Have you ever walked away from an exam thinking “Wish I had more time!!!” “Wish I had prepared for the exam well in advance”, “Wish I hadn’t spent much time on that particular question”, “Wish I knew answers of those long answers”, “Wish I could have completed the paper” etc.
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Do you know that you are not alone who has faced this problem but there are thousands of students who have gone through this trauma.Â
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In this article, we’re looking at ten of the most common mistakes students commit when attempting exams and how to overcome them:
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Mistake # 1 – Arriving late in the Exam hall:
You may not be a punctual person who would attend college lectures or reach to events on time, but when it comes to exams, you need to understand that being late can cost you a year. If you are that unfortunate latecomer who comes across a strict invigilator, you may be barred from sitting for that particular paper. Even if you are allowed to write the exams, your mind will be full of worries and tension which is not good before taking an exam.Â
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Solution :Â You must reach atleast 1/2 hour before in the exam hall. If you don’t know the exam centre, then leave from home early and be mentally prepared to waste your time in locating the college. Reaching the place BEFORE time should be your priority.
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Mistake # 2 – Forgetting to write your seat number / making mistakes in filling the first page i.e. important candidate details of the answer sheet:
You may think that exam is all about answering all correct to the questions asked in the paper. But it is very important that you fill the first page/important candidate details with accuracy in the answer sheet. If you have written the paper really well and expecting to score full marks but forgot to write your seat number or other vital details, then the prospect of you getting zero marks is not unreal.Â
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Solution:Â Make sure you write down your seat number and other required details on the main answer sheet as well as supplements (if taken) and check that everything is in order before you submit the paper. This can make you feel more secure and safer.
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Mistake # 3 – Studying for the wrong exam
This happens when you are really stressed and don’t realize that you are studying for the wrong exam. You may not even be prepared for the exam and when you see the question paper, you get to know that the exam you are going to give is of a different subject.
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Solution:Â To avoid such situations, always confirm the timetable from the college/university website/noticeboard. You can also ask your friends / subject teacher what chapters/syllabus will be covered in the exams.
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Mistake # 4 – Over-thinking/doubting what you know
Sometimes it happens that you see a question and you feel that the answer is known. But you start doubting that if you write the answer, will you score the required marks. Sometimes you also jumble up the wrong answers for few questions because the topics/questions seem to be similar.
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Solution :Â Limit your thinking time and go with questions which you have studied well. Thinking too much on a particular question will not give you marks but reduce time for other questions for which you have prepared well.
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Mistake # 5 – Imagining and writing too slowly
Do you read the questions only once and start imagining what can be the answers and moreover write very slowly thinking that you have all the time in life to answer your question paper. If you have done this or gone through this, its high time you increase your reading and writing speed. Doing things slowly in exam hall will make you leave few answers blank because of less time.
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Solution : Read more often and do a constant practice of writing. Since the college and university exams are not online, you would have to work hard on writing faster. Read the questions twice so that you write the correct answer. But write more often and time yourself each time you write. Even in exams, time yourself for each question – be it 2 marks or 10 marks. You need to understand that time management is very important.
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Mistake # 6 – Forgetting to bring required stationary:
So you know today is a practical exam i.e. maths or statistics and you forget to bring calculator or scale, pencil etc. If you realize this before the exam starts, atleast you can talk to your invigilator and get the required stationary items (if the college faculties are friendly and understanding). But what if this happens in the midst of your paper? You won’t be helped by anyone and your chances of writing the exam well becomes less.Â
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Solution : List down the stationary and items that you will need for each of your exams. A day prior to each exams, look through the list and keep the stationary ready and put it in your bag. Have atleast 2 of each item and stationary you may need – if one malfunctions, you have another to use. 2 pens, 2 pencils, 2 erasers, 2 rulers, 2 calculators and so on.
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Mistake # 7 – Terrible or illegible handwriting:
Do you know that illegible or terrible handwriting can fail you in your exams? Such handwriting not only creates misunderstanding but also makes extremely tough for the examiner to correct your papers. Illegible handwriting is nothing but – small handwriting, too little spacing between words, very big handwriting, too many words inserted in between and above other words on the same line, too many arrows and lines pointing to other sentences, writing in light colored ink, writing in red, vocabulary-spelling-
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Solution :Â Write in black ink or dark blue ink, plan your answers in advance so that you need not insert text or arrows, write answers in points/paragraphs and leave a blank line after each point.
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Mistake # 8 – Attempting the most difficult questions in the start
 Majority of the exams have case study questions in the first section itself. For students who are strong with their concepts, they can easily attempt such questions but for average students, attempting a tough question is a bad start to a exam. Your mind becomes stumbled at the very beginning of the paper and loses its calm. Not only that, you also lose your precious time and cannot think properly for other easy questions.
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Solution :Â You should start your exam with easy questions of which the answers are known to you. It makes you feel good and boosts your confidence. It gives you an assurance that you will get marks allotted to the easy questions and in the last 45 minutes, you can keep for answering difficult questions.
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Mistake # 9 – Skipping few questions and leaving the answers blank
Do you all know that even if you attempt the whole exam paper, chances are that the examiner can give you passing marks? There is nothing wrong if you skip tough questions during the exam but forgetting that you have left the question’s answer blank is a danger. Blank answer gives an impression that you have not studied for the topic and you don’t know anything about it.
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Solution :Â Use a pencil and mark on the question paper with a “dot” or “wrong” sign so that you can attempt those questions before the exam ends.
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Mistake # 10 – Ignoring the time and not following proper directions
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You need to allot proper time for each question according to the marks/scores. Students generally keep writing slowly for the known answers and panic in the last 10-15 minutes to answer the remaining 5 tough questions. Also you should read the questions twice and know correct directional words. If the question is asked to “define”, write only the definition and not 10 points explaining the meaning.Â
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Solution :Â As soon as you get the question paper, prepare a time schedule and stick to it no matter what.Â
Below is the meaning of the directional words :
Define – Provide a definition,
Explain – Complete overview or description
Analyse – Explain the concept step by step.
Contrast – Show differences.
Compare – Show differences between 2 or 3 topics.
Diagram – Draw a chart or visual and explain them.
Outline – Provide an explanation with headings and subheadings.
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