Here are few tips which I gathered as "during the exam dictums", when I was giving my exams.
If you are completely unsure of a question, draw a box around the question in your exam booklet. This strategy makes it easy for you to return to the questions after you've completed the rest of the exam.
Don't get hung up on one question! No one knows everything. Assess the question to the best of your abilities, choose your best "guess," and move on. Show the examiners that you can jump any hurdle and still successfully complete the exam.
The exam is just a piece of paper you write your answers on with a pencil. It cannot jump off the table and question you in person. You are in control of the situation, not the exam. Don't be afraid of being wrong.
The exam is a strenuous situation. Are you practicing sitting and using your mind for eight hours a day?
Maintain a positive attitude. Commit yourself to meeting your goal of passing the exam.
Practice the solutions approach! Beyond knowing the material, you must be able to convey that knowledge to the grader within the time frame allowed.
Adequate amounts of sleep, food, and exercise in are necessary to meet the physical and mental demands placed upon you during the exam.
You will encounter problems on the exam for which you do not feel specifically prepared. Exam confidence will help you to overcome the initial frustration, remain calm, and think logically. Using the solutions approach in combination with grader orientation will enable you to pick up a sizable number of points on questions that catch you off guard.
Avoid failure by maintaining your exam confidence and adhering to your examination strategy. The most common reasons for failure are:
* Failure to understand the requirements
* Misunderstanding the text of the problem
* Lack of knowledge of material tested
* Inability to apply the solutions approach
* Lack of an exam strategy (e.g., time budgeting)
* Sloppiness, computational errors, etc.
Accuracy is just as important, if not more so, as speed. You should work each section of the exam with a time budget in mind to avoid any last minute panic attacks. Do not mark any known answers wrong just because you are afraid of running out of time.
In the end I would like to wish you all the best of luck in the upcoming exams.
|