Exam Questions: 6 Tips to Effectively Answer

It’s time for the truth; you are sitting in the classroom, nervous and waiting to receive the exam questions. During the last weeks you studied a lot and you think that you deserve, at least, the approved one. Well, the time has come to prove it!

Yes, this scenario may be different depending on the subject in question. If you are a student of computer science, for example, you can use the computer instead of a sheet of paper, and some subjects have practical exams mainly. However, this feeling is common for the vast majority of students of all levels.

Therefore, we will then help you answer exam questions effectively, so that you can show all the knowledge you have inside. How to Answer Exam Questions on online test portals

Pay attention! It may seem that these tips are common sense but when under stress, many students ignore them and make mistakes that end up ruining weeks (or even months) of study.

Here we leave you with the best tips to be as prepared as possible to answer exam questions:

1. Practice with Previous Years Exams

There is no better way to make sure you are prepared for an exam than to take past exams of the same subject in the days before the exam. Many of these tests are available online but if this is not your case, consult your teacher.

In any case, this process does not try to prepare you to answer a specific question but to understand how to approach an exam question, how to structure your answer and how to control the time.

Do you often face test-type exams? These require a very different approach to exams with development questions.

2. Read All Questions Carefully

When you are on an exam, nerves can cause you to read a question incorrectly. This can take you to lose exam time answering the wrong question until you realise the error or what is worse, that you do not realise and deliver the badly answered exam.

Reading the questions calmly at the beginning of the exam will help you get an overview of the exam and consider how much you know about each of them to organise better. Also, by allowing time to read the questions, you will avoid most reading errors.

We also recommend that you do not leave questions unanswered. Try to make an effort. However, be careful with those exams that penalise errors.

3. Control your Time

This is where you need to be strict with yourself. Once you have assigned a time to each question, you must complete it and advance to the next question when appropriate, giving your full attention and without thinking about the one you left behind.

If you have distributed the time correctly, at the end of the exam you should have some minutes to review and return to those questions incomplete or on which you had doubts. These final minutes can scratch many points.

4. Structure your Answer

Do not launch to answer. Before, take a few minutes to state the structure of your answer (especially in those exams where it is necessary to develop long answers, such as text comments). This previous step will not only help you save time but will probably get you to answer the question better (without deviating) and not forget any key point, so you will get better grades.

Most of the long answers should be composed of an introduction, a couple of main points and a conclusion. Many students ignore the importance of the conclusion and end their answers hastily. However, a good conclusion is what distinguishes outstanding students from the rest; since it is here where the student can connect the main points and show his opinion.

5. Explore Both Viewpoints

In those questions in which you must show your opinion on a specific topic, it is important to position yourself and argues your opinion well in order to gain credibility.

However, even more important is not to leave aside the other point of view and also analyse its pros and cons. In fact, many questions that seem to seek a direct answer, in reality, are looking for the student to sketch a structured and argued response. Do not fall into the trap of positioning yourself too fast and ignore the other points of view.

6. Review your Responses to Fund

Many smart students make the mistake of taking their exam quickly after finishing the last question, as if it were a career. It is important to re-read everything you have written to verify that there are no spelling or grammar mistakes, but also to add extra comments that can give you an extra tenth.

You’ll be surprised at how many things you can do in these final minutes. That is your last chance to add that famous quote, some point that you had forgotten or even draw a small diagram that complements your answer.

Remember that, as a general rule, exams are not designed to deceive you. Do not panic and make sure you get the grade you really deserve.

Do you want to contribute some other advice that has helped you? Leave your comment below!