What happens if you arrive late for your exam?
What happens if you need to go to the loo half-way through?
What happens if your pen runs out?
Or if something (or someone) is bothering you, stopping you from concentrating?
Are you allowed to take books into the exam?
Or your phone?
Or a bottle of water?
Will you need to show some sort of identification?
What happens if you’re ill?
Or haven’t brought your calculator?
Don’t you think it would be useful to know the answers before you sit your exams?
The answers to all of these questions, and many, many more, are provided in by your examining body.
Ask your teacher for a copy of the rules. Most likely they’ve already been put on the internet somewhere. Try your examination board’s website.
Don’t get frustrated if you can’t find them at first. If ‘exam rules’ doesn’t turn up anything useful, try ‘guidelines’, ‘regulations’ or ‘procedures’.
Some rules allow you to bring a dictionary, some don’t.
Some allow you to wear a watch, some don’t.
Some insist you write in black ink only.
Some allow you to leave early if you wish.
Some insist on a particular type of calculator.
And what happens in the case of bereavement, or bad weather, or broken limbs?
One rule that most of the examination boards have in common is that any breach of the rules is considered misconduct and therefore you will suffer the consequences.
This could be disqualification, suspension or lifetime imprisonment, depending on the examination board and the severity of your bad behaviour.
So, do you know the answers to the questions mentioned?
Wouldn’t it be useful to know them BEFORE it’s too late?
Exam rules aren’t there to cause problems. They’re there to avoid them: to make sure everyone gets a fair deal and there’s no biased treatment.
If you have a clear understanding of what’s permitted and what’s not, you can avoid potential problems before they happen which will allow you to concentrate on the important stuff like getting the best grade you can.
Tip 7: You don’t need the extra stress. Make sure you have a clear understanding of the exam rules before you sit your exam.