Most students agree that the shortest time period in the world is the final five minutes at the end of an exam. To avoid being unable to finish or having to rush the last answer attempted, it is essential to plan your allocation of exam time with the care and discipline of a military campaign.

You must always attempt to answer all the questions required. Some students mistakenly believe that providing good answers to two out of four questions is better than average answers to all four.

This is seldom the case. In fact you could answer half the questions brilliantly but still fail!

Take an easily read watch into the exam room and keep a close eye on the time. Plan the amount of time you can afford to devote to the various questions as part of your revision. Use past papers and guidance from those preparing you for the exam. During the exam keep to this plan. Even when you can answer one question perfectly don’t be tempted to spend more time on it than your schedule permits. Start by reading through all the questions carefully and deciding which of them you can answer. If you feel that all of them are beyond you don’t panic. This is a very common feeling.

If you to write four essays in two hours you might allocate time as follows. Five minutes for reading all the questions before selecting, then rereading and preparing your answer to the first one chosen. Do read the questions with great care. When I was a university examiner, I sometimes had to fail candidates who have provided an excellent answer but to a totally different question!

Spend twenty minutes writing your essay, and a further five minutes for checking your answer. You have now used up thirty minutes of the time available.

By following the same procedure for the remaining three questions you will have completed, and checked, them all before the examination ends. Remember that time is your most precious commodity when taking an exam. Make sure you use it wisely and well.

You will find further details and visual demonstrations of all the information provided in these articles on my DVD Pass That Exam