On BattleDay

The information in this article pertains to the traditional paper & pencil format of taking exams. For 2020.Fall, all exams are being administered in a CBT (Computer-Based Testing) format at Pearson-Vue testing centres. The wiki article below will be updated to reflect this new CBT format. Note that you are not permitted to bring a watch into the testing centre but there will be a countdown clock on your screen while your exam is in progress. Your time management strategy during the exam should be similar to what I've outlined below with just a few minor adjustments.

Time Management During the Exam

• Note: The better prepared you are, the more time pressure you'll be under because you'll be able to answer most (or all) of the questions. (If you are NOT well-prepared, then there will be less time pressure because there will be many questions you'll just have to skip.)

==> Most answers you can write in bullet points. You are tested on content, not grammar or style.

==> If you get stuck, don't linger. Take your best guess and move on.

==> You probably won't have time for review.

==> Cross out mistakes - don't erase. it is faster.

Exam Organization

• You first need to understand how this exam is usually organized:

First one-third of exam	short-answer questions
Middle one-third of exam	calculation questions
Final one-third of exam	short-answer questions

• Also, the exam topics tend to appear in similar order. It's all quite predictable.

The First 5 minutes

Modifications for CBT format: When the exam was given with pencil and paper there was a cover sheet showing the point-values for each question. This cover sheet is now a tab in the Excel spreadsheet. You cannot print this, but you will be provided with a pen and scratch paper. You can still do the time management calculation explained below with appropriate modifications. You'll now have to make a note on your scratch paper which range of questions you want to allocate to each of the 4 one-hour periods during the exam. To avoid running out time, you must keep track of your time very strictly using the countdown clock on the screen.

• On the sheet with the point-value of the questions, use a highlighter to divide your time into four 1-hr parts. ClickTime Mgmt for an example. (This will be time well spent.)

→ For the CBT version of the exam, make a note of the range of questions you want to do in each hour on a separate sheet of scrap paper and don't use this piece of paper for anything else.

• If the exam has 70 points then do this roughly as follows:

• Section 1: 20 points
• Section 2: 15 points (contains lots of calculation problems and these take longer to do.)
• Section 3: 15 points (contains a few more calculation problems but some short-answer too.)
• Section 4: 20 points

• Use your calculator to do this and on a separate piece of scrap paper make a note for which range of questions you want to do in each one-hour period.
• You have roughly 3.5 minutes to spend on each point on the exam but
  • The calculation problems take relatively longer, maybe 6-7 minutes per point.
  • The short-answer questions are generally quicker.

Begin Writing your Answers

• Hour 1:
  • Start with Section 2. That's where most of the calculation problems usually are.
    • The calculation problems are harder so you should do these when your brain is fresh.
    • Keep an eye on your watch and aim to finish Section 2 within the first hour.
    • If you get to a problem that you can't do, don't linger. Quickly write down anything you think might be relevant and move on. You can almost always take an educated guess and get partial credit, even if it's just 0.25 points.
  • As you complete problems:
    • Check them off on the point-value sheet.
    • If you want to come back to a question later, circle it. But note that you won't have much time at the end for review.

• Hour 2:
  • Move on to Section 3. There are usually a few more calculation problems in Section 3.

• Hour 3:
  • Move on to Section 4.
  • These will mostly be short-answer questions. Your brain may be getting tired at this point, but these short-answer questions are easier because they're mainly memorization.
  • If you are properly prepared for the exam, then Section 4 should be easier than Sections 2 & 3.

• Hour 4:
  • Go back to Section 1. You're in the home stretch, and this will be mostly short-answer. If you're prepared, it shouldn't be too hard.
  • But before starting, skim the questions in this section.
    • If there are questions at the end of this section that you know how to do, make sure you get to them!
    • The worst thing is running out of time and not answering a question you know!

Exam is Over

• GO HOME & CHILL!!!!