Study Tips
Covering all the chapters on the externally assessed Achievement Standards in your AME Workbook should ensure you will be confident to give your best performance.
- Familiarise yourself with exam formats.
- Stay healthy – practise healthy habits during the period of the exam preparation (eat well, take regular exercise, and have at least eight hours’ sleep each night).
The night before the exam, ensure you have a good night’s sleep. Have a good breakfast on the morning of the exam. Make sure you have your exam slip (if required).
Check you know where to go to and what time to be there. This will be on your ESA Exam Study Planner.
Prepare your equipment for the exam
Pens must be blue or black (not red or green, as these colours are used by exam markers). You might also need to have: a calculator (make sure you have a spare battery or spare batteries), a pencil sharpener, a ruler (good quality, and one you are sure is accurate), a compass (in good working order), a protractor.
In the exam
- Nervousness is to be expected and is quite normal. If you need to, use an easy, effective relaxation technique, such as deep breathing.
- Do not be put off by a hard paper – others will also be finding it difficult.
- Try to answer easier questions first, harder questions later. Don’t get bogged down with a question. If you cannot answer a question or complete a partly answered question, move on to the next question. Highlight an unanswered question so you can come back to complete it later.
- Avoid going ‘over time’ on a question. When you have used up your allocated time, move on to another question.
- Attempt every question.
- Work through each question, making an ‘intelligent’ start if unsure of the answer.
Writing quality answers
- Read a question carefully, so you understand what is being asked for.
- Only write information about the question asked. You may know much about the subject, but in the exam you can only earn marks by answering exactly what is being asked for.
- Write tidily, using a blue or black pen. The exam marker may be unable to read untidy script and you may lose marks. Errors should be crossed out (never 'Twinked' out).
- Check your answers. Avoid leaving an exam early. Remember to go back to partly completed and unanswered questions and try to complete them.
