Exam Tips – Succeeding on the Day

15 tips for your students to help them succeed on the day of their exams.

1. Wake up early so that you do not need to rush through having breakfast and getting ready.
2. Check the venue and time of the exam to make sure that you have not confused the day/time/venue.
3. Have a balanced breakfast and eat nothing risky (probably not the best day to have a super-hot curry!). Bananas are always a good option.
4. Before leaving home, check that you have everything that you will need – ID, stationery, map to the exam venue, etc.
5. Head to the exam with plenty of time. A lot of unexpected events can happen on your way there and you do not want to be late!
6. If there are people around who are panicking, avoid them. They are not doing you any favours!
7. Go to the toilet before the exam starts. Exams can be quite long and there is no time to waste.
8. Remember to write your name on the exam paper. You would not believe how many people have forgotten to do it!
9. Read all the questions carefully before starting and quickly plan how much time to allocate to each.
10. Start answering the questions that you feel most confident about. There is no need to answer the questions in order.
11. If your brain freezes, just start writing anything and you will soon start remembering more details.
12. Don’t spend more time than you planned on a particular section/question or you might run out of time to answer other questions and gain those extra marks! Also, leave any questions that you are unsure about for the end.
13. Don’t be afraid to ask the examiner if you are not clear on a question.
14. Use every minute of the exam and if you have time left, review your answers before handing back the paper.
15. Stay calm, you have done your homework and have nothing to fear!

On a final note, will you be rewarding your students effectively for their hard work and effort?