Finishing Exams In Time.

How to finish exams in the time allowed!

Created by Steven the tutor.

A) LONG BEFORE THE EXAM:

1. Do you write slowly? Does your hand ache? If yes, then you must practice writing so you speed up your writing. Many students have this problem as they don`t often write with a pen because the keyboard is king! :-)

2. Know your subject so you don t waste time trying to remember things low test scores or failing to finish tests in time are signs that you need a tutor to help you.

3. Use past papers to calculate the pace required, for example 1 mark/minute, you must know this before the exam.

4. Do past papers with the correct time limit so you are familiar with the types of questions and the answers that may be needed, and so that you get familiar with the pace needed.

5. Identify your weakest topics e.g. in A level Physics this might be electric fields (why? See point 13.).

B) BEFORE GOING INTO THE EXAM ROOM.

6. Go to the loo before the exam and not during.

7. Stay comfortable during the exam by bringing a bottle of water, and a sweater that you can easily put on or remove.

C) IN THE EXAM.

8. RTQC Read The Question Carefully. Circle any key words, correct any traps as soon as you spot them (e.g. in Physics you must turn mm into metres, and grams into kilograms etc) even if this means you have to go back and read the question again.

9. Stick to the pace if it s one mark per minute do not spend 4 minutes on a 1 mark question, take your best guess after 1 minute, circle the question number (to return to later if you have time) and move on. This is extremely important with the multiple choice questions were students often waste a lot of time.

10 Stick to the pace the question says at the end how many marks there are so make sure you spend the right amount of time on each question.

11. Keep your head down and focus don t waste time looking at your friends or the invigilator [he or she is simply the most bored person on the planet so there is nothing to see there :-) ]

12. Struggling to get through exams on time makes it tempting to give up. Don`t give up, write until told to stop.

13. Do your weakest question last. For example if you know that electric fields is your weakest topic and question 3 is about electric fields, circle the question number and skip it but you MUST remember to come back to it at the end if you have time.

14. Do the multiple choice questions last of all (e.g. in A level Physics).

15. Long written answers - write down any mnemonics (e.g. RAVED is one used in A level Physics) and any key words then write your answer using these as a foundation be concise, don t waffle, and stick to the marks per minute speed. I have created lots of mnemonics to help my GCSE and A level students remember key things in science.

16. Never leave a blank guess if you have to. Circle the question number, guess, and move on.

17. NEVER leave early use your time to go back to any of the hard questions that you circled.

18. Don t let exam anxiety get the best of you. Worry is normal during an exam, but panic can waste a lot of time. If you start feeling overwhelmed, give yourself a moment to calm your mind. Put down your pen, close your eyes, and focus on your breathing think positive thoughts. You will soon feel stronger and you can resume the exam.

Good Luck!

Steven the tutor.