The exam paper
Check the instructions
Check the instructions first to make sure that they are what you expected from looking at the specimen paper. Misreading instructions
can lose more marks than poor revision!
Read the whole exam paper through carefully
Students often describe feeling that everyone else starts writing confidently, straight away. Make sure you allow yourself
at least 5 minutes to read calmly through the paper. It is tempting to grab at familiar questions, possibly even misreading
them and turning them into the questions you want to answer. If you carefully and steadily unpack the questions, you will
inevitably make a better selection.
Choose the questions and order them
During your first read through the paper, put an asterisk or star sign (*) in pencil against the questions you think you could
possibly answer. Then read through your starred questions and put an additional star against the ones that you prefer. Choose
the questions with the highest star rating.
Plan your time
When planning to use the time available, you should:
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make sure that you are answering the right number of questions
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divide your time according to the weighting of the questions
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write down the finishing time for each question
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try to allow for 10 minutes checking time at the end.
Stick to your plan. Evidence indicates that two half-answered questions obtain more marks than one completed question and
one unanswered one. This is especially vital where you have to answer a certain number of questions from different sections
of the exam paper. If your timing goes wrong, you could end up with less time than you would wish to finish the last question.
If this happens, plan your answer as described below, and write out the main points in note form. This will earn you a few
extra, valuable marks.
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