The "So here's how my exam today went..." thread

KnifeWRENCH

So it's exam time. Hence, we need an exam thread!

If you've just sat a complete and utter bollocks of an exam, this is the thread for you to dissect where it all went horribly, horribly wrong....Alternatively, if you're one of those irritating people who is actually good at what they study, feel free to celebrate that glorious paper you just aced! :P

As for me, I don't start 'til Thursday, thankfully.

Banjo Fella

I had my first exam earlier today - the friendly-sounding "Partial Differential Equations with Applications II"! It was, um... horrible. Not even our lecturer's hundreds of pages of examples could prepare us for the brutality contained within those few pages. There's a possibility that they'll have to arbitrarily bump the marks up because of how impossible everyone found it, but probably not. Bah. Oh well, there goes most of July and August. =/

ReacherCreature

I was going to set up a thread actually. Nice one Wrench.

I had Gods and Heroes in the Ancient narrative (load of bollocks really).

It went well, I'm pleased. Although it was almost too good to be true at one stage: there were two topics, you answer one. So 90 minutes for one question, bit strange. I got my answers down and I initially feared it'd be my worst exam but all good so far. Just the one down, six to go.

Cold War China tomorrow. I'll duly report back.

pirateninja

I sat all of mine in March but best of luck to all of ye sitting exams! Hope ye do great

IHeartChemistry

BL1002. My lack of study did not help for this exam. About halfway through the MCQ my head began to explode. The last 25-35 questions were friggin mental. I also love how they never put the marking on the front of the paper. So have no idea how the negative marking will kill us!

Glad that one is done and roll on Maths on Friday.

giggii

IHeartChemistry wrote: »

BL1002. My lack of study did not help for this exam. About halfway through the MCQ my head began to explode. The last 25-35 questions were friggin mental. I also love how they never put the marking on the front of the paper. So have no idea how the negative marking will kill us!

Glad that one is done and roll on Maths on Friday.

They have negative marking on the Bl1002 mcq now?? I sat it two years ago and it had no negative marking...

Have my first of ten exams tomorrow... environmental systems microbiology... not sure how it's gonna go... could go either way...

Papa_Lazarou

Had molecular biology today. Was one of those days where i knew everything going in and just had complete brain malfunction during it. Can never handle the stress of exams properly to be honest. Hopefully got the pass.

titan18

Sat mine in March. Got a 1H. Wish ye all the best

x43r0

Had IS Consulting this morning in Neptune and couldn't have asked for a better start

IHeartChemistry

giggii wrote: »

They have negative marking on the Bl1002 mcq now?? I sat it two years ago and it had no negative marking...

Have my first of ten exams tomorrow... environmental systems microbiology... not sure how it's gonna go... could go either way...

All the MCQ's in my course are negative marking BL1002, BL1003, BL1004 and BL1005.

Its a bitch :rolleyes: Think its only -1/2 though. They never said on the front of the paper. just said ''NEGATIVE MARKING APPLIES''

whelpy

IHeartChemistry wrote: »

BL1002. My lack of study did not help for this exam. About halfway through the MCQ my head began to explode. The last 25-35 questions were friggin mental. I also love how they never put the marking on the front of the paper. So have no idea how the negative marking will kill us!

Glad that one is done and roll on Maths on Friday.

The karyotype diagram on the last question was photocopied rather badly, couldn't even see that there was a y chromosome as well as x. Im sure we've all passed somewhat.
Time to cram for tides.....in the morning.

.E_C_K_S.

Just a quick question. Are you allowed to write during reading time officially? I plan to just go in an scribble down everything I can before I forget it in 10 mins!

ciaradx

IHeartChemistry wrote: »

All the MCQ's in my course are negative marking BL1002, BL1003, BL1004 and BL1005.

Its a bitch :rolleyes: Think its only -1/2 though. They never said on the front of the paper. just said ''NEGATIVE MARKING APPLIES''

The marking for it was +4 / -1 which isn't too bad! I thought the exam was fine, some questions were very specific though!

