Difference between revisions of "On BattleDay"
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If you are well-prepared for the exam then you will be under time pressure because you will be able to answer most or all of the questions. Every sitting there are well-prepared candidates who don't pass because they ran out of time. Don't be one of them. I'm going to explain how you can avoid that. The illustration further down shows what you need to do but here is the key idea: | If you are well-prepared for the exam then you will be under time pressure because you will be able to answer most or all of the questions. Every sitting there are well-prepared candidates who don't pass because they ran out of time. Don't be one of them. I'm going to explain how you can avoid that. The illustration further down shows what you need to do but here is the key idea: | ||
| − | : {| class='wikitable' | + | :{| class='wikitable' |
|- | |- | ||
|| Divide this 4-hour exam into 4 roughly equal one-hour blocks of time | || Divide this 4-hour exam into 4 roughly equal one-hour blocks of time | ||
|} | |} | ||
| − | On the left is the point grid from the 2018.Spring Technology-Based Exam. You'll be given something similar for the CBT version. This exam is 55.5 points so each block will have about 14 points. On the right is how I | + | On the left is the point grid from the 2018.Spring Technology-Based Exam. You'll be given something similar for the CBT version. This exam is 55.5 points so each block will have about 14 points. On the right is how I divided the questions into one-hour blocks. You should spend the first 3-4 minutes of the exam doing something similar on your scrap paper. There will be a countdown timer visible on your screen while you're taking the exam and you must keep an eye on it to make sure you complete each block within about an hour. On exam 5, I would answer the questions in the order they appear. |
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| + | :{| class='wikitable' | ||
| + | |- | ||
| + | || You have (240 mins) / (55.5 pts) ~ 4 mins per point | ||
| + | |} | ||
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| + | If you find yourself ahead then great. If you find yourself falling behind, here are a few things you can do: | ||
* For the essay questions, write bullet points not complete sentences. You get points for content, not style. | * For the essay questions, write bullet points not complete sentences. You get points for content, not style. | ||
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The <span style="color: red;">'''danger'''</span> spending too long on questions at the beginning or middle of the exam and not getting to what might be easy questions right at the end. | The <span style="color: red;">'''danger'''</span> spending too long on questions at the beginning or middle of the exam and not getting to what might be easy questions right at the end. | ||
| − | [[File: point_grid.png|left|400px]] <br> [[File: time_blocks.png|300px]] | + | : [[File: point_grid.png|left|400px]] <br> [[File: time_blocks.png|300px]] |
Revision as of 20:04, 28 October 2020
If you are well-prepared for the exam then you will be under time pressure because you will be able to answer most or all of the questions. Every sitting there are well-prepared candidates who don't pass because they ran out of time. Don't be one of them. I'm going to explain how you can avoid that. The illustration further down shows what you need to do but here is the key idea:
Divide this 4-hour exam into 4 roughly equal one-hour blocks of time
On the left is the point grid from the 2018.Spring Technology-Based Exam. You'll be given something similar for the CBT version. This exam is 55.5 points so each block will have about 14 points. On the right is how I divided the questions into one-hour blocks. You should spend the first 3-4 minutes of the exam doing something similar on your scrap paper. There will be a countdown timer visible on your screen while you're taking the exam and you must keep an eye on it to make sure you complete each block within about an hour. On exam 5, I would answer the questions in the order they appear.
You have (240 mins) / (55.5 pts) ~ 4 mins per point
If you find yourself ahead then great. If you find yourself falling behind, here are a few things you can do:
- For the essay questions, write bullet points not complete sentences. You get points for content, not style.
- For calculation questions that you're not sure how to do, don't linger, especially if it's a low point-value question. Do what you can then move on. You can mark it incomplete and come back to it at the end if you have time.
- If you get to a question or part of a question that stumps you completely then just skip it. Mark it as incomplete and you can come back to it later. (This can happen even to the best prepared candidates so remember everyone else is probably having trouble with it too.)
The danger spending too long on questions at the beginning or middle of the exam and not getting to what might be easy questions right at the end.
