When Did You Last Take an Exam?

Eight tips for exam preparation

When did you last sit an exam? Unless you’re fresh out of university, the chances are that it was some time ago. If you attend one of our RSPH courses in HACCP or Food Safety, or our any of our FDQ Auditing courses, you will be required to take an exam. Most are multiple choice in format, but the Level 4 and Lead Auditor qualifications carry a written examination.

Don’t worry though, here are some tips to help you prepare:

1. Read the questions carefully

When you’re nervous and up against the clock, it’s easy to misread something. Before you know it you could be throwing valuable marks away because you read ‘Which of the following are…’ instead of ‘Which of the following are not…’ So, always make sure you read questions slowly (and at least twice) before you start to answer them.

Sometimes questions can seem ambiguous at first and there can appear to be more than one relevant answer. Reading the question carefully often helps to provide more clarity.

2. Make sure you have time to answer all the questions

There is no hard and fast rule stating that you must complete all the questions in order. Take a look through your exam paper and note which questions carry the most marks. If you need to achieve 20 out of 30 to pass the exam, start with the questions worth 5 or 10 points rather than those worth 1 or 2 points.

Next, split the time according to the number of questions and how much each question is worth. For example, if your exam is 2 hours’ duration, allow 5 -10 minutes’ reading time and the same for checking your answers at the end. Then give more time to the high-ranking questions and less time to the others.

Don’t panic if you can’t think of the answer to a question, just move on and come back to it later. Writing something is always better than leaving an answer blank, so if you can only think of a short answer, write it down anyway – you could pick up a mark or two.

3. Understand exactly what is being asked

There is a big difference between ‘List the steps you would take…’ and ‘Describe the steps you would take…’ If you are asked to list something, you are required to do just that – in this case, a simple bulleted list of the steps you would take. If you are asked to describe the steps you would take, you would be expected to elaborate and provide a more detailed answer. If you look at the allocated marks, a ‘describe’ question will carry more marks.

It's useful to take a look at an exam questions glossary before you sit the exam, but here are a few more phrases that are commonly used:

Define = what is meant by?

Outline = summarise briefly, giving the main points, but not the detail

Illustrate = make a point and then back it up with examples

Compare = Look at the differences and similarities and give a balanced, objective answer

Discuss = Similar to ‘Compare’ – a detailed ‘pros and cons’ answer with a conclusion

Evaluate = Similar to the above but you are required to give your own opinion

Identify = Highlight or pick out relevant points

Understanding exactly what is being asked within a question will help you to use your time efficiently and prevent you from writing hundreds of words for questions for which a short answer is required.

If a question requires you to ‘list 5 reasons’ only give 5 reasons! You won’t get any more points for giving 8 reasons, the examiner will only look at the first 5 and discard the rest. Make sure you choose your 5 strongest reasons and stick with those.

4. Write clearly

Write your name in block capitals on your exam identification sheet – this is much easier to read and will ensure that your name appears correctly on your certificate.

On the subject of which colour ink to use, we would always recommend black ink for both multiple choice and for written exams. Your multiple choice answer sheet is marked automatically, so the clearer your answer is, the easier it is to read.

Similarly, written examinations are often copied or scanned to be marked by more than one examiner and black ink reproduces more effectively than blue or other colours. Incidentally, if you use a Verner Wheelock branded pen, these always have black ink.

If you’re taking a written exam, try to make your answers as legible as possible. If you know that your handwriting is difficult to read, you could print your answers instead.

5. How to answer multiple choice questions

RSPH Level 2 and Level 3 Food Safety and HACCP and several of our FDQ certificated courses carry multiple choice examinations. In this format there is a question paper and separate answer sheet, which is marked electronically.

A good tip is to read through the questions and tick the answer you believe to be correct on the question paper first. If there are questions you’re a little unsure about, you can put crosses or lines through the answers you know are incorrect, so that you have a little more clarity to select your answer, then read the questions again before you make your final choice.

Once you’re happy with your answers, you can carefully transfer them to the answer paper. To make absolutely sure you’re entering your chosen answer (generally A, B, C or D) use a ruler or piece of paper under the corresponding questions and answers.

6. Check if you are eligible for extra time

In some instances, delegates can be given extra time to complete an exam paper. An example of eligibility would be if English is not your first language or if you have been diagnosed with dyslexia or a similar condition.

In such cases you must make the examination centre or training company aware before the course is taken so that allowances can be made (there is a section for this on Verner Wheelock course booking forms).

Generally you will be allowed 25% extra time to complete the exam. On request you can also be provided with a dictionary and thesaurus (paper version only) or sometimes an examination paper might be available in your first language.

7. How to prepare for written exams

Examinations are generally taken no sooner than 2 weeks after completion of our Level 4 courses in HACCP and Food Safety to give delegates plenty of time to revise and prepare. We always include sample examination papers in the course notes and our trainers run through answers to various questions during the course. Try to revise in short bursts of 20 or 30 minutes rather than one long session.

One of the best ways to prepare for an exam is to try to replicate exam conditions at home - i.e. no distractions - and then attempt to answer questions from a sample paper within the allocated time. This will get you used to the process again.

8. And finally…

Finally – don’t panic! I know that’s easy to say, but as long as you have listened to what your trainer has been saying you should be fine. We have excellent pass rates at Verner Wheelock, but should you not quite make the grade first time, there is always the opportunity to re-sit and we will be happy to give you all the help you need to prepare.

Good luck!

P.S. Don’t forget to read the questions carefully…