Top tips for exam day success

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You spent hours and hours with your head in the books, ignoring the urge to watch Netflix or check out what your mates or fave celebs are doing on Instagram…

You’ve made tons of notes, worked your way through hundreds of post-it notes and highlighter pens...

You don’t want to go ruining all your hard work and preparation at the last minute now, do you? So, here’s Whatuni’s top tips for exam day success to make sure that doesn’t happen…

Before the exam

1. Don’t fail to prepare

We’re talking here about things like knowing exactly when and where the exam is taking place; how long it'll be; and what the rules regarding what equipment you can and can’t take in with you are. Make sure you know all of this beforehand so there are no last-minute surprises.

2. Get there early

Make sure to leave home early and get to the exam hall with plenty of time to spare. The last thing you want is to have to deal with unforeseen traffic delays making you late, to add to your already rising blood pressure.

You can use the spare time to use the bathroom – and use it again! – and practice some breathing techniques to calm your nerves.

3. Don’t cram right up to the last minute

Rereading some important notes while you are eating your breakfast is ok, but trying to cram it all in with five mins to go is not going to help.

Just accept that if you don’t know it now you never will - the last hour should all be about relaxing yourself.

4. Avoid panicky people

They are not your friends right now – believe us! They'll just make you nervous and that won’t help. Try listening to some calming music, or music that you revised to if you’re using it as a memory trigger.

During the exam…

1. Stay hydrated – but don’t drink too much!

Taking sips of water will keep you hydrated and give you a few seconds throughout the exam to give your brain a break. Just don’t go downing loads of water – or you’ll end up needing the loo and that just wastes precious time.

2. Make yourself comfortable

Make sure you sit comfortably in your exam. And while we're talking of comfort, make sure you wear comfortable clothes that aren’t going to leave you too cold/hot and distracted. This isn't the time for a fashion show!

3. Read the questions carefully

And read them again to be sure! Write notes around the question and highlight important words within it – just make sure that you fully understand what they're asking of you.

4. Take time to plan things out

In an exam, timing is everything. And while you may want to dive right in and start answering questions straight away, it'll actually be beneficial to spend a few minutes reading through the questions and planning out how you'll use your time.

For essay-based exams, it again pays to spend a few minutes planning out your answer and what you want to say. It'll help you keep on track and avoid you losing your train of thought.

5. Start with the easy ones

As you're reading through the questions, some might jump out at you as being something you instantly remember, or you know you can do quickly and easily. Start with those easy ones and then go on to the ones you might have to work longer at.

You wouldn’t want to spend a whole hour on one three-mark question and then have no time left when you could have used that hour to answer five two-mark easy questions.

6. Just write anything

If you suddenly get an attack of brain freeze don’t panic. Just start writing something and hopefully as you write your memory will come back.

If it’s a maths or science exam and you have a tough equation or problem to solve, at the very least give it a go. You never know – even if you think it’s wrong, it might be right. Writing something is always better than writing nothing.

7. Use all of your time

If you finish with time to spare, don’t think of it as an excuse to get home early. Use your remaining time to go over your answers and make sure you’ve answered the question properly.