Stress and anxiety are the two feelings that are associated with attempting an exam. Students tend to panic because it is the single chance in front of them where they can apply the learning and earn marks. A silly mistake can result in losing precious marks and lower your grade; thereby students should attempt the exam by being extra cautious and careful.
Here are some common mistakes committed by students-
1. Over attempting or under attempting- both the situations of over attempting as well as under attempting are bad from an examiner’s point of view because it reflects that students haven’t paid attention to the instructions. Under attempting or missing out on questions definitely results in loss of marks. Some teachers do not mind over attempting, but others consider it wrong and wastage of time.
2. Calculation mistake- committing calculation mistakes while attempting a numerical-based exam is a common trait that runs through almost all students out there. Paying complete attention and revising the calculations twice can help in overcoming this habit. Calculation mistakes are the worst kind because they can affect the complete answer and thereby should be avoided. Students should develop the habit of being perfect with their calculation skills and this can be achieved by constant practice.
3. Running out of time- striking an effective balance between the speed of attempting and answering all the questions, is something that most students face difficulty in. Running out of time can result in the loss of precious marks. Thereby, to avoid this mistake one should plan and attempt the question paper. Planning simply refers to dividing the total time available according to the number and length of questions to be answered. Timing yourself can prove to be an effective measure.
4. Spelling and grammatical errors- these are minute errors but affect the scores big time. It is always expected from students that they make use of correct grammar and do not commit spelling mistakes. This can be achieved by students if they revise before submitting and get in the habit of practicing in writing.
5. Stress- good stress is something that should be there, but letting stress affect the performance while attempting is something that should be avoided. Stress can lead to messing up questions that are easy and can be easily attempting because it directly affects the thinking ability of the students. Thereby, instead of panicking students should take deep breaths and have water to start over.
6. Reading before attempting- it has been observed that students in a rush to start attempting generally miss on reading the important information that is relevant for attempting the question paper. Sparing at least 5-8 minutes for reading and understanding the question paper is considered a smart way of starting.
7. Spending too much time on tough questions- there are questions of different difficulty levels and thereby students should identify the questions that are easy and can be attempted first. This leads to the building of confidence and allows students to spend time on questions that are a bit tough. This comes under the preview of time management and should be done effectively to achieve the best results.
8. Not revising- revising is an important element of attempting the question paper, students should always revise because it helps in identifying silly mistakes, calculations mistakes, and missed questions if any. Students who fail to manage time often fail to revise which can be taxing and result in losing marks.
We can see that these are those minute details that can help a student gain marks as well as can result in losing marks. Thereby, students should practice hard and ensure that attention to these details is paid and silly mistakes are avoided while attempting to score excellent marks.
