Exams are a routine part of a student’s life. Unfortunately, being routine doesn’t make them less stressful.
However, what can make an exam less stressful is avoiding these common exam mistakes. Check out what you need to know here!
1. Skipping Breakfast
You want to be able to focus during your exam, right? Then have a healthy breakfast on exam day.
Something heavy on protein and light on sugar will help you perform your best, so don’t assume that a cinnamon bun smothered in cream cheese frosting is a good breakfast idea. Scrambled eggs or even a handful of nuts on the way out the door is far better.
2. Not Asking for Help
Preparing for an English exam means asking for help when you need it. If you don’t understand a concept, don’t just hope it doesn’t appear on the exam.
Actively seek out help with concepts you don’t understand. That’s what teachers, tutors, and study groups are for!
3. Procrastinating
Procrastination as a study strategy is a terrible idea. You might think that if you study closer to the exam, you’ll be more likely to remember what you need on exam day.
The truth is, following this strategy means that you never fully grasp concepts and you could even get behind in class. Exam day will also come faster than you expect and you’ll then be tempted to try the next horrible exam mistake.
4. Staying Up All Night
Who needs to study ahead of time when you can just cram the night before, right? All the info will be fresh in your mind and you’ll breeze right through your exam. Who cares if you forget it all the next day anyway?
This is a terrible study strategy. Not only will you not be getting a proper education, but also you won’t breeze through that exam. Your brain will be so tired, you’ll be lucky if you squeak out a passing grade.
5. Panicking
If you’re unprepared for your exam, you’ll be more likely to panic before and during. Panic freezes you up and slows you down. It can even block your brain and avert your focus.
Prepare for the exam well ahead of time to help combat exam day nerves. Many people still feel nervous, but you can reassure yourself with the fact that you have studied well and there is no need to panic.
6. Leaving Questions Unanswered
Nobody’s out to get you on the exam. Markers want to give you points, so give them something to work with! They can’t give you points for a blank question, but they can award points for a partially correct answer. So, always at least try.
7. Forgetting the Time
Don’t get so stuck on trying to answer one question that you burn up all your time for other questions. Do your best and move on. You can always come back if you have time at the end to sort it out some more.
8. Being Unprepared
Don’t be rushing around the morning of the exam, looking for items you need. Get it all together the night before so that if you can’t find something, you have plenty of time to look for it.