Exam Techniques

Exam Technique

Your examination needs careful preparation if you are to do yourself justice. Everyone feels nervous on the day of the exam but with careful revision and good examination technique you should do well. The following checklist should increase your confidence and, hopefully, your final grade:

• A detailed revision programme has been followed as suggested in Revision
• The date and time of each paper has been checked
• Prior to each paper, past questions have been answered in full under examination conditions
• Recent newspapers have been read in order to be familiar with current UK economic trends such as inflation, interest rates and the balance of payments; effects on specific companies or business sectors have been noted
• Sufficient and appropriate equipment has been purchased for each paper - pens, pencils (HB for Multiple Choice papers), ruler, calculator (with new batteries!), rubber (no Tipp-Ex allowed) and a watch.

The day before the examination:

• Read through your notes to refresh your memory of the key concepts
• Go over important formulae
• Quickly note down some key theories
• Check accuracy of some graphs, e.g. Theory of the firm (Economics), Product Life Cycle (Business Studies)
• Do not do past questions at this stage
• Do not labour over each syllabus section, time will pass quickly and panic can set in if you think you haven't looked at everything.
• Remember the purpose of today is to refresh and remind, revision has been done so feel confident about how much you know and understand.

The night before the examination:

• Check the length of the paper and calculate how long you should spend on each question
• Get your clothes and equipment ready
• Have a bath to relax
• Set your alarm clock, giving yourself plenty of time to get to the exam
• Go to bed at a reasonable hour

The day of the examination:

• Have breakfast/lunch before leaving home
• Pick up your equipment and examination number
• Leave in plenty of time, especially if dependent on public transport
• Check the location of the examination on your arrival
• Check the start time, be there well before hand

In the examination room:

• Make sure you sit at the correct desk! - Check the number!
• Make sure your desk and chair are stable
• Lay out your equipment on the desk
• Read the instructions on the front of the paper carefully
• When told to start write down the start and finish time of each question and stick to it!
• Read each question carefully and think about what you are going to say before writing
• Take time to plan longer answers and essay questions and remember to analyse and evaluate
• Don't panic if there is a single fact or Multiple Choice question you can't answer, come back to it at the end, you will frequently recall it whilst thinking about something else
• Write as clearly and neatly as you can - it makes your script easier to mark and keeps the examiner on your side!