Sitting an exam is like running a marathon, there is a certain amount of training and preparation that must be done!

1. Get a good nights sleep before the exam!

As a result, you will be able to thinking clearly and quickly during the exam. Do NOT cram the night before – this may only make you panic and leave you feeling excessively tired for the actual event.

2. Anxiety before an exam is normal but remember do NOT panic and keep your head!

If possible, try not to talk to your peers before you go into the exam hall. In this nervous atmosphere, students will always be talking about what they revised and likely hoods of the topics “coming up”. This conversation is best avoided minutes before an exam as it can make you panic!

3. Write clearly!

Students can only be given marks for what the examiner can read! Students should also write in blue pen! Interestingly black pen can often make a student’s writing look messier than it actually is, thus examiners prefer blue pen.


4. Clearly mark what question you are attempting to answer!

Try to avoid scattering parts of your answer and keep them together in the one booklet.

5. Do a short, quick brainstorm before you dive straight into answering the question!

This will help jog your memory and tell you just exactly how much you know about the topic. It will also help you formulate your answer so you can answer the question in a clear and logical manner.

6. Read the question three times and answer the question that you are asked!

Examiners can only give you marks for answering the question. For example, if the question asks that you compare two poets and you only discuss one, you will only be graded out of 50%.

7. Do NOT waffle!

Often students think that you more you write on a topic, the better your answer will look but this is not the case. The information you write needs to be relevant to the question! Believe it or not a student who writes a good succinct paragraph and a student who write pages and pages of waffle will get the same mark! If you can master this, it can save you lots of time in the exam!

8. Try answer most of the question is your own words!

This will demonstrate to the examiner that you have a firm understanding of the topic. Rattling off chunks off a text book may hint to the examiner that you can not apply your own knowledge to the question being asked.

9. Bring in a bottle of water to the exam!

It is important to keep hydrated as this will help you feel alert. However do not drink too much as you do not want to making more than one trip to the toilet – its wasting time!


10. Show off your knowledge!

Remember an exam is chance for you to show the examiner just how much you know so grab the bull by the horns and go for it!

11. Avoid Post Mortems!

Most importantly avoid post mortems about the exam once you have left the exam hall!! If you talk about an exam with a friend, they may mention something you did not think of or give you wrong information! This can take the buzz away from you when you should be feeling proud about what you have just done!