8 Tips for Surviving Exam Day

I've lost count of how many exams I've done in my life, and as I get myself ready for my next one I thought I'd share with everyone my eight simple tips for surviving exam day.

1 - Pack your bag the night before

To avoid a last minute rush, and risk forgetting something important, pack your bag the night before. You may only need to take a pen with you, but the last thing you want is to get up on the morning of the exam and not be able to find a working pen.

Here's what I've packed into my bag in case you're struggling to think of what you might need:

From top left to bottom right : Purse (so I can pay to park my car), ID (so I can prove I'm me), pencil case (to keep everything together), revision cards (for last minute refreshers if I think I need them), Exam Entry Form (so that I can sit my exam), Erasers and Pencil, Highlighters, Glasses, Pens (Always take a spare, just in case), Ruler, Calculators x 2 (I once had a calculator stop working on me in the middle of an exam, since then I always take two).

A bottle of water is also a good addition to your bag.

2 - Set your alarm

Sleeping in on the morning of an exam is one of my biggest fear, so I always have at least 3 alarms set. You may only need one to get you out of bed but if you often sleep in, you may want to consider more than one.

3 - Have an early night

Going into an exam tired isn't a good starting point. Have an early night to make sure you're refreshed and ready for the big day. If you worry too, the earlier you go to bed the better, you're more likely to fall asleep at a reasonable time rather than being awake until the early hours of the morning.

4 - Arrive early

Give yourself enough time to get to the exam room. If you have to get a bus, take a train, or drive, factor in for traffic or things running late. Aim to be there at least ten minutes early so you can go to the toilet, find your seat and get settled before you start.

5 - Relax

This is easier said than done, but do try and relax. Take a few deep breaths before opening the paper to settle yourself before you start. If you start the exam panicking you might miss something important in a question or rush and make a very simple mistake.

6 - Read the question carefully

If you're rushing or panicked there's a chance you might mis-read the question and answer it the way you think you should and not the way they're asking. I've done this so many times in practice questions. It's easily done and you do risk loosing marks for it. Take two seconds longer to have a second read of the question.

7 - Don't panic

Again, easier said than done. If you see something you don't understand, don't panic just spend a minute trying to think of an answer, if you can't move on and come back to it. If you still can't figure it out just write down something, a guess has a higher chance of being right than writing nothing does.

8 - Try not to overthink what just happened

When you've finished the exam try not to overthink it. Don't walk out and start questioning yourself, you'll only make the wait between sitting the exam and getting the result torture. You did your best and that's all you could do.

Good luck to you all for your exams, hope this helps! I'm going to follow my own advice now and go for an early night.

Sarah x