Exam Week Survival Part 2

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Exam Day:

  1. Ground yourself when you get up. Breathe. Stretch. Meditate. Just 10 minutes is all it takes.
  2. Eat a light breakfast or lunch.
  3. Hydrate.
  4. Don’t overhydrate.
  5. Pee.
  6. Pick up your exam kit and head off.

The Exam:

  1. Arrive on time, but not too early–make yourself scarce–avoid the panic triggers of other students’ “Did you study this?”
  2. Take your seat. Place your ID on your desk. Take a breath.
  3. Fill in your name, ID, and date. That gets your brain rolling. 
  4. Open the exam. Read the whole exam. See if there is a question on the back of the exam booklet.
  5. Mark the easy questions.
  6. Allocate your time, allowing a cushion factor.
  7. Answer multiple choice first, then short answer questions next.
  8. Mark any items you are unsure of. And GUESS!!! Your chances of getting a guess right are usually 1 in 4 or 5, unless the scoring is right minus wrong.
  9. Your chances of getting a question right if you leave it blank are zero.
  10. For essay questions, do a very quick outline on scrap.
  11. Keep your eye on the clock or (better) your watch on the corner of your desk. Leave time to revisit questions you may have marked for returning to.
  12. Check to make sure you have answered all questions, guessing where necessary.
  13. DO NOT LEAVE EARLY UNLESS YOU ENJOY LEAVING DOLLAR BILLS ON THE TABLE. Who are you trying to impress by leaving early–the person who grades your paper? Who cares if you leave last? You have paid for this time . . .
  14. As you leave, look around you. Avoid stressful rehashing with others. Just quietly leave. Reward yourself–have your music ready! The purpose here is to keep stress down–which is part of preparing for the next exam!

You wrote the exam!!  Next blog we’ll look at some post-exam clean-up; in the meantime, you will likely be getting ready for the next exam, or how you are going to celebrate end of term!

Please don’t hesitate to contact me at [email protected]