MoogPoo

WALSHY16291 wrote: »

Just a quick question. Are you allowed to write during reading time officially? I plan to just go in an scribble down everything I can before I forget it in 10 mins!

yeah i assume so, everyone was doing it yesterday anyways. can only write on the exam paper though, not exam timetable or anything else.

closeline

WALSHY16291 wrote: »

Just a quick question. Are you allowed to write during reading time officially? I plan to just go in an scribble down everything I can before I forget it in 10 mins!

how do you mean official reading time..

closeline

First year Arts. Paper 1 yesterday. Paper 2 today. Both went ok.

KnifeWRENCH

WALSHY16291 wrote: »

Just a quick question. Are you allowed to write during reading time officially? I plan to just go in an scribble down everything I can before I forget it in 10 mins!

I usually use my reading time to scribble down stuff on the exam paper. One over-zealous and pedantic supervisor stopped me from doing it before; "This is READING time" :rolleyes: But most of them don't take any notice.

So yeah, go for it. Most people do it and most supervisors take no notice. Just as long as you're not writing on your actual exam script, I don't see why it would be disallowed.

closeline wrote: »

how do you mean official reading time..

Some exams have 10 or 15 minutes reading time before the actual exam starts. So if your exam is at 2, you go in at 1.45 and have 15 minutes to read the paper before you actually start.

Generally, it's only for 90 minute exams, so if you're in 1st year Arts you probably don't get any (I'm assuming 1st yr Arts exams are 3 hours)

whelpy

ciaradx wrote: »

The marking for it was +4 / -1 which isn't too bad! I thought the exam was fine, some questions were very specific though!

The marking for BL1002 is still +3 -1, it's BL1004 that has +4 -1

Censorsh!t

I never realised 'reading time' was exclusively just for reading

Pff, screw that, I'll write when I want! :pac:

closeline

KnifeWRENCH wrote: »

I usually use my reading time to scribble down stuff on the exam paper. One over-zealous and pedantic supervisor stopped me from doing it before; "This is READING time" :rolleyes: But most of them don't take any notice.

So yeah, go for it. Most people do it and most supervisors take no notice. Just as long as you're not writing on your actual exam script, I don't see why it would be disallowed.



Some exams have 10 or 15 minutes reading time before the actual exam starts. So if your exam is at 2, you go in at 1.45 and have 15 minutes to read the paper before you actually start.

Generally, it's only for 90 minute exams, so if you're in 1st year Arts you probably don't get any (I'm assuming 1st yr Arts exams are 3 hours)

Never knew that existed. Well English and Politics are 3 hour exams. No reading time for English anyway. My other tests are 90 minutes so there might be some reading time for those.

.E_C_K_S.

Lads, I just had an exam today and during the reading time I was just scribbling down stuff and not one word was said to me.. It's ideal for formulas and definitions!:D

ReacherCreature

Chinese Cold War history today. Satisfied with it. I went into the exam knowing that he's a tough marker and that the paper would be tough. I'm right on the latter, on the former, I hope he will be lenient. Sino-Soviet Alliance came up, completed that well. China's entry into the Cold War, that was OK, nothing special. Worst two are out of the way - hopefully. Alexander the Great on Friday.

whelpy

ReacherCreature wrote: »

Chinese Cold War history today. Satisfied with it. I went into the exam knowing that he's a tough marker and that the paper would be tough. I'm right on the latter, on the former, I hope he will be lenient. Sino-Soviet Alliance came up, completed that well. China's entry into the Cold War, that was OK, nothing special. Worst two are out of the way - hopefully. Alexander the Great on Friday.

By any chance did you lose your timetable today at cit today?

ReacherCreature

Nope, wasn't in CIT today.

deisedude

Had Current Issues in Marketing today. 14 pages in 90 minutes, that exam was officially my biaatch! Couldnt have asked for a better start. And then there were two!

Parsley

fist exam today, CM3024 analytical chemistry. twas grand. couple things came up that i hadn't studied for and that would've been easy if i'd given a look over. oh well. i'll still be happy if my other 7 go the same way.

sleepyescapade

I just finished a week of 3 in a row.

First was okish (Algorithms), second was good (Computer Architecture), third (today - Principles of Compilation) was SHOCKING Everyone found it tough. Even with my CA I don't know if I'll pass, maybe by compensation but that'll be a miracle. So annoyed because I had studied and felt I was totally prepared.

I am off now until the 16th, at least the rest of them are spread out.

</rant>

Censorsh!t

Finished my first exam, European Cinema, today. Twas grand out!

