are under time constraints too. If they are struggling to read your writing it may seem to them your ideas are unclear.
• For mathematical or scientific calculations, check your responses carefully. For written responses check that your ideas are clear and on target. Everyone makes simple mistakes under pressure and you will lose 'easy' marks if you leave out a key word or misplace a decimal point.