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Who hasn't made silly mistakes and not done themselves justice come exam time? Who hasn’t spent too long on one answer and run out of time for the rest? Have you ever answered the wrong question? Maybe you couldn’t even answer a single question.
It doesn't matter if you are a university student or you are in the final years of secondary school. Exam Season is one of the most mentally exhausting times of the year. And it doesn't help that these life-changing events take place as we undergo profound personal changes:
- GCSE candidates are in the thick of adolescence, with all of the psychological and physical upheavals those entail
- A-Level students are facing impending adulthood and drastic changes in their circumstances
- University students are making their first forays into the 'real' world. They must adapt to a new environment and society while discovering and defining who they are. As they advance through their degree program, they must also think about starting their career.
And those are just our internal pressures. We still have external pressures - peer pressure and the weight of family expectations to bear. It's hardly a wonder, then, that the otherwise diligent student may stumble at times.
And the thing is, we know when we goof, don't we? These moments haunt us the moment we leave the exam room. They eat us alive clean up to results day, when we get clear confirmation of our blunders. At Superprof, we don't want any of that to happen. So we give you a few ways of making sure that you are well prepared for exams.
Why We Make Silly Mistakes
In my head rests a massive file labelled 'Bet I Don't Do That Again'. I've been piling experiences into it since I was a teenager (at least!). You'd think that, as time went on, I would have fewer things to file. Turns out, that's not the case.
Making mistakes in life is no different than making them on exams. We mis-thought. We overthought. We didn't think. We over-estimated ourselves. We underestimated ourselves. We didn't properly understand the situation. On exams, we didn't properly understand the question. We were rushed. We procrastinated to the point that mistakes were inevitable.
Weirdly, social norms dictate that we should look down on mistakes and mistake-makers. But there's nothing inherently wrong with mistakes. Those who make them should suffer no scorn. Unless they continue wilfully and deliberately making the same mistake. Anything from a mildly raised eyebrow to a scathing denunciation is suitable for repeat offenders of mistakes.
But silly mistakes? They're actually more good than bad. Recall that giant and growing file in my head. I've learned something from everything in there. That's the key takeaway from making mistakes.
As we speak, Chinese society is suffering a 'Little Emperor' epidemic. These are children whose two parents and four grandparents spoil them rotten. And possibly their great-grandparents, too. These elders all compete for the child's attention. They buy whatever their little darling desires. Those kids can do no wrong and woe betide anyone who accuses them.
'Entitled' is the west's approximate equivalent. Entitled people are never wrong. Entitled people never make mistakes. Entitled people will make everyone pay for so much as calling them entitled. Like China's Little Emperors, The Entitled are stunted because they're shielded from their mistakes. Seen in that light, making mistakes isn't so bad.
But making mistakes on exams - and in life has real, sometimes dire consequences. That idea is enough to put anyone off from making mistakes. Unfortunately, neither Little Emperors, nor The Entitled, nor you can stop making mistakes. Over-caution is not the answer. That stance could lead to more blunders.
What matters is how you perceive your missteps. And what you do with them. You might celebrate them as a cause for introspection. Were you indeed too full of your own self-worth and belief that you could ace that test? Or is it more a case of uncertainty plaguing your every move? What can you learn from that mistake?
What if it turns out that you've been dusted in serendipity? You had intended to study biology, literature or fashion design but bungled your exam? You now have to expand your horizons. What else might the future hold for you? Where else does your potential lie? How can such an analysis ever be considered bad?
None of this means to say that bungling on purpose is good. You should always try to do your best. In part, that means being as prepared as possible, come what may. It also means getting your mind right and keeping your body sound. Let's look at some ways to do that in the context of exam preparation.
Minimising Mistake Risks
Exams do more than test our academic knowledge; they also pose a challenge to our sense of discipline, commitment and confidence. Overcoming these fears can be accomplished through effective time management and by planning for exams. Let's not leave it all to the last minute and allow panic to take hold! Instead, follow these strategies to ensure the best possible outcome at exam time.
Create a Study Plan
About a week or two into your course, it should be clear how much time you need to revise notes and undertake additional research. When making your study plan, make sure to divide your time equally among your subjects. Also, allow for leisure activities and free time with family and friends.
Study plans only work when you stick to them. You'll make the most of your revision time by minimising distractions (such as television breaks or Internet surfing). A strict time schedule will compel you to efficient study aids. For instance, mind maps can shorten revision time.
Viewing exam revision as a continuous process is your key to success. Don't look at it as a series of short, intense bursts of activity at the end of a course/trimester or semester. At least once a week, revise all your notes and summarise or highlight key points. Doing this will ensure that important ideas are fresh in your mind when exams roll around.
Don't Get Bogged Down
Some students spend inordinate amounts of time on study. Their exam results do not reflect their study efforts. How can that be?
Maybe they don't use their time wisely. For instance, students may be spending too much time researching one small aspect of a subject rather than keeping the larger picture in mind. Learning maps (mind maps) can help. They give a visual connection between the main and subsidiary elements of a subject or topic. Let them guide you to where your greatest effort should be.
Practice, Practice, Practice
You will find past papers for GCSEs and A-Levels on your examining boards' websites. At University, most libraries have copies of past exams; many have started to upload their backlog to their web pages. The papers are among the best revision resources. They usually contain a similar exam structure to the exam you'll sit.
Using past papers as mock exams trains your sense of time management. And if you find exams which were set by the same lecturer or teacher who is currently teaching you, they will be doubly useful. They will provide insight into the language and types of questions you can expect.
