Exam Techniques You should understand the importance of: planning ahead appropriate exam techniques and routines

tines time management an understanding of what is required answering the question

A study on stress-related illness among A level students found that 60% had problems before and during exams. This will come as no surprise to you. It happens here too, and some students find the whole process completely overwhelming. Exams, for the most part, do not mirror what goes on in the real world. Therefore they are alien, and can become as much a test of temperament and technique as of knowledge. Anxiety leads to a lack of concentration, an increase in self-criticism, selfpreoccupation, and self-dissatisfaction. In other words, the anxious person is reacting to internal stimulants rather than facing the task and getting on with it, i.e. more time is spent worrying and talking about it than doing it. SO - You must therefore arm yourself. A SYSTEMATIC approach will help you to get and stay on course. You need long and short-term goals. Preparation you should be doing, or already have done: e.g. during the year: organising notes, photocopies and references into topic/subject files re-reading at regular intervals working on returned assessed work from about six weeks before E-day: getting hold of old exam papers finding out what kind of exams you'll have getting exam timetable (even if its not absolutely exact) making a revision timetable working out how long for each question condensing notes onto one side of A4 or a prompt card

e.g.

trying to write an essay in 50 minutes in silence without notes trying 'mock' questions getting materials together (know what you're allowed - including sweets, etc) on the day: have a routine in mind: Administration

Follow the rules! All of them. Fill in any forms, boxes, etc, accurately. Tutors and administrators have a fiddly and stressful job too, and will not be helped if you don't do what is asked. Don't annoy the marker(s). Look at the legibility of your writing, the numbering of questions, filling in the slip and the front of the answer book, etc. 2 Read the paper

Read the paper slowly and carefully. A careful reading can allow the concepts into your mind so that subconsciously it is working on them even without you knowing. Read every word and phrase with attention. Decide which questions you are able to answer and put them in order of difficulty with the easiest first. By easiest I mean the one you can score highly on without using up more than the allotted time. 3 Timing

As well as 10 minutes to read at the beginning, you should allow twenty for revision at the end. This is important - either in order for you to rewrite bits if necessary, or to use as emergency time if you have problems. Divide the remaining time by the number of questions you are expected to answer. Jot down a timetable. Answer your first choice question, and if you finish or run out of things to say, do not give the extra time to the next question, but keep it in reserve for the end. If, on the other hand you do not finish, leave some space to come back to it later, and move on. Do this throughout the exam.

The reason for this is that it is relatively easy to get your first few marks for a question, and more and more difficult to get the rest as you progress. It is therefore imperative that you attempt all questions. 4 questions x 10 marks = a pass. 4 Individual Questions

The answering of each question must be approached in a mechanistic way - no 'divine inspiration' at this point. Checklist 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Do I fully understand the question and any accompanying riders to it? Is the question a straightforward one? Do I have a clear idea of what the examiner is asking? Do I have sufficient material for an adequate answer? Have I a clear idea of how to tackle the question? Have I answered the question or a similar one before? Does the question interest me?

Be sure you know exactly what is being asked. If you need to disentangle the question, rewrite on your answer paper all the data you have been given, in a list. Then write down the requirements. This is the start of a plan, and will stop you answering the question by telling the examiner what you know about a topic, without necessarily answering the question - a common fault. Examiners often mark all Q4s, for instance, then all Q6s, in order to get a uniformity across scripts. A logical, planned and tidy layout will therefore be appreciated. Help the marker as much as you can, by making it clear what you are doing at each stage. All questions should start on a fresh page. This helps the marker to find the question easily, and also leaves you room for additions/alterations. Put the question number on each sheet you use; Q9, Q9 continued, etc. If you have numerical work to do remember to put in the stages that you may have used a calculator to do. The reason for this is that if you go wrong the marker can identify your steps, and can give you the appropriate credit. If it's just wrong, with no explanation of the steps you've followed, you fail. If it's half wrong, you might at least get some marks.

Illegible handwriting is almost the most annoying thing for an examiner. You are under pressure. Is your writing going to let you down? Word processors can mean that this may be the first time your tutors have seen your writing and its little quirks. Some young women's writing in particular looks very nice but reads very badly. Ask your fellow students if they can read your writing, bearing in mind that an examiner has about 5 minutes for each question and hasn't the time to decipher your script. 5 Correct and co-ordinate

If you have kept to your timetable you will have some time at the end. You may have complete, nearly complete, and half done answers at this stage, but make sure you've attempted the right number. Go back and finish those which are nearly complete, and if you have time try working on those that have a way to go. If necessary do this by making coherent notes. DON'T put 'sorry, no time', as it will only annoy. 6 Last minute check

Read through your scripts, making corrections to your English, putting in missing words, etc. Never leave an exam room early, except for illness. Even if you think you've done as much as you can, stay there - something more may come to you if you relax. 7 Editing

Make sure that all your unwanted work is crossed through, neatly, to let the tutor know immediately what it is that they have to mark. Make sure that you've filled in the front of the paper, questions you've done, in the correct order. Don't forget to tie all your papers together, so that none goes astray. There's an Everest of paper on everyone's desk during exam time! Postscript Most failures stem from a lack of understanding of the procedures, and a lack of preparation - not from a lack of knowledge or ability - it is seldom a lack of ability that brings down a student who wants to succeed. The standard required for a pass is not high. Exam answers cannot in any way duplicate the effort you put into a report or essay.

What floors people is the lack of technique. You can't high-jump without practising the techniques of high-jumping. You can't play a musical instrument without the same. So why should you be able to write, or take exams without knowing the techniques and practising them? The more you do, the better you get. Familiarity takes out some of the fear. Don't waste your chances by an amateur approach to exams. And - Incredible as it may seem, year after year students fail to turn up at the right place at the right time. Don't make that mistake, it's not a valid reason for a re-sit. Some rooms will be unfamiliar to you. Find out where they are and leave enough time to get there. Attendance at the wrong exams happens every year. Post post script THINK POSITIVE