Passing an examination goes beyond studying and covers several issues and skills that students need to perfect to stand a chance of passing an exam.
10 poor exam techniques: How students can solve each of them
Let us take a look at ten poor exam techniques that students should avoid, along with suggested solutions:
Failure to Read Instructions Carefully:
One of the most common poor exam techniques is not reading instructions carefully. This can lead to students missing important details or answering questions incorrectly.
Solution: Students should read the instructions thoroughly and underline or highlight important details. If they are unsure about any instructions, they should ask the teacher or invigilator for clarification.
Rushing Through Questions:
Another poor exam technique is rushing through questions without understanding them properly. This can lead to careless mistakes and poor grades.
Solution: Students should read each question carefully and take their time to understand what is being asked. They should also manage their time effectively, ensuring that they allocate enough time to each question.
Lack of Time Management:
Poor time management is another common poor exam technique. Students who fail to manage their time effectively may not have enough time to complete the exam or may not be able to answer all questions.
Solution: Students should practice good time management by allocating enough time to each question and keeping track of time during the exam. They can also practice past papers to get a better understanding of how much time they need to spend on each question.
Answering Questions out of Order:
Students who answer questions out of order can get confused and may end up missing important questions or repeating answers.
Solution: Students should read through all questions carefully and decide on the order in which they will answer them. They should also ensure that they clearly label each question they are answering.
Failure to Plan Answers:
Poor exam techniques can include students who start writing immediately without planning their answers. This can lead to disorganized answers, which may lack coherence or fail to answer the question asked.
Solution: Students should take some time to plan their answers before they start writing. They can do this by brainstorming ideas and creating an outline of their answer.
Careless Mistakes:
Students who make careless mistakes, such as spelling mistakes or incorrect calculations, may lose marks unnecessarily.
Solution: Students should double-check their work, paying close attention to spelling, grammar, and calculations. They should also take the time to review their answers before submitting the exam.
Not Showing Working Out:
Students who do not show their working out may lose marks, even if their final answer is correct.
Solution: Students should show their working out, especially in mathematical or scientific exams. This allows the examiner to see how the student arrived at their answer and may earn them marks even if the final answer is incorrect.
READ: 10 signs that show a student preparing for an exam failure
Over-Complicating Answers:
Students who over-complicate their answers may confuse the examiner or lose marks for not answering the question asked.
Solution: Students should keep their answers clear and concise, focusing on answering the question asked without adding unnecessary details.
Lack of Proofreading:
Poor exam technique can include students who do not proofread their answers before submitting the exam. This can lead to spelling errors, grammar mistakes, and disorganized answers.
Solution: Students should take some time to proofread their answers, checking for spelling mistakes, grammatical errors, and organization.
Failure to Answer the Question:
Students who fail to answer the question asked may lose marks, even if their answer is correct.
Solution: Students should read each question carefully and ensure that they are answering the question asked. They can also underline or highlight important keywords in the question to help them focus on what is being asked.
Now that we all agree that there exist poor exam techniques. These ten poor exam techniques explained here that students should avoid would go a long way to help students, especially the solutions on how to address them. Practising good exam techniques can help students achieve better grades and improve their overall academic performance.