Exam strategies

Exam strategies for homeschoolers

You’ve done all your revision and now you are sitting in the exam hall. What strategies can you use to give yourself the best chance of success?

Exam Strategies

A homeschooling parent talks about finding an exam centre.

Exam Strategies

When you get into the exam

Remain calm and collected. Work efficiently and concentrate.

Know how long you should spend on each question. Jot down these times so that you remain on schedule.

Carefully read, consider and select the questions you’ll answer. Underline any key points in the question – dates, names of places/people, and the task – ‘argue’, ‘describe’, ‘analyse’ etc. Allow for proof-reading time at the end.

Keep essay plans brief, jotting down only bullet points containing reminder ‘buzz words’.

Always check the last page of your exam and page numbers. Make sure you’ve got to grips with the paper!

Avoid writing jokes, long or irrelevant quotes, rhetorical questions or waffling. Be formal and professional.

What to do if you go blank in the exam

Don’t panic, try to remain calm. If you’ve forgotten something, move on and draw a little star to remind yourself where to come back to.

If you’re really stuck, write down keywords on a piece of paper as to what the question makes you think of.

If you can’t answer any questions, think and choose which ones you would be best at.

Do some breathing exercises and drink some water. Try to think about something else for a couple of minutes to trigger your thought-flow again.

Exam Strategies

And finally…

Good luck! As long as you’ve done your revision you’ve tried your best. Think of exams as an opportunity to show off all your hard work over the last year.