Basic exam technique

Some basic techniques apply to most types of exams, so you might find it helpful to keep the following in mind:

• use the reading time to read your whole exam paper very carefully
  
  
• plan your time according to what questions are worth – spend more time on questions worth more marks
  
  
• try doing harder questions first, while you're fresh
  
  
• stick to your time limits – if your time for a question is up, move onto the next one and you can always come back to it later if you have time
  
  
• try to make your handwriting legible, no matter how rushed you are – if a marker can't understand your answer, they won't give you the marks
  
  
• if you can, use running writing in exams – it's a lot faster than printing
  
  
• make sure you've answered the question – if you don't, you won't get any marks
  
  
• follow instructions – you won't get marks for information you haven't been asked to give
  
  
• aim to spend 5–10 minutes at the end of the exam checking over your work – it's a great way to pick up extra marks.

See also

Essay-writing exams

Other types of exams