As exam season approaches,
teachers and students across the country are feeling increasing levels of
stress… This is understandable, as exams are a big deal, but there’s no need to
panic!
Revision is ultimately down
to the individual – No-one can learn stuff for you, so you need to be as
prepared as possible.
Good exam technique,
however, can give you an edge, and could gain you the extra few marks that push
you up over a grade boundary.
I have experienced exams
from all possible perspectives – as a student, as a teacher, and as an
examiner. My current focus is GCSE science but I’m sure the following advice
applies to most subjects, at any level (including University!) for any paper with
a combination of short and long answers.
Here are my “Top Ten Tips”:
1. READ THE BLOODY QUESTION! (RTBQ!)
Don’t just skim read the
question and latch on to a key word… That may put you onto the wrong track…
Read each question carefully, and make sure that you understand what they’re
asking.
2. Write Clearly in the Space Provided.
If your answer is correct,
but the examiner can’t read it, they can’t give you a mark! Also keep your
answer within the space given on the paper – Nowadays exam papers are scanned
to be sent to examiners electronically, so if your answer isn’t within the area
that gets scanned the examiner won’t even see it!
3. Allow Yourself About 1 Minute Per Mark.
A munute doesn’t sound like
long when you have to read the question, think about your answer, and then
write your answer down, but actually it should be plenty of time, so don’t
panic! (If you’re doubting that 1 minute is actually quite a long time, just
try holding your breath for 60 seconds… It seems like ages!) Also remember that
lots of exam papers group questions together, so the same information that you
need to read through can be used for several answers, which saves you time.
4. Use the Information Provided.
If the question says “Use
the information in the table to support your answer”… Guess what?.. They want
you to USE THE INFORMATION IN THE TABLE!! (see 1 - RTBQ!) That means you
actually need to include information / data from the question in your answer –
You will definitely drop marks if you don’t do this!
Also, don’t assume that
pictures are there just to make the paper look pretty. Often there is a lot of
information in pictures and illustrations that can help you to work out the
answer.
5. Don’t Re-state the Question.
You have limited time and
space (see 3), so don’t waste either by repeating the question in your answer!
For example, if the
question says “Why did Mary have a little lamb?” your answer doesn’t need to
start “Mary had a little lamb because…”
“She was a shepherd” will
do fine – The examiners know what the questions are!
Keep your answers short and
to the point.
6. If You Don’t Know the Answer – Leave it! (but
don’t forget to come back to it later if you have time at the end!)
Time is precious (see 3).
Don’t spend ages staring at a question and hoping the answer will pop into your
head, especially if it’s only worth a few marks. Move on, then come back to it
later if you have time.
It helps to put a star *
next to the questions you want to come back to so that you don’t miss any when
you look back through the paper at the end.
7. If You Still Don’t Know the Answer When You go
Back – Guess!
If you give no answer at
all, you get no marks at all.
Even if you’re not sure,
you may as well write something. This is especially true for multiple choice,
or questions where you can choose your answer from a list of suggestions – Use
a process of elimination - Rule out the ones you know are wrong to narrow down
the possiblilties, then pick one of the answers that’s left – You might be
lucky!
8. If the Question Says Explain This AND
That, Your Answer Should Include This AND That.
This type of question
normally carries higher marks, so they’re worth getting right! If you give the
most detailed and accurate explanation of ‘This’
in the entire universe, but forget to mention ‘That’, you will limit the number of marks that you can be awarded (see
1 - RTBQ!)
9. Don’t Scribble Answers Out.
It’s better to have some
kind of answer than no answer at all (see 7).
If you cross out your
answer, but don’t write anything else, the examiner can give you marks for the
crossed out stuff (if it’s even partially right)… But only if they can still
read it! Use a singe line to cross
answers out instead of scribble!
For long answers (6 mark Qs
for GCSE Science for instance) don’t even put a line through the stuff you
think is wrong… leave it there… If it’s not crossed out, the examiner has to
read it, and if it contains something worthy of credit they have to give you
the marks. If you cross it out it can’t be given any credit even if it’s right!
10. Look Out for BOLD Text in the Questions.
The exam board are trying
to help you by putting words in bold – It’s their way of showing you that the
information is important!
They often use it for
instructions about how to answer the questions – for example “Which two of these can be used to….” Don’t
just pick one! (see 7 and 1 – RTBQ!)
… And Finally…
Examiners aren’t evil –
They are trying to give you marks, not take them away, so stay calm, don’t
panic, use your time well, and give it your very best shot!
P.S: RTBQ!
P.P.S PLEASE RTBQ!
P.P.P.S. RTFQ!! (my acronyms are getting angry now…
but this is REALLY important!!)
