What is the best way to make use of the time given in an exam?

Exams can often be quite daunting, and because English requires you to write essays rather than the shorter answers that are typical of other subjects, it's easy to see how you may open your paper and get the feeling of 'where do I begin?' But fear not! Having a plan of how to tackle these questions before you enter the exam hall will help you to remain focused and confident, and will prevent you from wasting time by panicking unnecessarily.

The very first thing to do when you begin your exam is to read the questions. This may sound obvious, but it's really important. Before choosing which question to answer, you need to make sure you really understand what it is that this particular question is asking you to do so that you don't fall into the trap of including irrelevant material where you could otherwise be getting more marks. Once you have chosen the essay questions that you feel you can answer best, write down rough plans in your answer booklet. Structure your plan so that you have bullet pointed ideas of what you're going to include in your introduction, which main points you're going to address in the main body of your essay, and how you want to conclude. You don't need to spend a long time on this, but it's a really useful way to ensure that you're able to communicate your ideas in the appropriate order and sound really articulate and impressive to the examiner. Lastly, keep your eye on the clock! After you've finished formulating your plans (this should only take around 10-15 mins), check how long you have left of the exam and then divide the remaining time by two so that you know how long you have to spend on each answer. Aim to finish each essay five minutes earlier than than the deadline, so that you're not panicking towards the end of the exam and you have time to quickly read over your answers.

And viola! If you follow these steps, you should feel confident that you have made the best possible use of your time and you can leave the exam hall feeling proud of your good work.