Must Read: Common Mistakes Students Make During Examination

“I did the examination very well but still failed” . Have you ever been guilty of this statement? If yes, then you must read this article to the end. You might have written the examination perfectly but you have failed to take note of some mistakes that cost you lots of mark. This is one of the reasons why students fail examinations. What are these costly mistakes you need to avoid during examination?, see them below.

#1. READING THE WRONG QUESTION
There is no way you can give the correct answer to the wrong question. What do I mean by this? Take a look at some of the questions that involves the word “NOT”. You might be asked, “Which of the following is not a verb?” and you are provided with the options (a) Read (b) Book (c) Jump (d) Write. A lot of student will choose option A immediately without checking other options. Why? Because they thought the question was “Which of the following is a verb?”. I was once a victim of this occurrence. I discovered it is due to fear or being in a rush while reading the question. You can read my article on “6 Sure Ways To Overcome Examination Fear”.

What to do:Read each question carefully at least twice and make sure you understand it.

#2. ANSWERING QUESTIONS OUTGOING OF POINT
Students fail examination because they have failed to answer questions within the required course. Some students want to explain more than required. As a result, they write out of point. You might think you will bag some bonus marks by including additional explanation but end up scoring very low. Do not misquote! It is not a bad idea giving additional information in your answers but ensure you do not write out of point . You might be writing something meaningful but does not fit into the question asked. While some markers like this, most don’t . Since you don’t know the type of person that will mark your examination, the best thing to do is to avoid it.

What to do: Don’t write unnecessary information unless it is within the course of the question. Ensure you write answers that suits the questions asked.

#3. ATTEMPTING DIFFICULT QUESTIONS FIRST 
Another costly mistake students make is leaving simple questions untouched and attempting difficult ones first. This is a very bad idea that you should not even think of. You might be thinking
“Why shouldn’t I solve harder ones when my brain is not stressed and come back to the easier ones?”. Take a look at some of the reasons why you should not do it below.
-It wastes your time.
-If you solve easier ones first and you are at least sure of getting them right, it keeps your body motivated and improve your brain function to solve difficult ones.
-If you solve difficult ones first and you don’t get them, you become frustrated that you won’t be able to solve even the so-called easier ones.
-Ask yourself, what is the probability of getting the difficult questions right when eventually you don’t have time to solve simpler questions.

Have you now seen the reason why you should not solve difficult questions first and the negative effects of doing so?

What to do:Solve easier questions first. It will help you to bag enough marks and save time to come back to difficult ones.

#4. LACK OF PROPER TIME PLANNING
Time planning is another factor you must consider during examinations. Take a look at the JAMB that was just concluded where candidates are given 120minutes to solve 180 questions. This means that candidates have two-third minute(40seconds) to solve each question. Depending on the subject, you might decide to use 60seconds for calculation-based subjects like Physics and Mathematics and 20-30seconds for theory-based subjects. As the case might be, lack of time planning is another common mistake students are found guilty of. Students use more that the proposed time for each question. As a result, they waste their time only to be left without a lot of question with with little time to solve them. This which I won’t want you to fall victim of is what you must consider.

What to do: Do proper research on the number of question and amount of time that will be given. Plan your time and don’t use more than the proposed time on each question. If you discover you are wasting too much time on a question, move on to the next question. You must ensure you come back to it when you are through with other questions.

#5. YOU FAILED TO CROSS-CHECK
No man is born mistake-free. Students are liable to make mistakes during examination. The real mistake however is when student fail to correct their mistakes. Have you ever written an examination that you felt you should cross-check and something tells you you don’t need to?. This might be because you are in a rush or you want to do something after the examination. Don’t make this mistake!

What to do: Ensure you cross-check your answers to see if there is any mistakes.

NOTE :Don’t be in a rush while cross-checking, take your time!.

#6. NOT HEEDING INSTRUCTIONS 
Students also make the the mistake of neglecting instruction during examination. You might think examiners don’t take it serious, but yes they do!. Each instruction given to you in the examination hall determines whether you pass or not.
What to do: Always heed instructions. Don’t start when you are not told to, if you are told to answer 4 questions, don’t attempt 5questions.