If I knew then, what I know now...

xeduCat · 21-04-2005 12:29am #1

Alright, here's a chance to be nice to the wee first years. If you're interested!

One of the biggest problems for students (esp. JF) with exams is being thrown by expecting A and getting B (or if you're really unlucky, Z). Exams in Trinity aren't complicated, but there's a few strange things that can really throw you, especially if you're expecting the Leaving Cert. This can go from before the exams right up till results. And I'm talking about general interest things, not the answer to the first question on the maths methods paper.

No-one's obliged to post in this thread - if this isn't your scene, just pretend I don't exist, and all will be grand. But if you can share any of your accumulated wisdom - things that you wish you knew back then - I'd appreciate it, as I'll be incorporating the good stuff into leaflets, web guide etc. from next week.

If you want to email instead, it's education AT tcdsu.org.

Thanks!

John · 21-04-2005 12:54am

Remember when looking at past papers that the lecturers in the past who set those questions may not be setting them this year. I made this mistake once, had a question perfectly planned only to realise on the moment of reading the paper that this particular lecturer was gone and so was my prepared question.

Kevin_rc_ie · 21-04-2005 1:03am

if there's a course change on the leaving cert. you get told about it a zillion times. exam paper structure and general content can change quite significantly from year to year with out a big deal.

Moral of the story,

Try and find out if this years paper is going to be markedly (no pun intended) different from last years/previous years to see if the questions are going to taken from the same modules/courses etc. #

For example,

Last year threre was course on Drosphillia Genetics by Dr. X. This year there was a module on DNA replication by Dr. Y instead. etc. etc.

cuckoo · 21-04-2005 2:05am

Hmmmm....

To read all the questions carefully and check the page numbers to make sure that you have all the pages, and if there should be things like periodic tables attached that they are all there. In one exam I can remember an invigilator rushing off to find a photocopier after they realised there was a mix up.

You can ask for log tables, etc, at the start of the exam, instead of waiting until you reach that question. Turning over the page to start a new question and having to ask for one then can break the exam concentration.

Check the batteries in your calculator.

Don't drink too much caffeine and fluids - if it's a big exam hall (as most first year ones are) and you need a bathroom break and have tried to convince yourself that you don't, thinking of deserts and other dry things, and then found you really need to go you could end of up waiting a while as only so many people can go at any one time and it could take the invigilators a while to get round to you.

Actually, what's the deal with the new clean desk policy?

Oh, and maybe emphasise that cheating is a risk that's not worth taking, and that the consequences are not good.

And, if anything happens such as illness that means you won't be sitting the exam it's a rather good idea to contact your tutor, or someone in the TCD system, asap - and that it's not the end of the world. Oh, and the vital importance of med certs.

DrIndy · 21-04-2005 6:10pm

Bring a mascot - ideally an oversized troll and insist on people kissing his ass for luck.

Thats what I always do and it has become a fixture in our exams since second year. Indeed people ask me where he is when I forget to take him.

ApeXaviour · 21-04-2005 7:04pm

Pity you won't be able to do that this summer Indy.. It was a good idea, I would have liked to try it myself

Senior Lecturer wrote:

Clean-Desk Policy

A 'clean-desk' policy will be introduced for all official examinations. In
addition to pens, pencils, rulers, ID card, etc. only materials permitted
for an examination may be placed on the desk. Items such as pencil cases,
calculator covers and spectacle cases are not normally permitted.

The front page of an examination paper will indicate the materials permitted
for each examination. Items not included in this list may not be placed on
examination desks.

As students are entering an examination venue, they will be reminded by an
invigilator to leave any items not permitted for an examination with their
coats and bags in the designated area.

Invigilators will be instructed to request students to remove any
non-permitted items from their desk.

Kevin_rc_ie · 21-04-2005 7:06pm

can u not leave the stuff on the floor beside ur desk? that's what i was intending to do.

ApeXaviour · 21-04-2005 7:08pm

No idea, might be some clarification here:
http://www.tcd.ie/Senior_Lecturer/teo/teopdf/guideexam.pdf

I'm not arsed lookin

DrIndy · 21-04-2005 7:12pm

Brought troll to all my exams last week, not a bother. I have two, one is over a foot high and the other is 6 inches. The foot high one got a few comments, but the wee one is no problem. This may be aided by the fact that I know a lot of postgrads and they know of my eccentric nature.......

ApeXaviour · 21-04-2005 7:14pm

good good.. invigilators don't give a crap tbh

anybody gets caught cheatin though and u can be guaranteed they'll be enforced

Kevin_rc_ie · 21-04-2005 7:15pm

Did you threaten them with a bitch slap? Do med students have any sort of graduation in between the time they enter the college and time they leave. For example, If a med student gets a B.Sc in science or something as well as some doctor thing, can they have 2 ceremonies?

