– ‘Fail to Prepare, Prepare to Fail’ words of wisdom by Roy Keane!
1) Get everything you need ready the night before the exam! Socks, pencil cases, shoes, bag, exam number, calculator etc. You don’t need to be rushing around the morning of your exam like a lunatic. You should be calm and Zen like! Your family should be the same.
2) Stay away from madness – with this we mean try and have a calm morning. This includes your granny calling to wish you good luck 5 minutes before you go out the door, your little sister hiding your bag ‘for the craic’ or your mother saying another novena as she looks for the car keys! If you catch the bus or walk to school make sure you give yourself extra time. If your parents bring you make sure they get you there 15 minutes before you are required to be in the examination hall. Fast and Furious on the morning of the exam to get there in time will be stressful.
3) For breakfast DON’T have a fry. It’s not the best option to settle a nervous stomach. And neither are two cans of Monster. It’s a terrible idea. Stick to cereal, toast and a banana is good.
4) Go to bed early the night before the exam – not 7pm but enough that you get a good night sleep and make sure your alarm is working and you have a back up. Try and get up 30 minutes before and wake up with a shower.
5) Bring a bottle of water to stay hydrated – sip the water throughout the exam or you will be running to the toilet every 5 minutes. If you have 2 exams bring 2 bottles. It goes without saying you are not five years old but go to the toilet before the exam starts.
6) Know the format of the paper inside out and what time you have for each section and how many marks it is worth. Answer the question you feel you feel best about first. Clearly mark out what question you are answering. Remember if the examiner can’t read your writing then it’s going to be very difficult to give you marks.
7) If you start to panic during the exam take a sip of water, close your eyes, take a few deep breathes and focus yourself back into the room. Visualise your subject and notes in your head. Take a minute to refocus and continue. Then start again
8) Bring a watch with you and keep track of your timing. If you feel yourself running over move on to the next question leaving a space so you can go back to it once the rest of the questions are answered.
9) It’s June in Ireland so you are pretty much guaranteed the following – firstly if you suffer from hay fever then it’s not going to help. Make sure you have tissues and take an antihistamine that morning. Ask that the windows nearest you be closed. Secondly it’s June so the weather is bound to be good the first day you are stuck in doors doing exams. Don’t risk a migraine or headache!! Ask for blinds to be pulled for you if it is too bright. You are probably not the only one!
10) Do not hang around for the postmortem – there is nothing worse knowing after the fact something that you couldn’t remember. The same for before the exam keep yourself calm. There is always that one in your class that isn’t so avoid them like the plague. Remember Zen like not hysterical like! All anyone can ask is that you do your best on the day. Remember to note down how you feel you did in each exam and then when it comes results time hopefully you will be well prepared.
If you are finding it stressful and need help ask your DGA teachers & tutors. They are there to help you and answer questions. DGA Teachers will be available in classes until the 4th of June (aprox) and will be available on email or to call once the results themselves are out if you want to query or ask advice.
Best of luck from all DGA