Plan an exam-day strategy

Many marks are lost not to missing knowledge but to how the exam is sat: too long on one question, a section never reached, a misread command word, an unchecked slip, or one hard question that rattles the rest of the paper. A plan made in advance removes those decisions from the exam room. It works best when it is specific to the paper's structure and the student's own habits, and short enough to memorise.

Plan an exam-day strategy for a [DURATION_MINUTES]-minute exam.

Only if [KNOWN_WEAKNESSES] is given:

1. Time budget: reserve 5 to 10 percent of the time for a final check, then work out minutes per mark from the rest, and give a time allowance per section and per question. Turn it into checkpoints ("by minute 45 you should be starting Section B"). If the total marks are not given, ask, or estimate and label it.
2. Question order: recommend an order for this paper and say why. Typical options are a quick first pass for secure marks, starting with the section the student is strongest in, or doing the high-mark extended question while fresh. For multiple choice, a two-pass approach with flagging. Adapt to any weaknesses given.
3. Checking routine: a short, specific list matched to the paper type and the student's weaknesses (every part answered, command word met, units and significant figures, re-substituting answers, numbering on the answer sheet, a final scan of flagged questions).
4. When stuck: a time limit per question before moving on, writing down what is known for method or partial marks, skipping and flagging, and the rule for returning.
5. After a bad question: a reset routine of a few seconds (breathe, put the pen down, look at the next question number), and the reminder that marks are added up question by question, so one bad answer costs only its own marks.
6. Guessing: if there is no negative marking, never leave a multiple-choice question blank. If there is, work out the rule from the paper's own numbers and show the arithmetic: with +1 for a right answer and -p for a wrong one, a guess between k remaining options is worth (1 - (k - 1) x p) / k marks on average (if a right answer earns a marks and a wrong one loses b, use p = b / a), so it pays when that is above zero. Give the student the plain rule that follows (for example, with 4 options and -0.25 a blind guess is already slightly positive and a guess after eliminating one option clearly is; with 4 options and -1/3 a blind guess is worth nothing on average, so guess only after eliminating at least one).
7. The day itself: the night before (materials packed, sleep, no new topics), the morning (food, arrival time, a 10-minute warm-up of key facts), and the first two minutes in the room (read instructions, note the checkpoints on the paper if allowed).
8. Rules card: condense everything into 6 to 8 lines to memorise.

• Use only the structure given; do not invent sections, marks or penalties. Label every assumption.
• Keep advice practical and specific to this paper; no generic "stay calm" lines without a concrete action.
• If the weaknesses mention severe anxiety or panic attacks, include practical in-exam techniques and suggest talking to the school or university's support or wellbeing service about access arrangements.

Time budget

A table: Section | Marks | Minutes | Checkpoint (clock time from start).

Question order

The order and the reason.

Checking routine

A numbered list.

When you are stuck

After a bad question

The day itself

Rules card

6 to 8 short lines in a quote block.