At the exam centre
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It is important to feel confident that you know what to do on the day of the exam.
Make sure you get to the exam centre in good time to find the room and your allocated place.
When you arrive at the exam centre you may prefer to sit quietly on your own rather than chat to other students – the anxiety of others can affect your mood. Do what suits you and helps you feel calm and positive.
There will be a plan outside the exam room showing where the desks are for your course, then student names in alphabetical order for each course. You might see a student from your course, but your tutor won’t be there.
You’ll find your name on a desk record card on the desk - check that the name and personal identification number on it are correct, sign in the box and leave it with your Examination Allocation letter and your identification that includes your photograph and signature.
The exam invigilators check those papers, give general instructions, and help if you have any problems during the exam.
Once you are in your seat try not to look around. Your senses can be heightened by tension and can fasten on irrelevant details, such as what other students are doing or wearing. Try a visualisation of a relaxing scene, or relax using breathing exercises.
Settling down
You may find it useful to plan the way you will start your exam. Having a routine can be calming when under pressure. This student recommends a checklist.
I have a mental checklist of what I need to do once I've turned over the paper. I do this because I used to rush in and answer the first question that looked at all familiar. Only to find that there was a much better question and not leave enough time for the rest. I tended not to plan and so the facts were all jumbled and I realised, when the exam was over – too late – that I had left out some really good material in the heat of the moment. My checklist makes me stop and think.
The question paper and answer books
Although you can’t turn over the paper until the invigilator tells you to start, do make sure that the exam paper on your desk is the correct paper for your course and that the instructions all make sense to you. If any instructions are unclear, raise your hand to check with the invigilator before the exam time starts. You can also get more answer booklets from the invigilator. Some courses ask you to use more than one answer booklet because parts of the exam are marked separately, so follow the instructions in the question paper.
Other students
On the day of the exam there are students from other courses in the same room. Some may be taking exams of different lengths, so will leave at a different time. A number of exams allow certain course materials to be used, so there may be students with books on their desk.
If something goes wrong in the exam
If you arrive late or are taken ill during the exam, speak to the invigilator, who will tell you what to do.
After the exam you can contact your regional centre for advice on what options are available to you.
See the Assessment site or your Examination Arrangements booklet for details of how to report special circumstances to the Examination and Assessment board.