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