DrIndy · 21-04-2005 7:19pm

I get a BA then 2 seconds later conferred with a MB BCh BAO (3 degrees). I "have" to get a BA first as its a professional degree - but in reality its just a hangover from years ago.

If you intercalate a degree then you get another one...... most people never do an intercalation.

Nobody minds troll - he's solid, so its not as if I can stuff cog notes up his arse for during the exam.......

xeduCat · 21-04-2005 8:51pm

Hey, I had this out with the Exams Office already. Mementos, lucky charms etc are ok but must be kept on the floor, not on the desk. Incidentally if any of you who have seen the inside of my office remember a little ceramic flower (probably a daisy) with a smiling face on it, that was attached to my Leaving Cert desk...

Kevin_rc_ie · 21-04-2005 9:00pm

i bet u got 600 pts.

DrIndy · 21-04-2005 9:05pm

590 actually.......

Troll has been on my desk and *never* has there been any objection to him.....

Maybe its because we're 6th years and they reckon we've outgrown cheating.....

xeduCat · 21-04-2005 9:15pm

Either that, or they can't tell the difference between you and the troll...

DrIndy · 21-04-2005 9:28pm

well possible!

Pet · 22-04-2005 12:33am

they know of my eccentric nature......

Ha! You haven't seen eccentric exam habits until you've witnessed the Avril Lavigne Karaoke Extraordinaire Spectacle..

pseudonym · 22-04-2005 12:37am

no matter how many times uv been told, u'll always forget. Read the bloody questions properly, and take down numbers and important details carefully.

I left out an x in a schols exam and have been kicking myself since, as it essentially destroyed an entire question that i otherwise would have had perfect. 16.6666666666666666666% ill never see again.

D'associashun · 23-04-2005 2:12am

Your lecturers will probably tell you to go get a good nights sleep and go in fresh into the exam. NEVER do this. If your head is too clear it actually inhibits you because you think too much, which will just end up confusing you. The best way to do well in an exam is to stay up very late and drink at least 6 cups of coffee and cram like fcuk. Do this whether you have a good base knowledge of the subject or not. I have done this for pretty much every exam for the last 6 years (including a course in another college - about 90 exams in total). The key to doing well in the actual exam itself is adrenaline. Just get enough caffeine down you to write like a psycho and you'll be fine. Exams are designed to make people nervous. This should disappear after about 20 minutes though and you won't notice the rest of the time.

ApeXaviour · 23-04-2005 12:17pm

D'associashun wrote:

Your lecturers will probably tell you to go get a good nights sleep and go in fresh into the exam. NEVER do this. If your head is too clear it actually inhibits you because you think too much, which will just end up confusing you. The best way to do well in an exam is to stay up very late and drink at least 6 cups of coffee and cram like fcuk. Do this whether you have a good base knowledge of the subject or not. I have done this for pretty much every exam for the last 6 years (including a course in another college - about 90 exams in total). The key to doing well in the actual exam itself is adrenaline. Just get enough caffeine down you to write like a psycho and you'll be fine. Exams are designed to make people nervous. This should disappear after about 20 minutes though and you won't notice the rest of the time.

I would be wary of doing the above. Yet I have seen people use this method to great effect. 580pts and consistant I's through college.

I think it really depends on your subject.. The above was done with BESS. I find my problem solving ability for tricky questions wanes considerably with lack of sleep. You cannot overthink a mathsy or conceptual problem..

Sev · 23-04-2005 12:38pm

Read through the paper once, decide which questions you cant do, which questions you can do and in what order. If the paper looks daunting, and like you cant answser anything, dont worry, they very often throw what I call an "emergency questions" into a paper. It's called an emergency question, because it's a question I could always answer if I so wanted, but wouldnt unless I had no option because its just such a crappy question.

The emergency question does not deal with specifics but is there for the waffler at heart who's been scared off by every other serious question. For example, in JF physics, theres an "essay" question, previous past paper include titles such as "The Electron, humble hero of the 20th century".

The emergency question is your friend, its always there for you. Long live the emergency question.

23-04-2005 1:09pm

ApeXaviour wrote:

I would be wary of doing the above. Yet I have seen people use this method to great effect. 580pts and consistant I's through college.

I think it really depends on your subject.. The above was done with BESS. I find my problem solving ability for tricky questions wanes considerably with lack of sleep. You cannot overthink a mathsy or conceptual problem..

