Digital 'Timer' counting down in exams - is this normal?

[Cornflakemum]

DS had a test/exam yesterday (not SATS as independent school, but similar). He came home upset as he felt he had done really badly.

He said the teacher had put a 30 minute 'timer' up on the whiteboard which then 'counted down'. He says it completely panicked him, as he could 'see the minutes ticking away' and he couldn't concentrate to do anything.

I must admit I'd find the idea of time ticking away more stressful that just seeing a clock.

Is this normal, or just bad practice do you think??

We used to have a massive clock at the front of the exam hall when I did secondary school exams, with the teacher pointing out every so often how many minutes were left. This was in the days before interactive whiteboards, though, if we'd had an IWB I imagine the teachers would have used the timer on that instead. Fairly normal I think, and certainly better practice than not telling the children how long they have left!

But surely it's distracting to have the thing constantly flicking down the seconds and minutes?
Admittedly DS is quite sensitive to this sort of thing - he hates being speed- timed over anything.

Just seems a bit extreme to me - like a bomb ticking, waiting to go off!

Not in line with the general advice 'not to worry about the tests...'

I as an adult would hate a digital clock in an exam. I can visualise time passing/ how much time left on a big clock face but not with digital clock.

2boys - yes, I would too, but I don't know if that's just because I'm an old fogey!

Just the thought of timers coutning down makes me anxious - it all seems a bit James Bond-ish with only 30 seconds to save the world!

I can see why they've done it, thinking it would be helpful but I can imagine just sitting there watching the minutes tick down. Could ou have a quiet word and just mention that your DS found it quite difficult to concentrate with the timer there. Probably they haven't realised.

For my son that would be a insentive and personally reading it I thought " what a good idea". I do not see it as any different to the large clock in exams past it had a second hand as well so time was ticking away there too (literally it was a tick tock clock)