Exams always contain questions that students can quickly answer. Quickly scan the test and get the easy marks in the bag.  Now that you have guaranteed your pass, move on to the more challenging questions. These are the only things stopping you from getting that A+. Yes, I did say A+ and not A; here at Presto we have high standards for you because we believe in our students. By doing the easier questions first, you decrease stress and give yourself more time to focus on the hard questions.

Read the question properly

I know countless of my friends who lose marks due to the careless error of not reading the question properly. So slow down.

Doing this also helps you to answer the question correctly the first time, saving you precious minutes. You will avoid going back and crossing out your previous answer. Plus, you will save yourself from all the stress and anxiety that comes from the added time pressure. I can sadly recall the times where I had to redo an entire question because of my ignorance

Lay out your work as neatly as possible

Make the life easy for the marker. Who wants to read something with lots of scratches and crosses?  Take a few seconds to think how you will present the information. Leave spaces between every answer or paragraph.

Work at a steady pace

Find a balance. There’s no need to go all “Need for Speed” during your exam. However, don’t be as slow as a sloth. Find the right balance and you should be okay. This can be done by practicing previous tests and timing yourself. By working at a steady pace, you won’t panic. When you panic, you brain gets caught up in a fizz, making it harder to recall information.

Think before you answer

Sometimes your intuition may be active and the answer just “clicks”. However, for the more difficult questions, you may need to spend more time to think. Also, reflect on how you can best organize the information to get you the most marks. Remember the rule that your teachers always tell you – answer according to the mark allocation.

Answer every question

If you have answered all the questions you feel you could answer and still have time to spare, then you might as well give an “accurate guess” for the questions you had left out.

Double-check your answers before the end of the exam.

By doing this in high school, I would always find a mark or two. So on each exam assume that you made careless errors.

Treat yourself:

After an exam, don’t dive straight into the books to study for the next one. Trust me I know some weird people who do. When you have completed an exam, reward yourself by doing anything non-school related. Go, and watch that favorite show, get some ice-cream (a literal chill pill if you ask me), work on a hobby or grab lunch with a friend. Just because you are writing exams, does not mean you have to create your own hell-week.

By: Shivad Singh