Exam Time is stressful for everyone - exams don't discriminate. Whether you're at the top of your class or the bottom of your class, you still get the same thing that thinks it can determine your intelligence.
Exams are now over for me, and there are so many things that I learned from my first shot at round 1 of university exams. While it may be late now, maybe book mark this for when term 2 exams come around... Or for any of you high school students reading, listen up, because shit's about to get real.
Exams like to boss us around, tell us that we're either smart or stupid, they think that they know us better than ourselves. But guess what? They don't determine how intelligent you are.
Intelligence can't really be determined by one stupid test, because intelligence means something different to everyone. Don't feel bad if you didn't do as well on your exam as you thought you would - we've all been there. Here are some tips for trying to handle the stress and everything else that comes along before and after exams.
BEFORE THE EXAM:
Make Sure You Have All Your Notes
There's nothing worse than going to study for an exam and then finding out that you don't have all the notes from lecture... Remember that one time you skipped class to sleep off a nasty hangover? Well it's coming back to haunt you now! Try to make friends in all of your classes, that way if you happen to miss class, you have someone to get the notes from. Everyone hates those kids that post in the facebook groups looking for a full set of notes... a week before the exam. Seriously, don't be that person. I'm warning you.
Manage Your Time
Usually schools give you your exam timetable ahead of time. Use this and determine when you need to study and for how long. You're the only person that can determine what you know and what you don't, so make sure to schedule enough time for each class!
Do The Readings Ahead of Time
Generally prof's will assign you readings that you're supposed to be keeping up with throughout the year. Don't leave them until the last minute (like me) because it's really not fun trying to read 10 chapters of that incredibly boring textbook in just one day. And really, when you cram like that, how much information are you really retaining anyway?
Don't Cram
I know, it sounds simple, yet we all do it. It's probably useless to tell you this, but seriously, don't cram. Staying up until 4am studying for your 10am exam isn't going to do you much good - the most likely scenario would be you falling asleep at your exam. Get a good night's rest (or about as much sleep as you can must up, I know I find it hard to sleep the night before an exam) and try your best.
Stay Away From The Drugs
Around exam time drugs like Adderall are about as common as people in sweatpants. People often take drugs that are supposed to help treat things like ADHD around exam time because it helps them stay awake and focus better. Stay away from these. While it might seem like a good plan at the time, they are harmful to your body and are highly addictive. Keep it clean.
Skip The Partying
While it is very tempting to blow off some steam by attending that huge kegger a few nights before your exam, it's probably not a good idea. Save the partying for after the exam, you're going to be less stressed and your mark will probably benefit from that extra night of studying.
DURING THE EXAM:
Don't Be Scared
If your school does things like mine, then it can be really scary walking into the gym with hundreds of other people and just looking at the rows and rows of desks. It's okay, just take a deep breath, and make sure you sit in the right spot. Once you get in the zone and start writing the other people won't matter.
Stay Calm
There's no benefit to getting worked up when you see the exam. Keep calm and skim it first. Go through and look and the questions, if you don't know something at first, move on. A trick for ones like multiple choice are do the ones that you know, and circle the ones that you don't - that way you won't miss them when you go back to finish them, and maybe the answer will come to you while you're doing other questions.
Don't Leave an Answer Blank
Even if you don't know the answer, put something down. If you at least try, you could get part marks - there's no benefit to just not answering the question.
Don't Rush Yourself
You know how long you have for the exam, and how fast you do things. Plan how long you should be taking on each task and react accordingly. There's no prize for being the first one done, and there's no penalty to being the last. Take you time and work at your own speed. Just because everyone's leaving, it doesn't mean that you have to as well.
AFTER THE EXAM
Party Time
Sorry, just kidding. Well, you can party if you want - that's your decision.
Waiting For Your Marks
Sometimes waiting to get your marks can be even more stressful than actually preparing for the exam. My philosophy is simple: hope for the best but expect the worst.
But really, I try to have no expectations about my exam marks, that way you're not as disappointed if you didn't do well. Honestly, it is completely possible to do good on university exams. But on the other hand, you can definitely fail them.
I Failed! What Should I Do Now?!
Breathe, everything can work out. While it'll probably feel good to cry or get frustrated or angry, know that it's not the end of the world. Most classes don't rely solely on the exam mark, so there are other assignments that can pull your mark up. You can pull your mark up.
Don't be too hard on yourself okay? Learn from your mistakes and fix things for next time. Don't feel like a failure, don't feel dumb or stupid. Some people struggle with the idea of exam writing, and just because you didn't do well doesn't mean that you don't know it. Most exams only measure our ability to regurgitate information, not understand it.
You are smart. Don't let this get to you. It's in the past, keep it there, and move on.
I hope that these will help you in some way, exams are tough on everyone. It's a tough time filled with study snacks (forget freshman 15... freshman 50, anyone?) sweatpants, and sleep deprivation. You can make it through, and you can be successful.
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