There are a few mistakes that students tend to do when they write their exams and I thought that this would be a good forum to discuss the topic. Students usually think that just knowing the answer to a question means that you can be sure of 75% of the marks. But this is certainly a wrong notion. There are people who think they know (and in fact they do know) the answer to a question and quickly write as much as they can in the answer paper. They are very excited because they believe they’ve answered the question very well. But when the papers are corrected, the examiner would feel that the answer is not upto the mark. Why? Most of us would say that the correction was strict. A closer look into the answer paper would reveal some interesting facts; facts that students tend to ignore. Put yourself in the examiner’s shoes and think like he/she will think. Consider your essay type questions: students have the false belief that the more they write, the more marks the examiner will give. True; it would be true to some extent only. There are many other little things that will help you score more in your exams. A few of the most important are:

• Never start your answer with a diagram. Always start out an answer by writing a little theory and then in the middle of the answer page draw out the required diagrams. You might think that drawing the diagram first would help you to write a better answer. True; but imagine how it would be in your textbooks if the author drew a figure just below the heading! I agree that the figure will help you to write out the theory easily; so the best thing to do is draw your figure in the middle of the page and then start writing the theory from the start of the page (no one will know that you drew the diagram first!). The fact is that a diagram at the start of an answer creates a sort of negative impression in the examiner’s mind.

• Always write the question number for the answer. I know of a guy who had the habit of answering the questions and then before submitting the answer sheet he would write down the question numbers. Once, he messed up the numbers and ended up having an arrear (and it was just because of the wrong numbers that confused the examiner).

• Put the question number and also write a heading for that answer. If you are going to write an essay about combustion engines, first write the heading as Combustion Engines and then answer the question. In this way the examiner knows easily which question you are answering.

• For long answers, use sub headings properly. Don’t use sub-headings for every two lines but use them wisely. It’s always more pleasant to see a couple of sub-headings in a page rather than a continuous essay.

• Choose the title of the sub-headings properly. If the following paragraphs are going to explain some process, use the heading as "Working" etc. The sub-heading should give an instant idea about the content.

• Underline your headings and sub-headings. I mean underline in pencil and not with your pen (and certainly not with sketches). Some people hate sketches and never draw free hand lines on the paper. Use a ruler.

• Use a sharp pencil to draw figures. It’s shocking to see students use their pen and draw free hand on the exam paper. Remember: you are writing to score marks and it is your duty to ensure that the examiner will give you maximum marks.

• Label all diagrams. You should write a suitable heading for your diagram (I’m not asking you to memorize what they give in the textbooks. Just write what the diagram stands for). It is even better if you will give some figure number (ex: fig. 1.1 and so on). Always write the heading for diagrams below the diagram (not on top of the diagram).

• Draw a single line between two different answers so that the examiner will clearly know that you are proceeding to the next answer.

• Do not start answering a question towards the end of a page (the examiner might not notice that you started a new answer). Try to start new answers on a new page or somewhere in the middle of the answer sheet.

• Never leave any question unanswered. By writing something there is a chance that you may get a couple of marks and it could make a lot of difference. In fact, if the examiner feels a little sorry for you he will be able to give you a couple of marks if you have attempted to answer. There is even a chance that the question could turn out to be wrong and everyone who has attempted it could be given full marks for it. You never know what might happen (I’ve seen such bizarre things happen a couple of times).

• In problematic questions, always use a proper approach. Even if you are not sure of what formulas you might need, be systematic in solving the question. First write out all the given data and then write out what you need to find. Then list out formulas that you feel will be useful and then do the calculations. Of course you should use sub-headings for each of these steps so that the examiner knows what you’ve done. And finally write out the results.

• When you finish writing an answer to a question, tick the appropriate question number in the question paper (so that you know what all you have completed). If you are in doubt about some answer just put a question mark beside the question number.

• Budget your time properly. If you have 6 essay questions to be completed in 3 hours, then make sure that each answer takes you 30 minutes. If you exceed this limit then cut short your answer (otherwise you will lose marks elsewhere).

• For one-mark questions: if it’s multiple choice write the correct choice (I mean write the entire answer instead of just writing (d) etc.).

Try to answer questions in order as they appear in your question paper. If you do have to mix up your answers don’t write a couple of essay questions, then 5 one mark answers, then 2 more essays, and then the remaining essays. The examiner will get really frustrated. First write out all the one-mark answers and then write your essays.