Being Successful in your Computing or Electronics Exam
Finishing Your Controlled Assessment!
Make your best effort in the final stages of your controlled assessment. This is the easiest place to
gain lots of marks, and is worth 60% of the whole exam.
Revision
There are not many exam techniques that work, so here are some do’s and don’ts:
DO:
Tidy up your notes, get organised, and now stay organised to prevent wasting time
Get comfortable, the right temperature, light, air, space to work away from distractions
Create memory aids, or mnemonics, for specifics like facts and lists
Make flash cards of the critical concepts and test yourself
Repeatedly test yourself over time to check that you can recall the information on your flashcards
– here’s how:
http://www.wikihow.com/Review-Using-Flash-Cards
Test yourself over increasing time as follows
- after you have finished the cards
- after a short break, before you another topic
- at the end of the day
- two days later
- five days later
- ten days later
- twenty days later e.t.c.
- before your exam!
Each time you test yourself, you must continue until the ‘wrong’ pile is empty!
Practice past papers, use mark schemes or even get them marked! Check with your teacher on
topics you need help with
Do NOT:
Highlight text (a technique of last resort!)
 Just read the textbook
PTO
In the Exam
Bring your full exam equipment, including spares (eg spare pen and pencil) and a calculator.
Read the instructions on the front of the paper carefully. Make a note of the time allowed. For
example, a paper that has 1hr 30m and 80 marks means you have to score approximately one mark
a minute and a minimum. Allocate the appropriate time to questions based on the number of marks.
Read the questions carefully and highlight the key words and command verbs.
Use the space – if there are two lines, use them up. Never give one work answers – PEE on your
work: Point, Example, Explanation.
If you finish early, re-read the instructions. Now check your work, then check it again. And again.
For more details, refer to the following OCR guide:
http://www.ocr.org.uk/Images/16206-a-parent-s-guide-to-understanding-exam-techniques.pdf