How to Cope With Exams: Preparation and Survival Tools

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It’s spring, which means that lambs are running happily around the fields (in my area at least) and students are running around in desperation worrying about how to face the coming exams. The good news is that you still have some time to read (and read some more), to ensure that you attend all lectures and seminars and that you see your tutor about anything you’re struggling with.

Even if you’re reading this as a rather last minute attempt to avoid disaster,  there are things that will help you. These simple strategies will help everyone, however well (or less well) prepared they are.

This is a roundup of my most popular posts on exams and how to survive them. I wish you good fortune in your studies!

Exam FAQs: Which question should you answer first? How long should an exam essay be? What can you do to get better marks? What’s the point of an exam? I do my best to answer these questions here.

Exam Myths: bullet points are fine, I have to show the examiner everything I know, biographical detail is important, examiners give better marks if you have good handwriting, the essay is too short, the examiner won’t notice :-).

How to do better in exams: sections on how to revise, be relevant, break down questions into blocks, use quotations and textual reference, common errors and how to avoid them.

How to choose exam questions: simple strategies for how to approach exam papers and to determine quickly but efficiently which questions you answer.

5-Minute Exam Tips: simple but important things you can do before and during the exam to maximise your chances of doing a good job.