01 Oct 7 Common Mistakes Students Make in Exams
Each time students sit for their exams, one of them makes a mistake that they could avoid. These mistakes students make are repeated over and over such that some have become common. But why do they make these mistakes?
Mostly, students repeat these errors because of inadequate exam preparation. They fail to start their revision early enough to equip themselves well. However, you can stand out and avoid these silly mistakes that lower grades.
Stay tuned to learn some of the common mistakes students make in exams and how to avoid them!
Common Mistakes Students Make in Exams
1. Failing to Plan Their Time
Each exam session has its duration. The examiners expect the students to have completed answering the question before time elapses. However, some students fail to finish the exam on time, and they leave blank spaces.
This is one of the mistakes students can easily avoid by planning their time. Once you get into the exam room, get to know the number of questions. Besides, check on the time allocated. Then, share the minutes among the exam questions.
When you plan your exam time, you will answer all the questions, which gives you a chance for your best performance. However, you may fail to answer some easy questions when you do not plan your time. This will eventually affect your grade.
2. Spelling and Grammar Errors
Spelling and grammar mistakes make your answers not make sense. As a result, the examiner does not understand what you have written, and you fail. This makes you get lower marks even if you knew what was expected of you.
You don’t have to be an English guru to write grammatically correct sentences or words. You only need the basic English skills that you learned in your junior primary. Hence, do not demean yourself because your English skills or any other language you will be using in exams are not perfect. Just be keen when writing down your answers.
Therefore, it is crucial to have basic writing skills. Ensure you write each word correctly and that your sentences make sense. This is because these mistakes students make affect their performance.
3. Not Reading the Questions Properly
When you misread a question in an exam, you will answer it incorrectly. As a result, you will fail that question, which is one of the students’ silly mistakes.
It is crucial to read each exam question at least twice. Planning your exam time will help you have enough time to read and answer each question correctly. Besides, it allows you to understand what precisely the examiner wants. Also, you will be keen enough to mark the keywords in the questions.
For example, a question may ask you to write about the advantages of something, but you write the disadvantages since you did not read the question correctly. This is a big mistake that will lower your marks.
4. Panicking
Most students panic during exam time because perhaps they haven’t prepared well. When you have fear and anxiety in the exam room, you will not do your best. This is because you will not fully concentrate on your exam.
Panicking also makes students make mistakes such as not reading the questions correctly, failing to plan their time, and not understanding what the examiner wants. This will make you not get your best grade on that exam.
You can deal with panicking by preparing adequately for your exam. Start your revision as early as possible to avoid a last-minute rush. Besides, when you get into the exam room, take a deep breath and believe you can do it. It will help you to avoid these mistakes students make during exam time.
5. Failing to Understand What the Examiner Wants
When you do not understand what the examiner wants in a question, you will answer incorrectly. You will give a different answer than the one the examiner expected. This is one of the mistakes students make over and over.
Most students find themselves making this mistake because of cramming their class notes. As a result, they will not notice when a question is twisted and will copy-paste what they have in their head.
You can avoid these mistakes by doing your revision early enough. Besides, study to understand but not to cram for exams. Ensure that what you have learned sinks in you. Also, familiarize yourself with exam questions via past exam papers. In case you find some challenging concepts, reach out for help.
6. Not Checking Their Work
When you do not check your work after completing the exam, you may lose some marks to mistakes you could have avoided. It is a serious mistake that can lower your grade and leave you in disappointment.
Therefore, it is crucial to spare a few minutes to counter-check your answers when planning your exam time. This will help you to know if you answered the correct thing or not. You may find that you made some mistakes when calculating, or you misspelled some keywords.
Also, it is essential to mark the keywords in a question. This will help you go through your answer booklet quickly because you won’t have to reread the whole question.
7. Writing Illegibly
Students have attained grades that disappointed them because of illegible handwriting. When the examiner finds it hard to read what you have written, they may not give you the marks you deserve.
Even if you have written the correct answer, illegible handwriting can cost you. It is one of the common mistakes students make during exam time, and they can easily avoid it.
Try as much as you can to space your answers such that you can read them without struggle. The answer booklet comes with enough space for each question; use it appropriately. Besides, use a visible pen when writing your answers. It is advisable to carry an extra pen when going for your exams; if one runs out of ink, you can use the other.
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