DO
Bring extra pens and pencils:
There’s nothing worse than being in the exam room, writing and scantroning hardcore, and realizing you don’t have any lead to refill your pencil, or that your pen just gave up. I’ve learned the hard way that you need at least one extra pen or pencil for exam writing. When my pen gave out, I had to awkwardly go up to the TA and ask for a pencil to borrow, which stopped her from working on marking! Definitely left the class with my head down in shame. One of my friends literally dumps her whole pencil case on her desk for an exam. Sure it’s a little extreme and makes an annoying shuffling sound when she changes pens, but better safe than sorry!
Bring a water bottle:
Maybe it’s just me, but when I get nervous my mouth gets super dry. For some it’s just when they’re doing a class presentation, but for me it’s whenever I get anxious. When you forget your water bottle it can make you worried, especially if you usually have water during most of your exams. For me water calms me down, and going for a drink can be a nice 15 second break to collect your thoughts. Keep hydrated, my friends!
Use the washroom before the exam:
Even if you don’t feel like you gotta go, it’s worth a shot trying to pee before your exam starts. Although you are usually allowed to pee during an exam as long as a TA goes with you, it’s still annoying to the professor and everyone around you when you break their train of thought by moving around the rows asking to pee. And realistically, you will need to after your diet of coffee and energy drinks.
Have a snack beforehand:
If you’re anything like me, you can’t study without a little nibble to eat. During your exam is when all your hard work is being put to the test, and that’s probably when you’re going to be the most hungry. So make sure to eat a snack beforehand, or if possible bring a silent snack like a box of raisins to your exam. It would be terrible to be so focused on your hunger that you can’t focus on your exam!
DON’T
Arrive late:
Sometimes being late is unavoidable, but being late should be something that you should try to take charge of. Not only will you miss valuable exam time, but you’ll interrupt people around you when you walk in and try to squeeze into an empty seat in the middle of the row. If you’re running late, you may be frazzled and it can be hard to shift gears from running across campus to organizing your thoughts. Take your time, take a deep breath, and ace that exam!
Have too much coffee:
Yes, you read that right. Coffee can be a beautiful thing and can lead you through some crazy studying, but caffeine is a drug, and just like most drugs has a come-down point. With a caffeine crash you become exhausted and cranky. You don’t want to feel this way when writing a life-or-death exam. Trust me on this one. You can survive with one less coffee or energy drink and still do well. I’m not a doctor, but my advice would be not to have caffeine an hour before your final so your system is still up and running but has already hit its come-down point.
Stay up all night:
Sometimes you can feel like pulling an all-nighter will help you cram in those last few details for your exam. But truth be told, your brain needs some downtime to let all that data sink in. Cramming can be (slightly) effective, but it won’t be worth anything if you can’t recall it in the exam room. Aim to get at least six hours of sleep before the exam, and leave two hours to prepare before the exam starts in the morning. Don’t push yourself past your limit. If your body is telling you that you need to sleep, you probably need to get some rest.
Good luck ladies!
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