19 August, 2024

Exam Technique To Get The Best Results

Achieving The Best Possible Result In Exams

Exam technique is simple and can make a huge difference to the grade you achieve in an exam. By practicing good exam technique you give yourself a free option to do the best you possibly can in an exam.

You Need The Examiner To Give You Marks

Exams are a numbers game. The higher the number of marks you score on an exam the higher the grade you will achieve. The difference between one grade and the next grade up can be a single mark. So every mark counts and proper exam technique can help you get a meaningful number of extra marks. To get the best result you need to give the examiner every possible opportunity to give you marks. If you give nothing to the examiner they cannot give you any marks. Good exam technique is all about giving the examiner the maximum possible opportunity to give you marks on your answers to every question.

There Are Ten Simple Steps To Helping Your Examiner Give You The Most Marks Possible

There are ten steps to enabling the examiner to give you give you as many marks as possible. If you learn these simple techniques, and you practice them before the exam so that during the exam they are second nature to you, then you will give yourself the best possible opportunity to succeed.

The ten steps to good exam technique are:

• Read the instructions on what questions need to be answered carefully so that you know exactly what you are required to do.
• Quickly scan your eyes over the whole paper to make sure you do not miss any of the questions that need to be answered.
• Calculate the amount of time you can spend answering each question based on the number of marks the answer is worth.
• Read the question very carefully and make sure you fully understand what is being asked of you before starting your answer.
• Answer the questions you find easiest first but limit the time you spend answering these quesitons to the amount justified by the marks available.
• Show all the steps you have gone through to answer the question.
• Attempt all the questions, even if your answer is only to give some relevant information that the gives the marker the opportunity to give some of the marks available.
• If you get stuck on a question move on to another question and come back to the question you were stuck on only if you have time at the end.
• If you make an error on a question, clearly cross out the error and make it very easy for the examiner to identify the corrected answer.
• Check your answers at the end of the exam to give yourself the opportunity to correct any errors that would cost you marks.

The Benefits Of Good Exam Technique

Ruthless Time Management Ensures The Maximum Number Of Questions Answered

The single biggest factor in achieving exam success is providing the examiner with answers to as many parts of as many questions as possible. If you provide something to each part of every question that requires answering you can score maximum marks. Any part of any question that you do not provide any answer denies the examiner the opportunity to give you any marks for that part of the question.

To ensure that you answer all the questions required as fully as possible it is essential that you budget your time on each question such that you only spend as much time answering a question as makes sense given the marks available.

For example, if your exam has a duration of two and a half hours you could budget your time as follows:

Total time: 150 minutes Time to read the instructions: 2 minutes Time to scan the whole paper: 3 minutes Time at the end to review answers: 10 minutes

Time available to answer questions: 135 minutes (i.e. 150 - 2 - 3 - 10)

Total Marks: 100

Time answering a question per mark: 81 seconds (i.e. 135 x 60 / 100)

So you have little over a minute to provide an answer for each mark available on the exam.

If the question is worth two marks you have 2 minutes 42 seconds, if it is worth three marks then you have about 4 minutes to answer the question, and so on...

YOU MUST, MUST, MUST LIMIT YOURSELF TO ONLY THIS TIME PER QUESTION AS YOU WORK THROUGH THE EXAM PAPER!

Don't fall into the trap of spending extra time on a question because it is something you know well. If you do that you are merely robbing yourself of the opportunity to get more marks by not having time to answer later questions.

If you have time at the end after you have answered all the other questions then you can go back and complete any partially answered questions for which you ran out of time to answer.

So, before you take any exam review past papers, see how long the exam will last. Calculate how much time you have per mark for each of the papers you will be sitting and see what that means in terms of time per question.

Practice the technique by sitting the past papers under exam like conditions and diligently following the time constraints for each part of each question. Do this for each of the papers you will be sitting so there are no negative surprises on the day of the exam.

Answering The Questions You Find Easiest First May Give You More Time Later For More Difficult Questions

If you answer the questions you find easiest first you may spend less than the budgeted time on those questions and leave yourself time towards the end of the exam to tackle questions that you find more difficult. Answering the questions you find easiest gives the opportunity to accumulate marks. Just remember to make sure you are managing your time per mark properly.

Answering Some Of All Questions Typically Generates More Marks Than Answering All Of Some Questions

The marks available in each question that has multiple parts are not usually evenly spread between each part. Often it is possible to get the majority of the marks available by answering only part of a question. The marginal marks scored for fully answering one question are therefore less than the marginal marks of answering some of a different question. So even if you can't provide answers to every part of every question you are required to answer it is super important that you answer at least some of every question that is required.

Showing The Steps To Reach The Answer Gives The Examiner The Opportunity To Give You Marks Even If You Make Mistakes

The marking scheme often has multiple criteria that the examiner will follow in awarding marks for your answers. These criteria often relate to demonstrating an ability to reason through the question to the answer. Showing every step in your thought process, whilst adhering to the time constraints, gives the examiner the opportunity to identify the evidence they require to be able to award you marks. Demonstrating how you arrived at an answer is often worth more marks than the answer itself.

Conclusion

Success in exams has many factors. However, good exam technique is a simple way to give yourself every opportunity to do the best you can. Exams are a numbers game. Good exam technique is a matter of providing the absolute maximum opportunity for an examiner to award you marks on as many questions as possible.

Good time management is the most critical factor. Strictly budgeting time based on the length of the exam and the marks available per question and subquestion has the greatest impact. Giving yourself time to give some form of answer to every section of every question will make a difference to the result you achieve.

Next Steps

The next step to exam success is to get hold of some past papers for the exams you are going to be sitting and practicing these exam techniques until it is a good habit. Sit the test papers under as close to exam conditions as you are able and be strict with yourself in sticking to the time limits.

Practice, practice, practice and come exam day, no matter what is on the paper, you will have the tools and habits to do the very best that you can.