The Night Before and Exam Day

The day before is for consolidating

Seeing new material for the first time the day before an exam usually does more harm than good. What you pick up in a single day is shaky, and every gap you discover only adds to your anxiety. Focus instead on getting what you have already studied into a state you can use. Redo the problems still left in your error log, write out confusing terms and formulas on a blank page, and run through the outline of each chapter once. If you have kept to your plan, the day before should only be for checking.

• Redo problems still left in your error log
• Write confusing terms and formulas on a blank page
• Run through each chapter's outline once
• Do not open a problem book you have never used

Why not to stay up all night

Many people stay up the night before to squeeze in one more chapter. But what you studied during the day is consolidated during sleep, and short sleep lowers your attention and judgement the next day. You may have memorised a little more, but your ability to read questions carefully and catch your own mistakes goes down. Aim to go to bed at your usual time. Going to bed much earlier than normal can backfire, leaving you lying awake and more anxious.

If you cannot sleep

Nerves can make it hard to fall asleep the night before. Cut back on caffeinated drinks from late afternoon, as they can disturb sleep, and avoid long stretches of screen time before bed. Checking the clock again and again while lying awake only makes you more tense, so close your eyes, breathe slowly, and remind yourself that resting still helps your body recover. One bad night does not ruin an exam. The work you have built up does not vanish overnight.

Pack the night before

Packing in the morning makes it easy to forget something in the rush. Pack your bag the night before and leave it by the door. What you need and what is not allowed, such as your admission ticket, ID, pens and a watch, differs from exam to exam, so pack from the list in the official instructions for your exam. Many exams restrict which kinds of watches or calculators you may bring. Check where the venue is, how to get there and how long it takes, and set a departure time with room for traffic delays.

• Tick items off against the official list
• Bring spare pens and pencils
• Confirm the venue and travel time
• Plan a breakfast similar to your usual one

The morning of the exam

Have a light version of your usual breakfast. Food you have never tried or a very large meal on exam day can upset your stomach. Arrive early, find your seat and the toilets, and use the spare time to skim your summary or a few error log problems rather than anything new. Between papers, avoid comparing answers with friends. Finding out you got something wrong makes it hard to focus on the next subject.

When you get the paper

When the exam starts, rather than diving into question one, skim the whole paper first. Knowing the number of questions, the marks for each and where the hard ones are lets you decide how to split your time. Do the easy questions first to secure those marks, and mark any you get stuck on and move on. Hanging on to one question too long means missing questions further on that you could have answered. When you come back to marked questions with time left, you often see a way in that you missed before.

• Skim the paper for number of questions and marks
• Start with the easy questions to bank marks
• Mark questions you are stuck on and move on
• Use the last few minutes to check your answer sheet

Handling nerves

Some nervousness is normal and can even help you focus. But if your mind goes blank, put your pen down for a moment and breathe out slowly a few times. Making the out-breath longer than the in-breath helps your body settle a little. Then answer one question you know to get your hand moving; your thinking often comes back with it. If anxiety is so severe that you cannot sleep or feel ill before every exam, do not just endure it alone; talk to your school counsellor or a professional.

Common mistakes

The most painful mistake is losing marks you knew the answers to. Shifting your answers by one line when transferring them to the answer sheet, or reading "which is NOT correct" as "which is correct", are classic examples. Mark negative wording in questions, and always use the last few minutes to check the answer sheet. Change an answer only when you have found a clear reason, not out of vague doubt. Rules and timings vary between exams, so always check the official instructions.