Running out of time during an examination is one of the most troublesome things for a student, isn’t it? Whether it is a long essay or a theoretical question that is left behind, you surely don’t want to miss out on those marks since it is very important these days to rank high in examinations. In order to prepare better for time management in exam, students need some tips to help them out.
How to Manage Your Time
Preparation is key during exam times and hence there are a few important things that students should be aware of. With these helpful tips, they will be able to effectively manage their time during the examinations.
If you really want to know how to manage time during exams, you have to start your preparation before the actual examination takes place. So, on that note, here are some important preparation tips that can help you save time on D-Day.
Develop a Proper Study Schedule
Planning is a very important factor during exam preparation. It is essential to be organised and develop a schedule for studying. If you go around preparing for the examination in a more methodical manner, it will rule out any last-minute uncertainty and glitches. Create a study schedule for all your examinations and you can ensure that proper time is given for each subject. Check how many days are left for the exam and make the plan accordingly.
Get Familiar with the Exam Pattern
Most students that are aware of the question pattern and the marking scheme are able to generally distribute the important topics according to their importance. Also, they can devise a strategy on how to handle each question and how much time to allot to a single question. Different textbooks have model question papers and some can be downloaded from the internet. These papers aren’t just for practice, they can help you understand how to manage your time as a student so that nothing gets missed out.
Practise Writing Quickly
This might seem like a bit of silly advice but it is important nonetheless. If you practice fast writing, you will be able to tackle big theoretical questions easily. These are the ones that have a high marking and you will be able to save some time to go for other questions as well. It is essential to practice a lot if you really want to learn how to write quickly and with legible handwriting. If your handwriting is messy, some marks might get deducted. So, choose your writing materials efficiently and practice as much as you can to write faster. Develop a comfortable pace and you should be able to shave off some extra minutes to devote to other questions during the examination.
Practising from Mock Tests Can Help
The best way to manage your time is to prepare for the mock tests. These tests are easily available online and will help you simulate the look and feel of an examination. Try solving the question papers from previous years and try sticking to your given time limit. This will help you plan how much time you want to allocate for attending to all the questions, reviewing the paper and revising your answers.
Now that you have prepared for time management before the examination, it is time to focus on what to do during the exam to save some time. Here are some important tips that can help you.
Carefully Read Your Question Paper
Once you’ve been handed your question paper, don’t waste any time and give it a thorough read first. Make sure that you maintain your composure and don’t panic if there are some answers that you cannot recall. Usually, when you are running out of time, there might be a chance that you’d miss out on some questions in a hurry. Reading the question paper properly will give you a chance to create a perfect game plan for tackling all the questions in time.
Divide Your Time between the Questions
It is okay if you dedicate a couple of minutes of your time to find out the questions that would require more time and the ones that can be completed. You should then divide your time between these questions and start writing. A pro tip: tackle the easy questions first. Not only are these over quickly but you also get the confidence to deal with more difficult and time-taking questions. Set a strategy and stick to it when it comes to dividing the time for your question paper.
Write What You Know
Sometimes, there might be some questions to which you might not know the answer. Try to avoid such questions as making up answers isn’t going to get you any marks. Not to mention that you will be wasting your time answering something that you don’t know. When it comes to effective time management in exam, stick to what you know and deal with unanswerable questions at the end.
Plan Your Answers First
Before you go ahead with any question, it is important to think about what you are going to write. Try recalling what you’ve read about the topic and form your answer around the things that you can remember. Then you can proceed to write. Making your answer as you keep writing might slow you down. So, it is good to form your answers first before you write them.
We have attempted to explain the time management tips for students in this article. If you follow these tips, there is no doubt that you will be able to effectively manage your time during the examination. Whether it is before the exam or during, preparation is crucial and with these tips, you can form a proper strategy for effective time management for exam preparation so that there is plenty of time for you to revise your answers during the examination.