These tips will help you deal with the seven most common exam mistakes, worries and examples of things going wrong.
Sitting your exams, whether GCSEs, A Levels, university exams or any other test, can be scary at the best of times. You might be worrying about whether you’re adequately prepared, what the questions will be, or whether you will perform at your best under pressure.
During GCSE and A Level exams, we wanted to help you make sure you’re as prepared as possible and hopefully remove some of those pre-exam anxieties. Here are seven of the common exam-related worries we hear and how to solve these problems if they crop up.
1. “What if I’m late for my exam?”
It goes without saying that you should do everything in your power to avoid being late to your exam. Set more than one alarm, pack your bag and set your clothes out the night before, plan your route, and leave early. But if something happens beyond your control and you’re late, then what?
First, don’t panic. Call your school or college as soon as you know you will be late, explain the situation, and get there as quickly as you can.
If the exam lasts one hour or more, and you arrive an hour late or less, your school or college can decide whether to let you sit the exam or not. If they do, you will still get the full amount of time (so if you arrive half an hour late, you will be in the exam room half an hour after everyone else has left). This also applies if you arrive after the published finishing time for an exam of less than an hour. In these cases, if your school lets you sit the exam, the exam board must accept and mark your paper as normal.
If you arrive over an hour late (or after the official finishing time for the exam), your school or college can still choose to let you take the exam. They will also need to submit paperwork, called a “Very Late Arrival Form”, to the exam board explaining the reason for your lateness. Depending on your reasons, the exam board can then choose to accept or reject your exam paper.
If you are late and your school or college chooses not to let you sit the exam, or the exam board rejects your paper, you will need to wait and retake it the following year.
2. “What if I forget a piece of equipment I need?”
For some exams, you will need special pieces of equipment such as a calculator. Always double and triple-check the requirements of each exam in plenty of time. You might also find it helpful to make a note in your planner or exam timetable of what you need for each exam. The night before each exam, check your list again and pack your bag.
If you do forget something on the day, speak to a teacher as soon as you realise. The school or college may have spare equipment they can lend you for the exam. Another student who is not taking the same exam may also be able to lend you their equipment. If all else fails, if you have enough time before the exam, see if a family member or friend is willing to collect and drop off the item you need.
3. “What if my pen runs out?”
Always bring several pens into each exam, and test them beforehand to ensure they work. Remember that most exam boards require you to use a ballpoint pen with black ink, so check the rules beforehand.
If your pen runs out and you don’t have a spare one, put up your hand and tell an exam invigilator. They will often be able to help you with a new pen.
4. “Can I go to the bathroom during an exam?”
Yes, you are allowed to go to the bathroom during an exam and then re-enter the exam room afterwards. Put up your hand and tell the invigilator. Someone will accompany you, wait outside, and then escort you back to the exam room. This is to prevent cheating.
Remember that in most cases you won’t get that time back, so go before the exam if possible. Schools and colleges are permitted to give extra time at the end to make up for bathroom breaks, but this isn’t mandatory and many choose not to.
5. “What if I finish the exam very early?”
If you finish the exam a few minutes early, that’s nothing to worry about. If you finish very early, though, you might have missed something. Check the instructions again and go back through your paper to ensure you have answered all the questions. Then read your answers back to make sure you have answered everything correctly and to the best of your ability.
Some schools (and some exam boards) allow students to leave an exam if they have finished early. However, you will be required to stay under your school or college’s supervision until at least 10am if the exam is in the morning, or 2:30pm if it is in the afternoon. In many cases, you will have to stay in the exam room until the official finishing time.
It is best to use all the available time as productively as you can.
6. “How do I keep track of time?”
You undoubtedly know by now that phones aren’t allowed in exam rooms. But did you know that watches are also prohibited? You will need to take yours off and leave it at home or in your bag before the exam.
Don’t worry, though. Exam regulations say that everyone taking the exam must be able to see a clock at all times. So you will always know how long you have left and how much time you’ve spent on each question.
7. “What if I feel ill during the exam?”
Stress, hot exam rooms, skipping breakfast (not recommended!), or existing medical issues can all cause you to feel unwell during an exam. First, take a few deep breaths and drink some water. If this doesn’t help, put your hand up and tell the invigilator you feel ill.
Someone should accompany you on a bathroom break or outside to get some fresh air. If you feel better, you will be able to go back in and continue the exam. It’s always best to do this if you can.
If you are too ill to continue, or you continue but feel that your illness has affected your performance, you can ask to have this taken into account when your exam is marked. You will need a doctor’s note for this, so seek medical attention as soon as possible.
The best way to deal with exams is to be prepared
When it comes to exams, preparation is at least half the battle. Take good care of yourself, revise thoroughly, check your equipment, understand the rules, and plan ahead on the day. This will minimise the chances of problems occurring. And if something does go wrong, try to keep calm and look for solutions instead of panicking.
Good luck with your exams!
