As far back as I can remember (year 6 sats) I have never finished exams on time. This gradually got worse throughout school and GCSEs where I would leave many questions blank. During ASs I was losing about 10ums per exam just from missing out the last questions. The school entered me for the extra time test which I got. With my extra time in A2s I finished some and didnt finish others, I was under a lot of time pressure but no more than everyone else. Now I have got to uni and I have had exams this week and am off the pace by so much I don't really know what to do. My first exam I missed 30/100 marks, the second was multiple choice so i was able to make educated guesses towards the end, I dont know how much this cost me. The exam today I missed 50/150. The last question on the exam today was really easy too which makes it more annoying. I get exam time at uni to.
Although it makes me feel slightly sick to think about those exam papers being taken off my desk with all those marks not got. It is not the end of the world because I still hope to have done enough to get 2:2s and the first year only counts for 1/9th. However, this obviously can't continue if I am going to do well in later years. I have 1 exam left to pull my score up but it is next year that really counts.
The trouble is there is no obvious way for me to do it. I don't spend really long amounts of time on a single question and I spend the whole time working. I read the question, which does take me a long time at least twice as long as average, think about it for a short amount of time and then write my answer. Before I know it, 3 hours 30 have gone by, there is only half an hour left and I nowhere near done. Looking back it is hard for me to see what I could have done differently to finish it time. People tell me they finish half an hour early and then sit there doing nothing, I don't know how they can possibily do it, that is an hour and a half before i finish and even then I am only 2/3 of the way through. I cant see how it is humanly possible to go that quick.
Does anyone have any ideas of how I could speed myself up in time for monday's exam or any advice for what I should do to oreoare for next years exams? If the same happens next year then my prospects won't be looking too good.