Four steps that will help students improve their exam technique

One of the consolations of adulthood is not having to sit any more exams. With that in mind we should all spare a thought for the millions of schoolchildren who will be taking exams over the next few weeks. Most of these students will be all too aware just how important their results will be for their prospects, and this time of year is extremely difficult for them.

I was a university lecturer for many years, and through my profession became acquainted with a group of exam markers - a niche job, mostly occupied by part time or retired teachers. I once enquired what the most common exam mistakes were, thinking they would tell me about students getting confused over certain aspects of trigonometry, or perhaps some problem in the sciences. Their answers however astonished me, for they had nothing to do with any part of the syllabus, and were not, strictly speaking, concerned with subject knowledge.

Not reading the question properly was the unanimous complaint voiced by the examiners, who informed me every year they marked exams where students had given answers bearing no relevance to the questions asked. `Correct, but not the answer to this question,` was something an examiner said he had written countless times over the years, when students had often given very good answers to questions that weren`t in the exam. Other common mistakes included correct numerical answers with the wrong units (apparently very widespread), and not writing out the mathematical steps that led to the answer, when the question requested the working to be shown.

I feel extremely sorry for students who, after having studied for two years, and revised for months, go on and lose marks because they misread the question, or were careless when writing their answer. With this in mind students would do well to develop their `exam technique.` The following points should be helpful in avoiding some of the pitfalls that examiners encounter every year.

1. Read the question carefully

Yes it sounds pedantic, even condescending, but anyone can read a question wrong. In the stress of the exam environment, with time ticking away, it`s understandable many students will feel pressured to start writing. Read the question slowly - read it again. Make sure it`s understood before pen is put to paper. If you misread the question you will waste time and possibly get no marks at all.

2. Ascertain how many questions you have to answer

There are many exams that give the student a choice as to which questions to answer. Usually occurring where an essay answer is required, in subjects such as history or geography, these exams give the student the option to put their knowledge to those areas they are most confident in. Every examiner said they despaired at the number of students who answered all the questions, for they squandered their time, rushing to compose three or four essays when only one or two were needed. Once again the way to avoid this mishap is to read the paper carefully.

3. Don`t panic!

It`s certainly understandable that many students feel anxious in exam situations. Exam phobia is a recognised condition, and prevents many students from producing their best work when it is most needed. Like most fears, the best way to attenuate Exam phobia is to tackle it head on. Try to get hold of some past papers, and actually complete them under exam conditions. Set yourself the allotted time as prescribed by the exam, and complete it in silence at home. The more times you face this challenge, the less afraid you will be when the time comes for you to take the actual exam.

4. Manage your time wisely

A very common mistake students make while taking exams is to spend too much time on one particular question, leaving them with insufficient time to tackle the rest of the exam. A good technique to make sure this doesn`t happen is to apportion out how much time you want to give to each question. If you have four questions to complete in two hours that leaves thirty minutes for each question. What you want to be on guard against is getting stuck on a particular problem, and being unaware the minutes are ticking by while you are getting little done. If you are stuck it would be best to move on to the next question, where your time can be spent being productive. You can always return to the question that was causing you difficulties once you have completed the exam.