Approaching the questions..

Easy First, Difficult Last

It is not always a good idea to answer the questions in the sequence in which they are found. This is because, at times, very difficult questions may be put in the beginning while easier ones are at the end. When we encounter such a situation, we may continue trying till we find that we have spent too much time on it. Consequently, we rush through the rest of the paper only to find that we have no more time left to do even the easy questions. The consequence is failure. To avoid this, you should do the following:

• Whenever you find that you are stuck with a difficult question, immediately circle the difficult question and go on to the next one. You can return to it after you have finished answering all the easy ones.
• Answer all the easy questions first before proceeding with the difficult ones. Always leave the ones that require a lot of thinking, analysis and writing to the end, when you have finished most of the paper. This is because these are often best done when your mind is in a more relaxed state.

Don't Get Carried Away

Very often, students get so excited about answering a familiar question that they write on and on until they find out they have wasted too much time on it. Avoid giving too much information.

Never Give Up

Difficult questions, especially if they are put at the beginning of a paper, often have the effect of demoralising you. When this happens, you will probably not even be able to answer the easy questions that come later on because you would have formed the belief that it is a difficult paper you could not handle.

If this happens to you, take a deep breath, relax and do not give up. Skip the problematic questions and tackle the easy ones that would boost your confidence. When you go back to the difficult questions finally and find that you still cannot figure out the answers, never leave the answer space blank because that will guarantee you a zero for that question. Instead, write down whatever you do know as long as it contains a germ of logic. Not only have you nothing to lose but you may still be awarded with some marks and that could make the difference between a pass or a fail mark.

All the best for your examinations! Do not end up 'going blank' during the examinations!