Poor guy next to me got caught cheating. For the rest of it I could see his hand shaking. Silly fella.

Eliot Rosewater

Censorsh!t wrote: »

Poor guy next to me got caught cheating. For the rest of it I could see his hand shaking. Silly fella.

What happened to him? (I wouldn't call him a poor guy myself.)

I got searched going to the toilets today.

Censorsh!t

Eliot Rosewater wrote: »

What happened to him? (I wouldn't call him a poor guy myself.)

I got searched going to the toilets today.

Haha well yeah, deserved to get caught.

One of the supervisors just came up, took the piece of paper that he had been hiding in one of the booklets and told him to keep writing.

Eliot Rosewater

Censorsh!t wrote: »

Haha well yeah, deserved to get caught.

One of the supervisors just came up, took the piece of paper that he had been hiding in one of the booklets and told him to keep writing.

That must of hurt. I think he'd probably have preferred to have been taken outside, given a bollocking, and told to go back in. But that kind of silent treatment, where you're uncertain afterwards what's going to happen to you, is hard to deal with.

Still, I have little sympathy for him. In one sense exams are a competition amongst fellow students, and if someone does better through cheating everyone else is worse off.

Censorsh!t

Exactly. At first I was like "Shiiiit, I feel bad for him" but then I felt good cos i knew I'd done better than him:p

Could see him shaking like mad for the rest of it.

ReacherCreature

Eliot Rosewater wrote: »

That must of hurt. I think he'd probably have preferred to have been taken outside, given a bollocking, and told to go back in. But that kind of silent treatment, where you're uncertain afterwards what's going to happen to you, is hard to deal with.

Still, I have little sympathy for him. In one sense exams are a competition amongst fellow students, and if someone does better through cheating everyone else is worse off.

Is he allowed to be fired out of the hall? Or they have to make him do the paper?

Bannasidhe

ReacherCreature wrote: »

Is he allowed to be fired out of the hall? Or they have to make him do the paper?

The action taken in the exam hall depends on the senior invigilator. Usually whatever material the student is using to cheat is taken off them (one year a student in Neptune was caught with equations written on her feet-she was made to wash her feet),the invigilator makes a note on the script that cheating material was found and what kind it was, the lecturer is contacted and a report is also sent to the exam board who then decide what action to take. What happens after that is confidential but can include all of the script written prior to them being caught being disallowed, the student deemed to have failed - they may be allowed to resit and capped at 40% or expulsion. They tend not to ask cheating students to leave during the exam as it can cause a distraction.

IHeartChemistry

MA1003 today. Absolute cnut of a paper. One of the nastiest things I've ever seen. By the sounds of loads of people gave up half way through and walked out.

Thats defo one repeat for Autumn.

sleepyescapade

IHeartChemistry wrote: »

MA1003 today. Absolute cnut of a paper. One of the nastiest things I've ever seen. By the sounds of loads of people gave up half way through and walked out.

Thats defo one repeat for Autumn.

Really? o_O Surprised to hear. I am by no means a Math genius but I found all the past papers on Blackboard helpful at the time.

Bloody Nipples

MA1003 must have changed since my day. It was always a guaranteed 1H. Oh Trevor Brawn how I miss you.

IHeartChemistry

Bloody Nipples wrote: »

MA1003 must have changed since my day. It was always a guaranteed 1H. Oh Trevor Brawn how I miss you.

Trevor was EPIC. Shame about him collapsing and leaving the job. Instead we got McKay.

Sarky

AM2006 for me today. Should have been a perfect paper, near 100% less whatever few marks my atrocious handwriting would lose. Instead brain fart occurred and I did merely ok. I've never liked exams. Assignments and continuous assessment is where it's at.

Oh well. 4 down, 8 to go. This taught masters lark is heavy going.

Bloody Nipples

IHeartChemistry wrote: »

Trevor was EPIC. Shame about him collapsing and leaving the job. Instead we got McKay.

Yeah my brother told me that. I'm in final year micro now though so I don't actually do maths anymore :cool:

KnifeWRENCH

Turns out there ARE cracking down on people writing on their exam papers during reading time! Had an exam at 4.30 today and invigilator announced "Reading time is for READING only. No biros please". :mad: Like I understand you not being able to write on your script but it's ridiculous that you can't even jot down memory aids on the exam paper.

