Exams....HELP!

[chris.ph]

look at my signature

[Jan Van Quirm]

And yes with bell's on Chris!

Employers these days are getting a little more appreciative of experience rather than paper qualifications especially in 'people-facing' industries where no amount of brain cells can substitute for being able to relate to and handle people well.

[Who's Wee Dug]

What I would suggest drink camomile tea to relax you, take deep breaths really deep in through your nose and expell through mouth slowly,put some rosemary essential oil on a tissue or handkerchief for sniffing later it will wake you up if your flaging in class or in the morning, also some lavender oil rubbed on your temples is said to relax and aid memory. Good luck hope this helps,

[cols]

Thank you all for the advice.I've read through them twice and they are all very helpful. So thank you all again.

[cols]

look at my signature

Quoted this in class recently ! we all had a great giggle

[cols]

WWD would you believe we've all those things here. I never tried rosemary on a tissue have always used it for massage but am going check it out!
Dotsie, Jan , Wannabe and Sandra Thank you ladies I have printed out your tips and will amalgamate them to set some sort of pre exam wind down.
poohbcarrot I love using mnemonics and have lots of silly sentences written in the margins all over the place, I also other techniques but the problem with my mind going blank is everything disappears! And I'd never cram the night before I know the material it's just recalling it under stress that fails me.
after reading Wannabe's advice on talking to someone and Dotsies point on practice questions I have decided to ask the tutors if when we are dong some past papers in class if we could replicate an exam enviroment and hopefully they'll be up for it as I've asked a few of my fellow student and they loved the idea .
Jan - I think your stages might also help insomnia which is increasingly becoming a problem so am goning to try it out

Thanks again guys you've all really helped

[Who's Wee Dug]

Rosemary will really give you a lift for a couple of hours on no account take it late at night it will keep you up,camomile tea before bed is good.

[poohbcarrot]

Wow! So Rosemary's a cross between Viagra and speed? I must give it a shot.

[Jan Van Quirm]

You're welcome Cols

It's 'good' for insomnia except it's do as I say not as I do I do get up if I can't sleep but I generally go online or on the computer and write which is OKish but I invariably get seduced into something that'll get my brain all excited
Long term though your body will get it's revenge and you'll just pass out for however long you need - which is why the no alcohol bit is the safest thing to do because you don't want a hangover on top of that as your headache will already be at volcanic level!

[Who's Wee Dug]

Wow! So Rosemary's a cross between Viagra and speed? I must give it a shot.

You wish

[Captain Turnip]

Hi guys, Well I thought as there is a good many students on the forum maybe I could ask for a tip or too.
Here's my problem.. I study ALOT and don't have many problems with assignments and such, however my exams are not assignment based. I have a major problem with exams in that my brain tends to abandon me the minute I sit in the exam hall. What's really frustrating is I know the stuff practically inside out but I get all flustered and can't focus and when I come out I could answer the questions in my sleep .
In May I'm due to take 4 exams and I'm going crazy trying to figure out how to keep calm which of course is making me ten times worse

So after all that .. does anyone have tips on how to keep it together on exam day ..I've worked really hard and I'd be gutted if I just couldn't perform on the day

The best bit of advice I was given for exams was "Do the easier questions first, it will give you confidence to answer the rest"
I know how you feel, I preferred course-work. Almost all jobs you go in for these days do not involve sitting down to answert a load of questions (though they are usefull). I always found course-work and assignments were more useful.
Sorry I can't be of help, just good luck with it, and relax. Also, do not go drinking the night before, nor drink any caffein drinks - get an early night, and try to relax

[poohbcarrot]

I must admit that my concept of exams is somewhat prejudiced by the following true experience;

I took 3 A levels, Business Studies, Economics and maths with stats. I really worked my butt off for the Economics but succeeded in only getting an O level pass grade and I failed my maths with stats.

There was quite a good job going in my area but they wanted someone with two A levels. I told them I had one and was re-taking Economics at night school. I got the job. I went to one night school class then gave up becauase I had the job and they weren't going to kick me out 9 months later after training me.

The day of the A level exam came. I had done zero revision and it was a different examining board. I got a day off work and went to the exam in a very relaxed frame of mind because I knew I wasn't going to pass.

Unbelievably I passed!

One day, 3 years later, I looked around at my work colleagues. Some had started work at the company when they were 16 and were still there at the age of 50. I thought there must be more to life than this, so quit the job, went to Poly and did a degree in business.

In those days, if you passed the first year, you were almost guarenteed a degree. The first year of my course was basically exactly what I studied for A levels but easier. I did no work, passed and eventually got a degree based on the principles I outlined earlier on this thread.

Just because I could put letters after my name if I wanted, doesn't mean I'm a better person, or more intelligent than someone who can't. If I had a choice between going for a drink with 95% of my fellow students or going for a drink with Chris.ph, I'd choose Chris.ph because I'm sure he's got some absolutely brilliant stories to tell.

So don't worry about the exams. Failing isn't the end of the world.

I worked in Turkey for a year and the following is a Turkish proverb that sums up my views on life;

Var sa var. Yok sa yok. Yok sa farket mes.

If it happens, it happens. If it doesn't happen, it doesn't happen. If it doesn't happen, it doesn't matter.

[cols]

Just wanna re- thank everyone for their advice. this years final exams were all this week, hence my absence lately, the first day I fell apart, totally panicked and shouted at myself the whole way home! thankfully I the following exams were much better and I'm working hard at winding down - Plenty of wine involved !

Thanks again guys I really appreciate the input and It helped alot

BTW WWD the camomile tea is excellent for helping sleep I didn't think it would but it knocked me out

[Who's Wee Dug]

<BTW WWD the camomile tea is excellent for helping sleep I didn't think it would but it knocked me out>You did not put Whisky in it did you.

[Dotsie]

Glad they went well for you Cols. Our students are all a bit frantic this week, luckily for me I don't take any exams at all, it's thesis only