[thescientist17]

(Original post by T-Toe)
I had my first written exam yesterday and I did one of the most retarded things I've ever done. I didn't attend the revision lecture because I thought I could just go through the past paper by myself. I tend to ignore introduction sections on exam papers and dive straight into the exam questions. I didn't realise I was mean't to pick just ONE essay question. I answered EVERY essay question. I assumed the total marks were out of 100 so I thought 1 hour to write various essays was very harsh. I honestly thought the exam was mean't to be very difficult. I was writing like a mad man in the exam while most finished 10mins before the exam. I was wondering what I was doing wrong. I'd rushed every question so the essays weren't done to my best of my ability; I was rushing and panicking. All in all however each essay was decent. I feel I've wasted a lot of my energy, I studied really hard for nothing. Apparently my lecturer, during the revision session, answered the exact same question that appeared in the actual exam paper - Eurgh!

People after the exam were talking about how easy the exam was, I remained completely silent...

What do you think will happen? What should I do?

Thanks.

Don't worry about it- it was a silly mistake which may have affected your mark in a big way- so if you get a very low grade you will know it's not to do with your ability and there is the option of a re-sit- you can't do much about it now. Go and talk to your lecturer and head of exams officer and see what they say, they may be able to contact the exam board. Sometimes they are nice about things. For example, in our GCSE English our teachers had prepared us wrongly and taught us only one section of poems presuming the questions would be a choice between the two sections- but in the exam it ended up that both questions were on the sections we hadn't learnt. They boosted everyone's grades up and I (who wrote nothing for this question because I panicked) even managed to get a B when only completing half the paper. But then again seeing as this is at university and it is your fault I don't think they'll be as kind.. you're just going to have to move on.

But just focus on your next exam if you have any and don't let it affect them. You can still do well in the others. But yes I would definitely make your lecturer aware of what happened.

[Joinedup]

You'll look back and laugh about this someday...

[CheekiiMonkii]

..., you, my friend, are a genius! x

[k9markiii]

(Original post by T-Toe)
I tend to be very hard on myself.

My mum said being about to read exam questions is properly the most important exam skill. If I cannot achieve a basic task, the examiners might not take me seriously.

You will get marks for what you have done. There is no way to change it now.

[RabbitCFH]

They told us about people who answered all essay questions and warned us not to make the same mistake but I never thought those people actually existed.

[madders94]

I would try and say something reassuring, but your misuse of that word annoyed me so I'm going to say, I hope they give you 0.

[x-pixie-lottie-x]

(Original post by T-Toe)
Not attending the revision session wasn't the issue. The fact that I didn't read the instructions was the issue.

the fact you dont answer all questions would have been pointed out in the revision session too.... probably a million times to the point you feel like telling them to stop saying it... lol

as others have said it will probably be the case that the first will be marked so lets hope that the first was the one you wrote amazingly and will be enough to get at least some sort of mark my mum always asks after an exam not if it went well but "did they ask the right questions?"

theres nothing that can be done now, so stop worrying it wont help anything, just take it as a lesson... next time attend revision sessions and read the paper good luck!
x

[Princess Bubbles]

Not sure if this thread is serious. They will probably only mark the first essay and give you are mark for that. Since you probably didn't spend that long writing it you won't get a good mark, so you may have to resit to pass. I'm sorry, I guess you will read the exam question next time.

[T-Toe]

(Original post by Princess Bubbles)
Not sure if this thread is serious. They will probably only mark the first essay and give you are mark for that. Since you probably didn't spend that long writing it you won't get a good mark, so you may have to resit to pass. I'm sorry, I guess you will read the exam question next time.

The situation isn't bad as it sounds. My exam wasn't like a humanities' essay where they expect you to write a lot. They expect you to make your work as concise and straight to the point as possible. Also the essay was on section B. Scection A of the paper was fine. Only 2/5 of the given page(s) should be filled really (which was 1 sheet back to back) but I filled in the whole sheet. My university seem to give candidates a lot of marks for answering one question so I thought a 12 mark question would mean I didn't have to write much hence why I answered all questions.

