Exam stress and sillies. How to eradicate them? (1 Viewer)

[planino]

Many times after receiving results, I always know that I could have gotten a higher mark since there are a few sillies in them (esp. for maths). I'm guessing exam stress is a cause of the silly mistakes. The stress results in me not reading questions properly

It cost me 2/3 marks I lost for 2U, and 5/7 marks I lost for 3U in the Task 1 exams late last term.

So what can I do to get rid of exam stress completely?
I wouldn't be surprised if exam stress wasn't the main cause of my sillies, but what can I do to eradicate sillies as well (once again, esp. for maths) ?

 

[Peeik]

Build exam technique and confidence by doing past papers under exam conditions. Do enough until you feel confident with yourself that you didn't make any silly mistakes.

Also while in the exam, make sure you read the question carefully before proceeding to doing the question.

 

[hayabusaboston]

My advice is, assume you DID make a mistake the first time you do a question, then redo it trying to find and "fix" the assumed mistake. Ideally there shouldnt be any mistake, and the 2nd time around you should get the same result as the first. If the results r different you know the 2nd one is right. This is what I do. And trust me theres ALWAYS enough time to do each question twice, if you are working at perfect efficiency.

 

[kazemagic]

sup u mite want to take a look at this thread for advice from some pros

http://community.boredofstudies.org/showthread.php?t=297685

 

[planino]

My advice is, assume you DID make a mistake the first time you do a question, then redo it trying to find and "fix" the assumed mistake. Ideally there shouldnt be any mistake, and the 2nd time around you should get the same result as the first. If the results r different you know the 2nd one is right. This is what I do. And trust me theres ALWAYS enough time to do each question twice, if you are working at perfect efficiency.

Sounds okay, but I don't think there'd be enough time for me to effectively do each question twice, and I'm horrible with sticking to the time limit. I guess the time problem can be fixed with more practice

Build exam technique and confidence by doing past papers under exam conditions. Do enough until you feel confident with yourself that you didn't make any silly mistakes.

Also while in the exam, make sure you read the question carefully before proceeding to doing the question.

I have a good feeling about this, thanks heaps!


And that thread sure did help too by getting to the root of the problem, thanks!

 

[RishadM]

Yeah confidence is a key thing - like someone above me said.
Just be prepared for whats going to be in the test so nothing throws you off mentally.
And walk in to the test, look around you, and think "I'm going to pwn all of these guys lol"

 

[fatboi]

I am not a fan of the "do every exam question twice" thing. You'll always have bias when doing it the second time, and will most likely make the same mistake simply because you remembered how you did it before. Just take everything slow and steady and concentrate on what you are writing out. Does it make sense, does it follow from above etc etc

 

[Shadowdude]

I am not a fan of the "do every exam question twice" thing. You'll always have bias when doing it the second time, and will most likely make the same mistake simply because you remembered how you did it before. Just take everything slow and steady and concentrate on what you are writing out. Does it make sense, does it follow from above etc etc

I do it - but I cover my working for the first time so I'm not influenced.

And if you make the same mistake twice then... well, that's just a shame. Especially when you're checking work, you're rushed for time or under some sort of time pressure so you can't really go as slow as you'd like.

 

[someth1ng]

My advice is, assume you DID make a mistake the first time you do a question, then redo it trying to find and "fix" the assumed mistake. Ideally there shouldnt be any mistake, and the 2nd time around you should get the same result as the first. If the results r different you know the 2nd one is right. This is what I do. And trust me theres ALWAYS enough time to do each question twice, if you are working at perfect efficiency.

That is absolute crap. What if your first one is right and your second one is wrong?

There really isn't (especially for most 2U-4U students and science) - if you're actually making a good attempt at questions, you should be using MOST of the time once (almost all for science and most for maths).

 

[leonamccauley]

Just relax before an exam. Give yourself a break – do some yoga or listen to some music. No use losing marks because of exam jitters. Just before my exams I usually listen to some inspirational stories from people who wouldn’t let their weaknesses get the better of them. Check out

if you’re interested.