No I'm not talking about dancing (for those of you in the UK).
This evening I am doing a mock exam question, which is part of my Open University assessment. It's only worth 5% of the overall mark but is good practice, plus it's made me start my revision in good time!
So, Mr H is going to take Django out for a walk so I have an hour's piece to answer the question 'under exam conditions'.
Hmm, I suppose that means I can't have a cup of tea on the go while I'm writing?
Showing posts with label Exams. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Exams. Show all posts
Thursday, 22 March 2012
Tuesday, 14 June 2011
Notes to self...
Well the exam's over .... for another year anyway! (I'm assuming here that I have managed 40% and won't be re-sitting in October...). It went ok, I could answer all the questions and I feel all right about it. Not 'that was easy' but not 'that was awful' either.
I now have 3 1/2 months of summer holiday before my 3rd year starts at the beginning of October, which will be 'Welfare, Crime and Society'.
I have learned a few things this year about studying, when there's an exam at the end (we didn't have one in the first year):
1. write good, clear notes during the year, even though it makes the reading more time consuming. I did this and it was a godsend when it came to revision.
2. my revision schedule worked - a month of rotating subjects, but making sure I took really good breaks as well.
3. try not to stress - after all it's not a life and death situation, and stress hormones aren't productive.
3. at the exam - don't sit with stressed people while waiting to go in! I and three of my friends were sitting together quite happily, talking about other things. Two of our tutor group turned up, both intelligent girls. One was totally stressed out, and they started talking about subjects and the other one even had her text book out! It totally screwed with our minds, even with my fingers in my ears, and we ended up going out and standing in the corridor to escape them. Interestingly, one of them finished half an hour early, and the other one muttered afterwards about having totally screwed it up. So I'm not sure what that tells me.
So, tomorrow I have an 8 1/2 hour train journey up to Scotland. Mr H is currently at his parents in Wales and he and Django will be racing me north in the van! I can't wait, I haven't been up there since February, can you believe it?
I feel a bit weird at the moment to be honest, not quite sure what to do with myself after 9 months of feeling as though I should be reading/writing study stuff. Although I'm glad to relax, I expect by September I'll be pleased when the box of new text books arrives...
I now have 3 1/2 months of summer holiday before my 3rd year starts at the beginning of October, which will be 'Welfare, Crime and Society'.
I have learned a few things this year about studying, when there's an exam at the end (we didn't have one in the first year):
1. write good, clear notes during the year, even though it makes the reading more time consuming. I did this and it was a godsend when it came to revision.
2. my revision schedule worked - a month of rotating subjects, but making sure I took really good breaks as well.
3. try not to stress - after all it's not a life and death situation, and stress hormones aren't productive.
3. at the exam - don't sit with stressed people while waiting to go in! I and three of my friends were sitting together quite happily, talking about other things. Two of our tutor group turned up, both intelligent girls. One was totally stressed out, and they started talking about subjects and the other one even had her text book out! It totally screwed with our minds, even with my fingers in my ears, and we ended up going out and standing in the corridor to escape them. Interestingly, one of them finished half an hour early, and the other one muttered afterwards about having totally screwed it up. So I'm not sure what that tells me.
So, tomorrow I have an 8 1/2 hour train journey up to Scotland. Mr H is currently at his parents in Wales and he and Django will be racing me north in the van! I can't wait, I haven't been up there since February, can you believe it?
I feel a bit weird at the moment to be honest, not quite sure what to do with myself after 9 months of feeling as though I should be reading/writing study stuff. Although I'm glad to relax, I expect by September I'll be pleased when the box of new text books arrives...
Thursday, 26 May 2011
Exam dilemma
I have realised that the hardest part of my exam is going to be finding the right pen to take! Thankfully being a letter writer I am more used than most to handwriting, but not for 3 hours solid... So I am trying out pens. I borrowed some from work which are gel pens. Great I thought, these will flow nicely and not need much pressure, but they are rubbish.
The one that looks posher is horrible and scratchy and leaves gaps in letters. The other one is better. But the problem with gel pens is the smudging. Now I know that I am going to want to leave a gap while I jot down something for the next paragraph while I think of it, and then go back to fill in the gap. I did it while doing a practice answer and ended up with a black hand and an unreadable paragraph.
I could take my favourite ink pen which I use for letter writing, but again the same problem. I could use a bit of paper to cover up the paragraph while I lean on it, but we're not allowed to take paper extra paper into the exam and our answers are written in a booklet.
I could use my posh ballpoint pen that the office bought me when I'd been there 25 years, but I have to press too hard so I'll have cramp within 10 minutes.
I have 2 1/2 weeks to sort this out! So now I'll try out some of the other ballpoints I have, but not too much otherwise they'll run out of ink after the first paragraph....
Other than that, it's the simple (?) task of learning the essay contents.
Just now I'm working on Attention and Perception, which is interesting. It has also gone some way to explaining how I managed to walk past a pile of wood on the drive and not notice it, something that Mr H has always taken great pleasure in reminding me!
The one that looks posher is horrible and scratchy and leaves gaps in letters. The other one is better. But the problem with gel pens is the smudging. Now I know that I am going to want to leave a gap while I jot down something for the next paragraph while I think of it, and then go back to fill in the gap. I did it while doing a practice answer and ended up with a black hand and an unreadable paragraph.
I could take my favourite ink pen which I use for letter writing, but again the same problem. I could use a bit of paper to cover up the paragraph while I lean on it, but we're not allowed to take paper extra paper into the exam and our answers are written in a booklet.
I could use my posh ballpoint pen that the office bought me when I'd been there 25 years, but I have to press too hard so I'll have cramp within 10 minutes.
I have 2 1/2 weeks to sort this out! So now I'll try out some of the other ballpoints I have, but not too much otherwise they'll run out of ink after the first paragraph....
Other than that, it's the simple (?) task of learning the essay contents.
Just now I'm working on Attention and Perception, which is interesting. It has also gone some way to explaining how I managed to walk past a pile of wood on the drive and not notice it, something that Mr H has always taken great pleasure in reminding me!
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