Is Your Exam Technique Letting You Down?

Understanding exam technique and why it is pivotal to exam success.

Imagine your child coming home from school with a smile on their face, telling you how they aced their exam. You can see the pride in their eyes, and you know that all their hard work has paid off. But what if your child isn't doing as well as they could be in school? What if they're struggling with exam technique, and they're not sure how to improve their grades?

Exams can be a stressful time for students of all ages, especially for science and maths students. With Science exams in particular, they often involve complex questions and require students to have a deep understanding of the subject matter. However, there are a number of exam techniques that students can use to improve their chances of success.

In this article, I'm going to share with you some proven tips and strategies for improving your exam technique! 

Tip #1 - Use bullet points to revise qualitative based answers

When answering extended, qualitative-based questions in science exams, it is important to structure your answers in a clear and concise way. One way to revise for these questions is to use bullet points. Usually, these types of questions require answers to be in continuous prose, however, using bullet points allow you to break down your answer into key points, making it easier to revise. Then, you can join these points together in a grammatically correct paragraph when this type of question comes up in the exam!

Here are some tips for writing bullet point answers:

• Use one bullet point for each key point.

• Make sure the number of bullet points matches the number of marks available for the question.

• Ensure each bullet point is factually correct.

• Make sure each bullet point is complete and grammatically correct.

Tip #2 - Using mark schemes

Mark schemes are essential tools for understanding what the examiner is looking for in your answers. Mark schemes will tell you how many marks are available for each question and what you need to do to get full marks.

Here are some tips for using mark schemes effectively:

• Read the mark scheme carefully once you’ve answered a specific question.

• Highlight the marks you achieved. Make a note of the ones you missed. 

• Remember those missed points for next time and be sure to include them in future answers.

• Pay attention to the style of language the mark scheme uses to award marks e.g. key terms, phrases etc.

• Make sure you have addressed all of the points discussed in the mark scheme.

Tip #3 - Time management

One of the biggest challenges in science and maths exams is time management. It is important to allocate enough time to each question and to avoid spending too much time on any one question.

How to improve your time management:

• Read the whole exam paper before you start answering any questions.

• Don’t necessarily do the questions in order! Identify those that you are most confident about and answer them first.

• Leave yourself enough time to answer the more challenging questions.

• If you get stuck on a question, move on and come back to it later.

Tip #4 - Online exam technique courses

An exam technique course can teach you valuable skills for improving your performance on science exams. Exam technique courses will often teach you how to answer different types of exam questions, how to manage your time effectively, and how to deal with exam nerves.

In addition, exam technique courses for science exams will often include answer templtes and walkthroughs of popular exam questions, particularly quantitative style questions, which students usually struggle with. This can be a very helpful way to learn how to approach different types of questions and to see how other students have tackled them. Furthermore, courses that include self-assessment style questions, designed to put to the students’ newfound knowledge to the test are especially useful.

Tip #5 - When revising, do exam questions against the clock

One of the best ways to improve your exam technique is to practise answering exam questions under timed conditions. This will help you to get used to the pressure of the exam and to develop efficient strategies for answering questions.

Here are some tips for practising exam questions under timed conditions:

• Choose a past paper and set yourself a timer for the same amount of time that you would have in the real exam.

• Start answering the questions and try to complete the exam paper within the allotted time.

• If you get stuck on a question, move on and come back to it later.

• Once you have finished the exam paper, mark your answers using the mark scheme. Be strict!

• Identify any areas where you need to improve and focus on those areas in your revision.

Tip #6 - Templates for extended quantitative questions

Extended quantitative questions are often the most challenging questions and are very popular in chemistry and physics exams. These questions require students to apply their knowledge and skills to solve problems and obtain a quantitative solution.

One way to improve your performance on extended quantitative questions is to follow a template or step-by-step process. You can develop your own template or step-by-step process by practising previously similar questions.

Here are some tips for creating a template:

• Read the question carefully and identify the key information.

• Apply this information to the template you’re using to answer the question e.g. a redox back titration calculation

• Follow the steps carefully and show all of your working.

• Check your answer carefully before moving on to the next question.

To finish...

I hope you found some value in the information provided above. By following these tips, you can improve your exam technique and increase your chances of success in your next science or maths exam. Please get in touch if you have any questions!