I was up til the wee hours for an exam I had in January, and my brain wasn't functioning properly for the exam. It also depends on the person: there are people out there who can function properly with about 4 hours sleep per night every night...

---

I thought I posted something up here previously, mustn't have come up. Here goes again anyways...

Always check your exam paper at the start of the exam. Take 5 -10 minutes to read through it all, noting anything that looks odd. If it looks odd, ask a question from the lecturer. Do this at the start, because they may not be there the whole exam (some only stay 15 minutes)! If they have fecked back to their office, then it'll take time to get them back.

So use the time at the beginning of the exam well.

Jim_No.6 · 23-04-2005 3:54pm

Not particularly on topic, but:

I know that two of the Engineering Schol papers this year didn't specifically say "Calculators Allowed", when they were absolutely vital for the exam ; when asked, the lecturer for one of them thought it was a joke and laughed at the student asking about it!

So yeah, if you're entitled to something, and the invigilators won't get it, make sure you get the lecturers down asap.

cuckoo · 23-04-2005 7:55pm

Oh, and yeah - two alarm clocks if it's a morning exam....

Pet · 21-05-2006 7:58pm

Four for me.

CD player which acts as a clock radio. Phone in drawer, alarm clock in wardrobe. Then, the big guns..if all of the above fail to wake me, or more likely I deactivate them in a semi-conscious haze, I have an old-fashioned alarm clock in the bathroom, where the floor is kept wet and cold.

Let's not talk about my sleep issues though. I just wanted to resurrect this thread so people can add to it..

Thirdfox · 21-05-2006 8:12pm

Myth wrote:

Always check your exam paper at the start of the exam. Take 5 -10 minutes to read through it all, noting anything that looks odd. If it looks odd, ask a question from the lecturer. Do this at the start, because they may not be there the whole exam (some only stay 15 minutes)! If they have fecked back to their office, then it'll take time to get them back.

So use the time at the beginning of the exam well.

Our law lecturer was saying that if you notice something strange e.g. impossible fact that will decide the case 100% one way or another don't mention it and get full marks on that answer - kinda a "screw the rest" attitude I suppose.

On a side note, if there is something wrong, can you point out the mistake and get full marks for that question? e.g. in a maths question one formula was 1x = 2x (stupid example but gets the point across)... is everyone guaranteed a first in this question then?

21-05-2006 8:40pm

Thirdfox wrote:

Our law lecturer was saying that if you notice something strange e.g. impossible fact that will decide the case 100% one way or another don't mention it and get full marks on that answer - kinda a "screw the rest" attitude I suppose.

On a side note, if there is something wrong, can you point out the mistake and get full marks for that question? e.g. in a maths question one formula was 1x = 2x (stupid example but gets the point across)... is everyone guaranteed a first in this question then?

Well, if there's a mistake in the exam paper, the lecturer will read out any errors and it is then up to you to update it. If they've spotted it. Interestingly, last year there was 3 (i think) corrections to one question in one of my exams.

As for the first, I don't know the definite line on this, but I'd assume the lecturer would adjust the marks accordingly, as in the method may be weighted heavier. But generally errors are corrected mid-exam, or else (if the lecturer noticed in enough time) there may be a supplementary sheet on the table with what is required, which you will be alerted to at the start of the exam.

But if you see something iffy, ask your lecturer at the start of the exam!

[edit] My, what an old thread. Daithí, since you started this, you can answer any questions

Awayindahils · 21-05-2006 9:26pm

Pet wrote:

Four for me.

CD player which acts as a clock radio. Phone in drawer, alarm clock in wardrobe. Then, the big guns..if all of the above fail to wake me, or more likely I deactivate them in a semi-conscious haze, I have an old-fashioned alarm clock in the bathroom, where the floor is kept wet and cold.

Let's not talk about my sleep issues though. I just wanted to resurrect this thread so people can add to it..

okay okay i won't mention your sleep issues but the bliss of living at home. reckon i'll be woken at 7 and no later.

Check whether there is negative marking or not!!! I know that there are rumors which say that they don't actually use it they just say they use it but they do. This is from my own expierence when i didnt realise that there was negative marking. Guessing is such a bad idea then.

Apart from that usual exam advice. the post about cramming and the lack of sleep thing. lucky you i'm unabe to cram the day before an exam. looking at books makes me a bit naucoius.

DrIndy · 21-05-2006 9:58pm

Exams? What are those things now again?....???.....

Pet · 21-05-2006 10:08pm

I guess when you work 100 hours a week and get very little sleep in a thankless job in an underfunded health service, it's hard to remember simple things from college. Our hearts go out to you, indy.

And yes, I would like a saucer of milk with that.

If I knew then, what I know now...

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