First exam for 15 years!!!

[happychappy]

I haven't done one for 15 years and now at the end of my first OU module I now finally have a 4 hour exam (OMG). Had my last tutorial and feeling a bit overwhelmed!!

I did my first exam for fifteen years last year.

I'm sure you will be ok,
Tips:

1, listen to your tutor's advice.

2, treat yourself to a couple of lovely new pens that you can write with comfortably for hours.

3, practice writing long answers out in one go by hand.

What subject are you doing?

Good luck

Hi
I have got an exam for OU U212 in October, I havent done an exam in 25 years.
Iam feeling overwhelmed. I have been studying for over five years with the OU. I really feel I need to pass this.

Purple if you have been studying that long, then you must have done a fair few EMAs and IME they are worse and it's just the thought of the exam that is intimidating.

This is my 5th course but first exam. The EMA were no big deal because you have got all your course materials available. The exam is a different story.

No information taken into the exam. Oh no. I really feel I have done so much only to fail at the last hurdle !

i did the U212 exam this time last year - first exam in nearly 40 years but it was fine.

make sure you read the questions properly. write out short essay plans and don't cross them out because they can contribute towards your marks if you don't complete the essay

attempt all questions - three Ok answers will get you better marks than 2 brilliant ones.

you physically can only write about 1000 words max in the allocated time so as long as you mention the key studies/theories etc and make them relevant to the answer you will be fine. you don't have time to go into too much detail, you don't have time.

also, i found that taking sweets with me helped. if you dont attempt to answer until you have eaten the first one, not only do you have time to read the paper properly but you the sense of panic that you feel when you first look at the questions also subsides somewhat.

hope that helps and best of luck

I am dyslexic so can do my exam on the computer, which is great because I am a pretty fast touch typist. I doing ED209, Child development.

Well then happy at least you won't end up with achey right arm, which was one of the worst bits for me.

Purple you sound really stressed out about this, is there anyway you can talk to your tutor again for some reassurance? Or get together with people on your course?

It's funny how different we all are, I did an EMA last year and I was a gibbering idiot for weeks, I felt wrung out with it, but I ended up with a great mark. But my exam the previous year didn't bother me as much, because I knew there was only so much I could do and we were all there together. iykwim

Hugo, thanks, I had a french EMA last week and I was an absolute reck, I just wasn't prepared in mind for it so didn't do very well. But heyho, there's always resits