Exam Tips – The Day of the Exam
22nd May 14
It’s the day every student dreads: Exam Day. All the revision is done and now it’s time. You’re probably going to be pretty nervous, and that’s ok, it’s fine to be nervous. It’s not fine to panic and go to pieces. Follow DLD College London’s handy tips and you’ll be halfway there.
1. Sleep
Alright, so technically this is a day before the exam tip, but it’s still very important. You must rest properly before your exams. If you don’t, you won’t perform to your best. Don’t stay up to the wee small hours of the morning going over your notes, it will do you more harm than good. You should know it all by now.
2. Food
If it’s a morning exam, have breakfast, and have lunch before an afternoon exam. Stick to the brain fuels we talked about last time. Moderate your eating though. Don’t over eat or you will get tired and your brain will spend more energy trying to digest your food than recalling all that vital information you’ve revised. Equally if you don’t eat enough you brain won’t have enough fuel to function properly.
3. Drink
Stay hydrated throughout the day by drinking water. Water is your body’s natural fuel, you cannot do better. You should be allowed to take a bottle of water into the exam with you. Check to see if you can. Avoid excess caffeine, energy drinks or sugary soft drinks.
4. Have the right tools for the job
Before you go to bed the night before, pack your bag. Make sure you have all the tools you need. If you need a calculator or other Maths equipment, make sure they’re packed. Likewise, if it’s an English Literature exam and you can take in source texts, make sure they’re in your bag the night before. There is not a lot worse than getting to the exam only to find out you’ve not got what you need.
5. Get there early
Leave home with enough time to get to the exam comfortably. If you’re rushing, you will be stressed. Check TFL or other travel websites to make sure that public transport is running properly. If there is some unforeseen delay on the way, it will stress you out if you haven’t left time to successfully navigate your way around it. Getting to college with plenty of time will also give you enough time to calm down and get focused for the exam ahead.
6. Avoid stressful or negative people
Before the exam starts try to avoid speaking to anyone who looks really nervous, or seems negative. You need to stay 100% confident and focussed on doing well.
7. Take a trip to the bathroom
It might sound silly, but you want to avoid as much as possible having to get up from your exam paper to go to the toilet. It will break your concentration and waste valuable time.
8. Turn off your mobile phone
They’re not even allowed in exam halls, so the best advice would be to leave them at home.
9. Don’t panic
You’ve done the work. You are ready. There is no need to panic. Nerves are normal, and can actually help improve your performance if you use them properly. Take a deep breath, you can do this.
Good luck!
