Waking up very early in the morning to take an online exam! Would you do that? Check out my tips for exams & early birds!
Image made by katerinaramm in Canva with free elements
It’s 09:40 am, I am having my second cold (as always) coffee and I just checked (noted too) my daily Medium statistics.
In case you are wondering, they are ok, but I feel they could be better
I woke up at 03:30 today, which means I am already awake for 6 hours and even though this is the start of the day, I already feel exhausted.
Why wake up so early?
I had to take an online exam, and the only way to do it was when there is complete silence and nothing is moving in the background.
During the exam, the camera and mic are on — as well as screen sharing.
And for me, the only time to have this kind of quiet moment .. is between 3–8 in the morning!
The time limit was 3 and a half hours. I had studied a lot (at least tried to) the past few days and today I woke up earlier so that I could have a coffee, wake up totally (tried to), fed my cats and tried to experience a relaxing time.
Shortcomings
My cats. They wanted me to pet them, they would climb on the furniture (right in front of the camera!), they wanted to go outside (but it was raining!!! Did not they know?)
Today’s exam was a bit more difficult than expected, but I have to leave it behind for now and I would like to share some of my tips!
My Exam Tips!
Before I tell you what I do, let me share that I have taken a loooot of exams. Both offline (mostly) but also online.
Since I remember, I used to love education and wanted to learn something new every day. So I discovered online seminars pretty early and it was kind of a hobby for me. Below are the tips I follow for my every exam — be it a simple examination for a seminar or exams for a degree!
The night before
Find any paper you need to have with you, id card, student id etc.
This way you will not lose any time if you do not find it on the exam day.
Rest & Relax
I know that this is not easy, but you need to find some time to rest your mind and body. Even if it is 1 or 2 hours before the exam, find the time to do so. This will help your mind digest all the knowledge and be clear for the questions to be answered!
Try to at least read all the exam material
Sometimes we lack the time to read thoroughly everything, but at least when we have a ‘rough’ idea of what the context it, then we can ‘elaborate’ and improvise!
Answer ALL questions!
And when I say ALL, I mean it!
Do not let anything be blank. Make at least an effort, catch a word and try to create something out of it. It will be both appreciated and at least you will (probably) get some marks for your efforts!
Back up your responses
When I am taking an online exam, I make sure I have a document/txt file where I first write my response before submitting it. Make sure to save any changes!
Paper & Pencil
Call me old-fashioned but I always need to have paper and a pencil near me. I must have something to take a note, or to write down a simultaneous thought for later!
Leave some time for the end
Organize your time so that you have some spare time at the end to either walk away sooner or proof-read one more time or to squeeze your mind into anything additional comes up!
This is it for now!
I have another exam coming in 2 days so I need to do some more studying.
What about you?
When was the last time you took an exam?
What other tips would you share with us?
Thank you for visiting!
Posted in Medium: https://katerinaramm.medium.com/why-did-i-wake-up-at-03-30-am-ce3bc6b33fac?sk=305253f5044978ada3c855171fa83ade
