(Ep. 58) Seven (7) Mistakes Students Make During Exams

Many students do not know how to pass exams!

Last week, I made this exact statement when I was speaking to a group of students of the Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU), Ife, Nigeria. They had gathered at the Watchman Campus Fellowship in OAU, that Sunday. I made it clear that many students may know how to study but do not know how to pass exams.

I know many of you wish there no exams, right? But I'm sure that you agree with me that examinations are an important part of academic life. They give students the opportunity to demonstrate what they have learned and how well they understand their courses. 

However, many students lose valuable marks during exams not because they do not know the answers, but because they make avoidable mistakes.

Here are 7 mistakes many students make while writing exams

1. Not Reading Questions Carefully

One of the most common mistakes students make during exams is failing to read questions properly.

Sometimes a student understands a topic very well but answers a different question from what was asked. This often happens because the student rushes through the question without paying attention to key instructions.

Before answering any question, read it carefully and make sure you clearly understand what is being asked.

2. Poor Time Management

Many students spend too much time on one question and then struggle to complete the remaining questions before time runs out.

A good strategy is to quickly review the entire question paper and divide your time according to the number of questions you must answer. This helps ensure that every question receives adequate attention.

Avoid the temptation of spending so much time on a question you know so well. It's still the same mark with others 

3. Panic When Questions Look Difficult

Some students lose confidence immediately they see a question they find difficult. Panic can make it harder to think clearly and remember what you studied.

If you encounter a difficult question, stay calm and move to another question first. Often, after answering other questions, your mind becomes clearer and you may remember the answer.

It's important you answer the question you know best first. This can boost your confidence to answer others and also help save your time

4. Writing Too Little or Too Much

Another mistake students make is not providing enough explanation in their answers. Others do the opposite by writing too much unnecessary information.

Good answers should be clear, relevant, and well-structured. Focus on answering the question directly rather than writing everything you know about a topic.

Understand the terms stated in the question and stick to them. If the question says, 'List', there is no point explaining. Understand what 'State', 'define', 'explain', 'enunciate' 'mention', etc means in exams and stick to what the question says

5. Ignoring Instructions

Sometimes exam questions come with specific instructions such as “Answer any three questions” or “Explain briefly.”

Students who fail to follow these instructions may lose marks or waste time answering unnecessary questions.

Always pay attention to the instructions given in the exam paper.

6. Poor Presentation

Even when a student knows the correct answers, poor handwriting or disorganized presentation can make it difficult for the examiner to follow the answer.

Write clearly, organize your points properly, and leave space between answers when necessary.

Where diagrams are needed to buttress your points, draw clear diagrams. However, don't waste toouch time on it.

7. Leaving Questions Unanswered

Some students leave questions blank simply because they are unsure of the answer or simply because the time was almost up and they had not finished writing all they know for some other question

Please, attempt all questions. Write something about all the questions.

If you have 5inutesore and there are like 3 or 4 questions yet unanswered, rush to the unanswered ones and write something each in them. This will fetch you somearks instead of just zeroark for all.

Even if you don't know the question, wrote something about it.

Finally 

Exams reward not only knowledge but also discipline, careful thinking and smartness. Avoiding the common mistakes given above.

In addition, take your time to go through all you wrote. There's no award for the first person to submit. Don't always rush to be the first person who goes out of the Hall. If you finish in good time, go through again before submitting 

Remember that success in exams often comes from doing the small things correctly.

God will crown your efforts with success.

"And the LORD shall make thee the head, and not the tail; and thou shalt be above only, and thou shalt not be beneath..." Deuteronomy 28:13

Let's meet at the top

✌️ 💕 

Dr Tochukwu Onu (PT)

Lover of Education, Health and Business