I'm a first year so my exams this year account for very little. It makes little sense to resit the exam when the exam doesn't contribute to my final degree classification. It was a mistake, I believe we're all prone to making mistakes.

Not to toot my own horn but I can still get a good first this year even if I get a really low mark in that paper.

[T-Toe]

(Original post by madders94)
I would try and say something reassuring, but your misuse of that word annoyed me so I'm going to say, I hope they give you 0.

Well that certainly makes you the better person

[hobnob]

(Original post by T-Toe)
Not attending the revision session wasn't the issue. The fact that I didn't read the instructions was the issue.

Hmm, I can sort of understand that you didn't read the instructions to begin with (even though pre-exam announcements would normally tell you to). But why didn't it occur to you to glance at them after looking at the paper and realising 'whoa, that's a lot of essays to write within an hour'?

Anyway, regarding your earlier question: it's unlikely that your tutor will mark all of your mini-essays and then give you the highest mark of the lot. It would mean a lot of unnecessary work, and it also wouldn't really be fair, because exams aren't supposed to be marked best out of six (or however many essays you wrote). So they'll probably just pick your longest answer that looks most like a complete essay - most likely that's going to be the first essay you wrote - mark that, and ignore all the others.

[Naarim]

Least you answered the questions. I once didn't realise there was a question on the back page, and only realised when I picked up the exam paper at the end to hand to the invigilator T_T

[tsveta]

Oh dear, that's unfortunate and I hate to put it bluntly but there is nothing you can do, for now. You just have to channel all your energy into your other papers to try and make up for this mistake and get as high grade as you possibly can. If your result does come out bad, remember you can retake. At least you won't make the same mistake again!

[I<3LAMP]

You probably wont get a good mark as you've not committed sufficient time to the number of essays required and they'll probably just mark the first few that were needed in the first place.

How you had the time to write all those essays I have no idea- your wrists must have been on pills and roids!

You live and learn

[philistine]

That sounds like the exact kind of blunder I'd make.

I feel your pain.

Repped.

































Y.O.L.O

live, laugh, love <3

[T-Toe]

(Original post by hobnob)
Hmm, I can sort of understand that you didn't read the instructions to begin with (even though pre-exam announcements would normally tell you to). But why didn't it occur to you to glance at them after looking at the paper and realising 'whoa, that's a lot of essays to write within an hour'?

Anyway, regarding your earlier question: it's unlikely that your tutor will mark all of your mini-essays and then give you the highest mark of the lot. It would mean a lot of unnecessary work, and it also wouldn't really be fair, because exams aren't supposed to be marked best out of six (or however many essays you wrote). So they'll probably just pick your longest answer that looks most like a complete essay - most likely that's going to be the first essay you wrote - mark that, and ignore all the others.

1) Exam nerves (common sense went out the window)
2)I thought I was mean't to write mini essays
3) I thought the exam was meant to be difficult
4) The university tend to award a lot of marks to candidates if their answers are concise

[david_s0]

Don't worry, these things happen sometimes.
I doubt that they will go through every answer you gave, they'll probably only mark the first one.
You said you think you did it well, so you should be fine. You'll pass, maybe not with the marks you hoped, but you'll be fine and years from now this will be a funny story to tell.
It was your first exam, don't beat yourself up, it's all learning!

[syrettd]

(Original post by RabbitCFH)
They told us about people who answered all essay questions and warned us not to make the same mistake but I never thought those people actually existed.

Haha same!

[Aisha M]

erm well two girls in my ywar did the similar thiNg they answered all 4 questions instead of 2. So the lecturer let them choose which two they want her to mark at the end of the exam !

so i would defo say go the office n ask them, hopefuly theyl let u choose the 1 u want marking n u shuda done this after the exam when u realised but oh well still tym..

[T-Toe]

(Original post by RabbitCFH)
They told us about people who answered all essay questions and warned us not to make the same mistake but I never thought those people actually existed.

Well that makes me feel tonnes better.