The Top Ten Archive

Top Ten things you need to know about your exams

10. Crayons are not usually an accepted writing medium for university exams.
9. In exams where you write on the paper, the number of blank lines guide how much you should write. DO NOT extend this strategy to the ones with blank printed answer books.
8. Your lecturers wrote them. Therefore, looking at your lecture notes before the exams is a really, really good idea.
7. They say a picture is worth a thousand words, but don't test that theory on any essays you may be asked for.
6. A lack of knowledge of your subject can be compensated for by liberal use of the phrases "vis a vis", "sine qua non", and "per se."
5. Physicists: F=ma. Tell them this at every opportunity.
4. If it says "Why..." at the start of a question, then "Because it says so in the notes" is not usually regarded as a good answer.
3. Allegedly, university exams are designed to test what you do know, not what you don't. Therefore, if you can't answer a question, just write down something else that you do know instead. Try your mother's maiden name, lyrics from the new Wu-Tang album, or even F=ma.
2. For multiple choice exams: when in doubt, the answer is c).
1. If you see a lot of people you don't recognise in the room, these are people from the year above retaking your course. You are in trouble.


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