Anyway, I had three horrible exams in two horrible days. Yay!

Thursday evening - Stochastic Modelling II. Paper was tougher than last year, so didn't go quite as well as expected. Was hoping for a high mark in it, will now have average mark. Could have been worse though.

Friday morning - Quantum Optics & Advanced Spectroscopy. One lovely question, one not-so-lovely question and one absolute disaster of a question. Fortunately, the lovely question (the one on Doppler cooling) saved me from a fail, I think.

Friday evening - Functional Analysis.
This one was never gonna go well; really difficult module. And the exam this year actually wasn't horribly bad, I just had a blank and forgot some very basic stuff. *hits self repeatedly*. On the upside, I only need 27/75 to pass and while aiming for 40% is by no means ideal, at least I shouldn't have to repeat it anyway. (Even if I did get less, I'll more than likely be able to compensate it anyway)

2 exams next week; Advanced Quantum Mechanics (terror) and Introdcution to Condesned Matter Physics (deceptively difficult). Fun times.......

SuperInfinity

KnifeWRENCH wrote: »

I usually use my reading time to scribble down stuff on the exam paper. One over-zealous and pedantic supervisor stopped me from doing it before; "This is READING time" :rolleyes: But most of them don't take any notice.

Your issue is with the concept of "reading time", not with that supervisor who was doing his job properly (unlike the other supervisors).

I think it's a valid enough concept. Let's face it, if it's going out of your head within seconds/minutes after staring at it, you don't really know it very well. I've also been in the position where I've crammed so much that I wanted to get it out super fast, and obviously didn't understand it very well or remember much of it afterwards. If it's that transient then you don't know it as you should.

Papa_Lazarou

Had MB3001 today. Actually went pretty well thank god First time in my life i think i can say that i was delighted Gonnorhoea came up :P

Faith

AP3015 this evening. Very, very fair paper actually. Any low marks I get will be from poor answers on my part rather than unfair questions (unlike yesterday).

lilmissprincess

EC2102 this morning. After a bit of a meltdown regarding ISLM curves last night, I walked out an hour early feeling confident of having passed.

closeline

Had Celtic Civ today.2 papers..the celts and also celtic religion and mythologhy...for the celts the question was to discuss the tactics and strategies used by Caesar in Gaul..what were his stategies..i basically told the events..second question was the distinghuising features of celtic Iron age weaponry..i went on a two page, ya only 2 page ramble on swords..so might get very little...2nd paper..not good..first question was the relationship between otherworld and sovereignty in the human world in the wooing of etain..i hardly know what sovereignty means...is it power or sumting...once again basically told the story..section b..disaster...question on 'kings and goddess' wrote a page and a half of crap..im not sure if i was writing the wrong stuff so i might get nothing for it. Not a great day overall. One thing I learned was Celtic Civ is not easy..if ur picking something just as an "easy" fourth choice, which i was told to, i wouldnt advice to pick this..To pass the subject you need to do a nice bit of work.

Byron85

closeline wrote: »

To pass the subject you need to do a nice bit of work.

At third level? In a University ranked in the top 2% of universities in the world? Say it ain't so!!!!;)

SuperInfinity

Byron85 wrote: »

At third level? In a University ranked in the top 2% of universities in the world? Say it ain't so!!!!;)

You don't actually believe that do you...? I went to UCC, but no way is it even the best university in Ireland.

robp

SuperInfinity wrote: »

You don't actually believe that do you...? I went to UCC, but no way is it even the best university in Ireland.

There are a alot of Universities out there. These figures aren't pulled out of a hat.

deisedude

SuperInfinity wrote: »

You don't actually believe that do you...? I went to UCC, but no way is it even the best university in Ireland.

Ranked 184th in the world out of God knows how many colleges in the world. May not be Ivy league standard but it isn't a bad university

Serbitar

IHeartChemistry wrote: »

MA1003 today. Absolute cnut of a paper. One of the nastiest things I've ever seen. By the sounds of loads of people gave up half way through and walked out.

Thats defo one repeat for Autumn.

You know you're in trouble when you actually start laughing away at the paper. Supervisor gave me a funny look and all. The single most miserable exam I've ever done in my life. Sure, something to plan August around I guess.