Three down, two to go!!!
That's right only two more exams to go.
The recent exams have made me wonder about a few things.
We have these rules saying that you cant take your mobile phone to your desk and yet when the supervisors ask everyone to check their phones people grab them from their pockets and check and put them back! I know this is trivial and they probably dont cheat but it would be nice if they enforced these things.
Non-programmable calculators. Some exams specify that you can bring in a calculator that is not programmable. This might seem like a trivial detail to non-IT students but in an IT exam it makes a HUGE difference. I have seen people in exams with programmable calculators and the supervisors arent informed as to what this requirement means. At the very least the calculator should be reset so that it isnt full of answers. Even then the fact that you can write programs on it and do all sorts of other stuff means it would be an unfair advantage.
Punctuality. It never ceases to amaze me the number of people that arrive late to exams. Enough said.
Tsk tsk tsk.... I have been judged (VERY wrongly) by some of the supervisors in the past for leaving an exam early (like 30mins into a 3hour exam). Even when you are busy doing the exam it is easy to see which students know the answers and are flying through the questions, which are strugling and those that aren't putting in any effort at all. My philosiphy is with most exam questions you know the answer or you don't. Some involve some thinking, some involve a lot of writting, but most of the time it is simply a variation of stuff you have done in class. Just for the record my result on the above mentioned exam was 19/20, only one person beat me on 19.5/20 and there was only one other person (18/20) who scored more than 12.
STRESS. A lot of my class mates freak out before exams. I am not talking during study week I am talking the night before or the morning of the exam. The number of people that stay up all night 'studying' and not eating amazes me. What makes it more amazing is that our exams aren't "regurgitate this fact" it is more along the lines of "using the algorithm X and inputs Y calculate the output" or "explain the priciples behind Z". This understanding should be built up over the semester and is greatly assisted by sleep and a full belly.
Not answering questions. I have spoken to people after exams that have said stuff along the lines of "I didn't know the answer so I left it blank". WHAT!! Its not a gameshow. You don't loose points for making wrong guess. Why you wouldn't try is beyond me. Write something random. I have heard many stories of markers giving marks (only partial of course) to answers that are wrong but meaningful. For instance if a phrase can have two meanings, and one is clearly in the context of the exam but you have no idea what it means, answer the question using the other meaning.
And finally PENS!!! I am often told I am crazy because I walk into an exam with a fist full of pens. In nearly all of my exams I have only ever used one. At serveral exams people have borrowed pens from me at the last minute so it is handy to have some extras. My obsession paid off the other day in a writting exam where I ended up using 5 different pens because they all hated me and decided to not work. For the extra effort it is great insurance.
Sorry to be so boring but it's just that time of the year.
Have fun.
