I interrupt this regularly scheduled Story Time Wednesday to bring you something of immediate relevance and value. Contrary to what my current exam schedule suggests — yes, I was at the Raptors vs Spurs game last night —I have had many exams over a range of subjects, on which I have achieved varying degrees of success. I can’t necessarily tell you how to succeed at exams, but I can tell you how to survive them, because I’ve survived enough exams to make it to fourth year, and you can do the same! So without further ado, I present to you How to Survive Exams.
Studying
I’d like to start by saying that I’m not offering tips on how to study because either you have already figured an effective method, or we are in such different subjects, the tips I offer will not be particularly helpful for your exam on Structural Theory. Like I said, these are tips on how to survive, because as I am sure many of you have realized, success and survival do not go hand in hand when it comes to exams.
1. Find an effective place to study. If you don’t know what kind of study spot of best for you, consult my Study Spots Flow Chart. From personal experience, I can tell you that your bed is not the best place to study, and a hockey game is not the worst. When you find a location that works for you, stick to out. Even if you have to spend the entire exam period sitting on top of your washing machine, at least you’ll know you’re getting your best work done.
2. Pack study snacks. More importantly, pack study snacks that aren’t going to get you beaten up at the library. Bananas and almonds are good ideas for many study areas, as they are quiet and don’t have an overpowering smell. Tangerines are festive and provide Vitamin C if you aren’t concerned about the citrus smell. Carrots and celery are not a good idea on silent floors. Unless you are studying with a colony of rabbits, crunchy vegetables will not make you friends. While it is important to eat healthy snacks so you have fuel for effective studying, it is also important that you eat food that keeps you happy. If this means you need to eat some M&Ms while you study, do it, because it is easier to study when you aren’t giving dirty looks to the table beside you that keeps pulling out bags from Bulk Barn. (I think we’ve all been there before.)
3. Hydrate effectively. Make sure you drink enough water, especially if you’re going to be drinking a lot of coffee or energy drinks throughout the day.
4. Wear layers. That way, you can make sure you’re at the right temperature. Clara and I were at the library last year, and I kid you not, the section we were in had a wind chill. Pages were fluttering, hair was blowing, and in the end we had to put on windbreakers. The windbreakers allowed us to keep studying rather than seeking out another climate, I mean, section. Also, this is a time when it is socially acceptable to wear leggings as pants or full on sweatsuits. If wearing sweatpants every day will keep you happy, wear them! If wearing sweatpants in public makes you feel sloppy, dress as you do normally, even if people wonder how you managed to put on a collared shirt during exams. I also recommend bright colours to keep the enthusiasm up.
5. Study with friends who will keep you focused. If you know you can never get anything done when you’re with a certain friend, don’t study with them. The same goes if you’re really bothered by a friend who talks to him/herself. If you are easily distracted, consider studying alone. If you get sad and lonely after a while, ensure that you either have someone to study with, or you’re near some friends so you can come by to visit.
6. Take breaks to go to the gym if that is already a part of your daily routine. If working out is not part of your routine, exam season is probably not the best time to try going on a 10K run. You don’t want to expend so much energy surviving your work out that you have none left to write your exam.
7. Find your exam motivation. Maybe it’s the trip you’re going on over the holidays, or a fantastic pizza you plan to eat after you finish your Economics exam. In second year, my motivation was a picture of a dog that looked like a bear that my dad sent me. He told me that when I finished exams, I could meet Bear Dog myself. It took a few months, but eventually I did meet my exam motivator.
8. Take notes in a way that works for you. I like to write everything by hand, and use Post-It note flags in all my novels and anthologies. A definite upside, my notes start to look like art. This is not an effective method if you can’t read your own writing, or if you start sticking Post-It notes in at random to make the pattern look good.
9. Listen to study music that works for you. I like to listen to Miles Davis or Wild Nothing while I study. I also went through a period of time when the only two songs I could listen to where Blue Jeans by Lana Del Rey and Right Now by PARTYNEXTDOOR. There was no logic to it, but they worked. This is one of my study playlists.
10. Stick to your normal routine on the day of your exam. If you like to have a few hours to get ready and eat breakfast on an ordinary day, make a point of doing that on the day of your exam. If you tend to just roll out of bed and head to class, keep doing that. The last thing you want is to get up too early and end up crashing or freaking out before your exam.
Exam Writing
Just as I’m not going to tell you how to study, I’m not going to tell you how to write your exam. If you need multiple choice help, there are services on most campuses that teach you how to write multiple choice exams more effectively. If you would like essay exam help, I will accept payment by way of cookies or craft beer. Instead of giving you tips you’ve likely heard too many times, I’m going to tell you my exam writing secrets.
1. Bring more than one writing utensil. I’m not saying you should bring fifteen pencils to your exam, but having more than one is a good idea in case your lead breaks or you run out of ink.
2. Wear comfortable shoes. This may sound strange, but I was once really distracted in an exam because my shoe was too tight. If you have to wear a giant pair of winter boots to make it to your exam in a snow storm, consider bringing sneakers. Also, wait to break in new shoes after your exam.
3. Ignore the people around you. My friend Lalka, who created the art work you see above, once thought he would get up to buy a chocolate bar from a vending machine during a particularly difficult Business exam. And then the girl sitting behind him started sobbing. At that point, he thought it would be in bad taste to leave to get a chocolate bar.
4. Try not to cry, but if you do, know we have all been in that situation at one point in our academic history.
5.Try not to fall asleep during an exam. Again, it happens sometimes. Still, this is something to avoid because you will lose precious minutes (or hours) of exam writing time, and sometimes your proctor decides not to wake you up.
6. Bring a sandwich to your exam. This is by far my best exam writing tip. I took Business in first and second year, and had to write a number of four hour long exams. I’ll admit it, Business was not my best subject, and it is in your best interest not to hire me as your accountant. But this is one thing I definitely did right. I got hungry over the course of the four hours, so I would always bring a sandwich with me. I usually wouldn’t have time to eat the sandwich during the exam, as I was too busy making horribly flawed business proposals, but when the proctors came around to pick up the exams, I would eat my sandwich. It was then that my classmates knew that even if my balance sheets remained unbalanced, I was the smartest person in the class.
7. If you can afford the time once you’re finished an exam, take a break with a good friend and good food. Some of the best times that Lalka and I ever spent together were after particularly disastrous business exams. We would celebrate our achievements, such as my ability to remember to bring a sandwich for the exam, and we would commend each other on our effective choice of majors, as neither of us were in Business full time.
8. Most of all, remember that the mark you get on an exam does not represent the kind of person you are. Try your best, and know that you are so much more than your mark. But hey, if you get one hundred percent on your exam and think you’re a one hundred percent kind of person, all the power to you.
I wish you good luck, good exams, and good sandwiches.
Song of the Day: Normal Person by Arcade Fire
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