Can’t read exam clock/ prefer a digital one with seconds.

Original post by TheFlash2024

Like 5 seconds, idek who invented that sort of clock when you’re gonna have to convert it anyway. Trust me I’m not stupid I just find digital clocks easier as I’m sure most people do

Gonna pretend I didn't ask why people invented analogue clocks....
I don't accuse you of being stupid for preferring digital.. but please just read your first sentence again 😅

Reply 22

Original post by EOData

You're not allowed a watch or any electronic device in exams https://www.jcq.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/IFC-Written_Examinations_2021_v5.pdf

You didn't read what I said buddy

Reply 23

Original post by Slx.24

You didn't read what I said buddy

It's an electronic device. The OP is not allowed to bring it in to an exam room.

The OP could ask the exams officer if they would change to a digital clock but the recommended digital ones do not include seconds because they are considered distracting.

Reply 24

Ten-Ten

You should be allowed a watch in the exam. You just have to put it on the desk so the invigilators can see that it isn’t an Apple Watch

Reply 25

Original post by Ten-Ten

You should be allowed a watch in the exam. You just have to put it on the desk so the invigilators can see that it isn’t an Apple Watch

This was the rule but they changed it about 3 years ago because there wasn't time to go round checking everyone's watch to see what it was capable of and there was a couple of cases of watches being knocked on the floor and trodden on.

Reply 26

aliaa03

Original post by mnot

I went through GCSE-masters mostly looking at *****y clocks on walls from weird angles. (one of university exam halls was a giant sports arena and they had a giant scoreboard they'd use which was awesome, but that an exception to the norm).

It's the same for everyone, you just learn to live with it, if you are down to the last 15 seconds every paper id say you need to practice more because this sounds like a lack of preparation thing to me.

or perhaps the person gets a sudden idea of an answer they could include ? or they suddenly saw a mistake on their paper which they had to go and rectify ?

Reply 27

Original post by EOData

Not the exact same digital clock that the exam room itself would use :colonhash:

Op could indeed do that

Reply 28

Original post by aliaa03

or perhaps the person gets a sudden idea of an answer they could include ? or they suddenly saw a mistake on their paper which they had to go and rectify ?

If that's the case the time is irrelevant, you just scribble like mad.

(edited 2 years ago)

Reply 29

Original post by EOData

Yikes, I can see it happening though with an apple watch which obviously cant be allowed on during the exam.

It would be easier to just ban everything and then just have exam centres store a set of standard approved scientific calculators specifically for exams and then they are on the desks before candidates walk into halls. Especially nowadays with LCD screens on giant graphics calculators.

Reply 30

Original post by Slx.24

Not the exact same digital clock that the exam room itself would use :colonhash:

Op could indeed do that

The OP isn't going to get one with digital seconds in the exam room. There was a big discussion about these a couple of years ago as quite a few candidates said it made their levels of panic rise, they became obsessed with watching the seconds tick by fruitlessly and it gave them a sense of doom. This didn't seem to happens with an analogue clock with a second hand.

Reply 31

Original post by aliaa03

or perhaps the person gets a sudden idea of an answer they could include ? or they suddenly saw a mistake on their paper which they had to go and rectify ?

Its all preparation at the end of the day. Generally if you are very well prepared you can move through papers diligently and quickly. Running out of time tends to be from taking a long time to think, re-correcting work, putting down excessive material in the hope of scraping an extra mark, or being puzzled by questions (how do you prevent this, preparation & practice).

Reply 32

Original post by mnot

Except that schools can't afford to have calculators ror everyone just for exams. The one most of our 140 kids doing A levels Maths use costs £70 even with Edexcel's discount...and then you'd need a different one for all the GCSE students.

Reply 33

Ten-Ten

Original post by EOData

The rule was there when I did my gcses in 2019 and when I did my mocks for year 13 in 2021 since exams were cancelled. Just depends on the school

Reply 34

Original post by EOData

Back in the day I bought a casio 991es for like £15 (this was probably 8 or 9 years ago), just ban the expensive ones and go for a stock casio scientific calculator. It would be a grand or two up front for an exam centre so maybe it would need to be implemented over a couple years so people with calculators on GCSE/A-levels can use what they've got but im sure its doable.

(edited 2 years ago)

Reply 35

Original post by EOData

I mean, if OP is buying the clock for himself he can choose whether to have seconds or not, right? 😅

Reply 36

username3563638

Original post by mnot

Nope I’m well prepared that’s not an issue, the thing is 15secs can make a difference maybe you need a few seconds to try to recall a specific date or person, in more stem subjects it could be the difference of a grade if you need to change the format of your answers e.g. to 1st or add a £ sign etc. I wish schools cared more about this it’s really important that students get the full time to do the best they can imo but I doubt anything will be done about it

Reply 37

username3563638

Original post by Slx.24

I mean, if OP is buying the clock for himself he can choose whether to have seconds or not, right? 😅

I’m probably not going to by a clock when there’s a high chance I won’t be allowed to use it, after my mock I’ll ask about how the real exams will be like and see if there’s anything they could do even if it’s just getting a bigger analogue. That’s if exams even go ahead this year

Reply 38