EXAM S S
COMMON PROBLEMS YOU MAY EXPERIENCE IN EXAMS
(AND HOW TO SOLVE THEM!)
Here ARE SOME COMMON problems THAT students can
experience
DURING AN EXAM - AND MORE IMPORTANTLY, SOME TIPS FOR YOU ON HOW TO AVOID THESE:
Problem 1
Felt rushed, made careless mistakes
Solution
Plan your time before you start Monitor your progress – regularly check the time Slow down and use positive self-talk. Tell yourself that you have the time, you can do this!
Leave 5-10 minutes at the end for proofreading
Problem 2
My mind went blank
Solution
Put a mark next to the question and come back to it later. Another question on the paper may give you a clue
Think of information related to the topic (a key word, a process, a key example) – this may trigger an answer
Don’t beat yourself up about it – stay positive. Just try your best!
Problem 3
Ran out of time Solution
Time management is critical in an exam situation
Get as much information as possible from your teacher about the exam and make a tentative plan - how is the exam structured and how many questions are there? Make sure you do this!
Budget time for each part of the question. Give more time to questions that are worth more marks
Mark the questions you can’t answer easily, write some notes to empty your thoughts a bit, and then come back to them later
Problem 4
Didn’t understand the instructions or didn’t understand the question
Solution
Exam invigilators are there to help. If there is an issue with instructions then ask if they can help
They can’t help decode questions though – so here think back to your lessons where you would have learned command words and see if this triggers a memory
Perhaps you covered a similar question in lessons – think how the answer to the question in class could apply to the exam question in front of you
Problem 5
Misread or misinterpreted the question or didn’t think the answer through
Solution
Slow down and read the questions carefully
Underline key words to help you focus
Write down your ideas before you write your answer
Review the question and your answer before moving on
Problem 6
Felt very stressed and anxious Solution
Being prepared will calm your nerves
During the exam, put your pen down and take some deep breaths –then try again
Don’t worry about what other students are doing during the exam. Don’t look around, stay focused on YOU
If your exam stress levels are really high before exams and during exam season make time to access your Academic Mentor, your subject teacher, the SWEAs or welfare support in Learning Development
