A WINNING ROUTINE FOR EXAM WEEK

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I’ve blogged earlier and extensively on exam strategies, from open book to online to in-person, multiple choice, essay, and short answer. Today, I’m going to focus on a 24-hour routine that can get you through each exam with less wear and tear, less exam anxiety and less chance of leaving marks on the table.

The physical and mental prep bears a lot of commonality with an athlete’s prep just before the big game: after the season’s conditioning and practice, getting mind and body in top shape for the final performance.

Much of this sounds pretty obvious and pretty routine because it is. Headaches happen when the obvious gets missed (forgot your id, or can’t find your bus pass, or . . . ).

The evening before the exam:

  • Eat a light dinner. 
  • Stretch.
  • Review your department’s exam protocol for what is required, what is allowed, and what is not allowed for writing exams.
  • Assemble your kit:
    • Charge your electronics and have chargers ready to put in your backpack.
    • Gather pens, erasers, pencils, scratch paper, notes and texts that you will need for writing the exam.
    • Have bottled water and a healthy snack.
    • Have your ID and bus pass or parking pass.
    • Have a timepiece to put on your exam desk–you may be required to have your phone turned off, and you do need to keep track of the time while you’re writing.
    • Other (a written checklist is a good idea).
  • You’re going to want to review your course overview and study notes that you have prepared for the exam. Allow yourself an hour or two for this review after dinner, not the whole night. 
  • When you have completed that review, visualize the small reward you are going to grant yourself after you finish the exam.
  • Pack your kit and check your list to make sure you’ve packed everything.
  • Use your grounding technique, meditation, or prayer, or visualization, or yoga.
  • Park your backpack by your exit, but out of sight from where you sleep.
  • Lay out your clothes for the morning.
  • Do your bedtime routine (teeth, wash, etc.).
  • Set your alarm or wake up reminder out of reach.
  • Go to bed.
  • Again, use whatever relaxation and visualization techniques work for you . . . and go to sleep.

The morning of the exam:

  • When you get up, stretch, breathe.
  • Groom–teeth, wash/shower, hair, dress.
  • Eat a light breakfast. Hydrate.
  • Allow yourself travel time, with ten to fifteen minutes for bathroom time at the site.
  • Grab your backpack and head out.

On site before the exam:

  • If you arrive way early, avoid the cluster in the hallway outside the exam room.
    • You do not need to hear what other people have emphasized in their study.
    • You also do not need to breathe and hear the fear vibes of classmates.
  • Go to the bathroom.
  • Enter the exam room.

Writing the exam:

  • Find your seat. Arrange your ID, supplies, and timepiece. Turn your phone off if that’s required.
  • Skim the exam. Estimate how long you will spend on each section, allowing for time to review your answers and review at the end (there are some exceptions to this approach, but I’m not going into them here).
  • Use the techniques appropriate for the type of exam–essay, multiple choice, open book, closed book. 
  • If you find yourself running short of time, pause, take a breath and adapt your approach to the remainder of the exam, making sure that you answer the sections that are critical and that count the most.
  • When you are finished, review to make sure that you have answered everything and said what you meant to say. I get emails where people have missed the word “not” in a sentence. This is particularly important if you have been using a grammar or spell checker all term, and don’t have access to it during the exam.
  • Use all of your time. You have paid big bucks for that time, use it. Leaving early can be leaving marks on the table.
  • Put your name on your exam, and your ID number if required.
  • Hand it in on the right pile.

Leaving the exam:

  • Pack up everything. Nod to the invigilator.
  • Leave that exam room, leave the hallway. Get away from the clatter of “Did you talk about the technical thingummedybob . . . ,“ and “I know she’s going to be looking for blah, blah, blah on that last question.” If you’re going to analyze the exam, get some distance from it. The distance runner catches their breath and unwinds long before they analyze the race videos.

After the exam:

  • As you are walking out of the building, endorse yourself. You wrote the exam. If you are aware that you made an error, or didn’t have enough time, endorse yourself for best effort, for finishing, for running the good race. Time for analysis later.
  • However you feel you did, take the long view. This exam is not your whole life. It is one step, whether large, small or an out-and-out misstep–it is one of millions of steps that you will take.

Very important:

Now take that reward. It should be small, and it should be today.

I’m booking into January now. If you’d like to get a running start on the winter term and stay on track from the get-go, connect with me in the form below or directly through email: [email protected] 

The information in this blog cannot take the place of support from your own mental health professional or community health resources. Reach out to them. And IF YOU ARE IN CRISIS PLEASE DIAL 911. 

Now take that reward. It should be small, and it should be today.

I’m booking into January now. If you’d like to get a running start on the winter term and stay on track from the get-go. Connect with me in the form below or directly through email: [email protected] The information in this blog cannot take the place of support from your own mental health professional or community health resources. Reach out to them. And IF YOU ARE IN CRISIS PLEASE DIAL 911.