DOING WELL IN AN EXAM

Here are some tips for you to take note of so that you can perform well in the examination.

1. Read the instructions carefully. Take note of the requirements.

2. Spend some time to decide on which questions to attempt.
3. Answers must be well organized and relevant points presented in a logical fashion.
4. Be neat in your work. Untidiness is often associated with a lack of interest.
5. Illegible hand-writing makes reading difficult. You will end up as the loser.
6. Start with questions that you are comfortable with. This approach will boost your
confidence.
7. Start each question on a new page. Make sure you number the question correctly.
8. The time you should spend in answering each question must be according to the
percentage mark allocated to the question. For example, for a 25 mark long-answer
question, do not spend more than 30 minutes on it in a 2-hour paper.
9. Diagrams should be drawn with pencil. This will enable you to make corrections easily.
10. When a diagram is asked for specifically in a question, marks will be allocated to the
diagram. Hence, no diagram, no mark.
11. When a diagram is not specifically asked for and you give a pertinent one to help you with
the answer, credit will be given for it. Therefore, you may include relevant diagrams in
your answers even if they are not asked for.
12. While it is expected that you answer in essay form, some answers are accepted in point
form. For example, repair methods can be presented in a step-by-step approach.
13. For a case-study question, you must focus on the facts given in the question. Answer the
question accordingly and make sure that your answer is not ‘out of point’.
14. All answers must be complete. Incomplete answers lose marks.
15. It is important that you answer the required number of questions. You will not get any
marks for questions which are not answered.
16. If you have time to spare, make sure you do a check to make sure that you comply with all
the requirements. This check could make a difference to your final grade.