What to do on the day of an EXAM......

Do's and don'ts when the big day arrives

You attended classes all semester. In the weeks and days before the exam, you studied and reviewed more intensively. Now the day of the exam is here. By following a few mental, physical, and psychological strategies, you can get an even higher score. Here are some basic tips for those crucial few hours. Clearly, what you do on this day can make or break your grade!

• Physical Strategies

Sleep: Get enough sleep the night before the exam. If you’re dull-headed because of a lack of sleep.

Bring necessary materials: Keep extra materials such as pens, pencils, calculators, rulers, or compasses packed and ready the night before the exam so you have time to locate or even purchase any misplaced or lost items. Knowing you have everything you need will make you feel calmer and well-prepared.

• Mental Strategies

Review output: If you have some time before the exam, use it to review material and practice your output. Don’t try to learn new material at this stage.

Stay for the entire exam: Stay for the full length of the exam. Even if you feel you cannot recall any more, by relaxing or waiting in the exam hall, information and details might come to mind and enable you to score additional points. On exams, every point counts.

Read directions: Make sure you focus on reading the directions carefully. This is the most common avoidable mistake made by students. Don’t let it happen to you.

Read each question: Really read what you are being asked to do on each question. Don’t presume it’s the angle you’re familiar with. Reread to see what you’re actually being asked and remember that exams change all the time, so questions that appeared in the past may differ from those given in the present.

Focus on yourself: Don’t look around at how other students are doing. It may appear that you’re trying to cheat and it will just distract you from your main task which is to do as well as possible on your exams.

Budget your time: Check how much each question counts towards your final mark and spend time on each answer accordingly. If you have a choice to write your answers in any order, do the easy ones first to build up your confidence.