Check Your Notes
Exam success depends on you attending classes and lectures. You'll compile notes; they will remind you of the curriculum aspects your teacher/professor deems most important. Don’t go off on tangents when studying; focus on the same elements your teacher does. Pro tip: compare your notes with exam past papers (if they're available) to see how well your instruction matches the exams' content.
Start a Study Group
If revising with friends does not distract you, start a study group. Studying with others and discussing important topics can enlighten you on fascinating new ideas. You might learn new approaches you may use on your exam. Observe the most successful students' study habits and emulate them. For this strategy, there's just one caveat: stay focused and bring up key questions during revision sessions.
Using Tutorials
Did you engage a test prep tutor to help you revise for exams? If so, you know your tutor will be available to answer questions and ease doubts. List your biggest worries and queries, so your tutor can address all these issues during your next study time.
Get Enough Sleep
If you stuck to your study plan, you will have no reason to cram the night before an exam. Sleep deprivation can lead to mistakes. It can negatively affect your ability to retain information. In fact, studies show that last-minute crammers generally do worse on exams.
If you are nervous the day before an exam, engage in natural ways to lower the stress. Head for the gym for a tiring workout, have a relaxing bath, or diffuse essential oils like lavender throughout a room to promote a sense of calm. Face even the toughest exams with a calm and confident stance! Your results will reveal your consistent effort.
Time Management
If you find that you are going over the allocated time in one particular question or part, skip it and come back to it later. Otherwise, you could miss out on easy points earned by answering questions you know.
If the exam is multiple-choice, make sure you leave no questions unanswered. A few lucky guesses could make a difference to the marks you achieve. Also, feel free to skip over questions you don't have an answer for in favour of addressing all of the other questions. You can always come back to those questions later.
Answering Questions
In essay-type exams, students often make the mistake of writing down absolutely all the information they know or remember. They do so usually on a specific point, instead of providing all of the requested information. This can annoy the examiner and wrest from the clarity and quality of the essay.
The larger point - the 'failure' you must address, is determining the questions' intent. If the question runs along the lines of "Explain the process of ...", the intent is clear. The query means to test your knowledge of a specific process. Conversely, questions like "Explain the protagonist's processes as they decide to undertake this action." Such formulations invite you to address both the actions that led up to the event as well as the psychology behind decision-making.
Stick Around
There's a topic-relevant meme currently floating around. It depicts a student exiting the testing room, books in the crook of her arm and pencils in hand. She has a panicked look on her face. The caption reads: "The question on the back of the paper???"
Perhaps Will Smith instigated that meme. In the film The Pursuit of Happyness, his character had to take an entrance examination for a job. He finished way early and turned his paper in, much to the invigilator's surprise. Now in front of the elevator with another test-taker, they're talking about the ordeal. Chris Gardner (Will Smith) says something about the question on the back page. The other candidate looks panicked and scrambles back to the exam room.
If you've not seen this movie, you should definitely watch it. It's based on a true story and is highly inspirational. It could serve as a great lesson for you, too. If you have finished 10, 20 minutes or even half an hour before the allocated time for an exam, do not leave the room. Use that time to revise the questions and make sure you've answered every one.
Take a look at your answers. Is there an interesting fact or opinion you failed to mention in an essay-type question? Have you made an incorrect multiple-choice selection because you misread the question? This is also a good time to check for unprofessional-looking errors like grammar and spelling mistakes. And be sure to check your punctuation!
And If There Are Mistakes
Let's revisit that movie scene: Will Smith/Chris Gardner and this other fellow at the elevator. Except it's you and your mates, and you've gone for a coffee. You're all ready to celebrate but first, everyone has to dissect the ordeal. Have you ever had such a bull session? "Yeah, and Question 21..." and "What did you put down for Question...?" and so on.
At some point during all these disclosures, you go silent. You've just realised you made a stupid mistake. Maybe a few of them. The conversation goes on around you; everyone is blissfully unaware of your agony. Here they are, all bragging about what it breeze it all was. What would they say if they knew about your blunders?
You can relax. Nobody will suddenly see you as a lesser being. Your mates might tease you a bit but they're not going to start looking down on you. In fact, you'll probably find them to be supportive and kind. After all the teasing, that is. They realise that they, too, probably got a few answers wrong. Or didn't answer well enough to satisfy the examiners.
Having a strong support network is vital for moving past any event that didn't turn out well, not just exams. Your support network's comfort and cheer will go a long way to silence your inner voice. Even when you're on your own, you can draw on the memory of their warmth and kindness.
Of course, that supposes two things. The first is that you have such a network in place. The second is that you open up to them. The latter is, by far, the most important of the two. Even if you have no safety net - no readily available person or group of people to talk things over with, you still need to talk things out.
You might first try talking to a sibling or an aunt/uncle if you're worried about how your parents might react. Should you find no relief or comfort there, perhaps your school counsellor might help. It's their job to listen, after all. And if your school has no counsellor or student advisor, perhaps your teacher might spare you a few minutes.
Keep in mind that you're not fishing for compliments or angling for pity as you seek to unburden yourself. Simply getting the words out will help you put things into the proper perspective. It would be great if the person you talk to has some investment in you but that doesn't have to be the case.
In fact, it doesn't have to be a person at all. Some people are more comfortable writing about their experiences in their diaries. That way, they can express their thoughts as they see fit, without having to worry about being misunderstood, laughed at or rejected.
Mental health professionals all agree that writing things down is a satisfying release of built-up emotions. So even if you do have a strong support network in place, your should write your feelings down anyway. And who knows? Maybe, years from now, when you read what you wrote today, you might find yourself laughing at the silly scaredy-cat you were because of a few exam questions!
I hope that you have found these tips useful, and can put them to practical use in your exam preparation. All that remains is to wish you the best of luck!
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