My approach - exams

Each three-hour exam was exhausting. My first action was to scan the questions and then (as I mentioned in my previous post) jot down any relevant memorized items before I forgot them. After that I would look through each of the questions in a little more detail. This is very important since it is not that uncommon for a later question to provide some hints that could be useful in answering an earlier question.

I answered all the questions in order. Typically I wrote 12-15 (minimum 9, maximum 18) full A4 pages per paper. This means about 4-5 pages per hour and it also means 1-2 pages for each 10% of the total score. Roughly every half hour I checked my progress based on this timeline.

I tried to complete the paper at about two and a half hours or slightly thereafter so that I would have enough time to read through my answers, ensure that they were legible and add any thoughts which occurred to me on re-reading. I typically only wrote on the right-hand-side pages so that I would be able to add and elaborate after I finished the question. In two cases I finished the answer book and had to squeeze at the end but generally this approach worked well for me.

From a timing perspective, I finished every exam in less than 2:45 and typically left the room in advance. I'm sure I could have found something to improve but usually I was so burnt out that I just wanted to leave and/or start studying for my next exam!

On that topic, I should also note that I have had a habit of scheduling multiple exams per diet. In December 2008 and 2009 I sat four exams each. This is an extremely intense experience but it is possible. I've heard of cases where students have sat five or six exams but four is certainly the limit for me. I would also never schedule two exams on the same day unless there is absolutely no way around it.

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