The Complete Guide

Exam Technique — Performing Under Pressure

Written by Dr Krishan P. Chauhan. This guide covers everything from time management and mark scheme literacy to subject-specific technique for Mathematics, Biology, Chemistry, and Physics. The difference between a student who knows the content and a student who earns the marks is almost always exam technique.

“I have marked enough exam papers to know this: the majority of marks lost are not lost because the student did not know the answer. They are lost because the student did not read the question, did not show their method, did not use the right vocabulary, or ran out of time. These are fixable problems.”

— Dr Krishan P. Chauhan, Head of Mathematics

General Exam Technique

Applicable to all subjects — the foundations of performance under pressure

The 5-Minute Rule

Before you write a single word, spend the first 5 minutes of any exam reading the entire paper. Not skimming — reading. Identify the questions worth the most marks, the questions you are most confident about, and any questions that are likely to take longer than their mark allocation suggests. This reading investment pays back with interest every time.

Why this works: Your brain continues processing questions passively while you are working on other parts of the paper. By reading everything first, you allow your subconscious to work on harder questions while you are answering easier ones.

Time Management by Mark Allocation

In a standard 90-minute paper worth 80 marks, you have roughly 1 minute 7 seconds per mark. A 1-mark question gets 1 minute. A 6-mark question gets 6 minutes. Spending 10 minutes on a 2-mark question is a catastrophic use of your time.

Paper Length	Total Marks	Time Per Mark	6-Mark Question Budget
60 minutes	60	~1 min	6 minutes
75 minutes	60	~1 min 15 sec	7.5 minutes
90 minutes	80	~1 min 8 sec	~7 minutes
120 minutes	100	~1 min 12 sec	~7 minutes
150 minutes	120	~1 min 15 sec	~7.5 minutes

The golden rule: If you have been on a question for twice its allocated time and are still stuck, move on. A partially answered question you return to is worth more than a complete answer to a question you have already finished.

Reading Questions Precisely

Command Words That Change Everything

State — brief factual answer, no explanation needed
Describe — what happens, not why
Explain — what happens AND why
Evaluate — discuss strengths, limitations, and reach a conclusion
Calculate — show all working, not just the answer
Prove / Show that — every step must be shown
Hence — you must use the result of the previous part
Suggest — there may be more than one acceptable answer

The Most Costly Reading Mistakes

Missing the word NOT in a question
Answering a different number of points than asked (“give two reasons”)
Giving a correct answer to the wrong question (misread)
Missing the unit requirement (“give your answer in cm”)
Ignoring “significant figures” or “decimal places” instructions
Not reading the data given (using wrong numbers)
Missing the “hence” instruction and solving from scratch

Managing Exam Anxiety

Exam anxiety is a physiological response, not a character flaw. The release of cortisol narrows cognitive focus and impairs working memory — exactly the opposite of what you need. It is manageable. The following techniques are evidence-based, not motivational clichés.

Box Breathing

Breathe in for 4 counts. Hold for 4. Out for 4. Hold for 4. Repeat 3 times. Activates the parasympathetic nervous system within 60 seconds. Used by military, surgeons, and athletes for exactly this reason.

Expressive Writing

Studies by Ramirez and Beilock (2011) showed that writing about your worries for 10 minutes before an exam significantly improved performance by “offloading” anxiety from working memory. Write it out before you go in.

Reframe the Anxiety

“I am excited” and “I am anxious” produce almost identical physiological states. Telling yourself you are excited rather than anxious — a simple cognitive reframe — measurably improves performance. This is Harvard Business School research.

Mathematics Exam Technique

GCSE, A-Level, and IB — by Dr Krishan P. Chauhan

The single most important thing in a Maths exam: Show your method. A correct answer with no working earns 1 mark where a full solution earns 4. An incorrect final answer with correct method earns most of the marks. The examiner is marking your thinking, not just your calculator.

The 7 Rules of GCSE Maths Exams

1Write the formula first, then substitute values, then calculate. Three separate lines. Never collapse all three into one.

2Label every answer with its unit. “52” loses the mark. “52 cm²” earns it.

3Do not round early. Keep all decimal places in your working and only round at the final step.

4Draw diagrams even if none is provided. Geometry, trigonometry, and probability questions become significantly easier with a labelled diagram.

5Check reasonableness. If a probability is greater than 1, a length is negative, or an angle in a triangle exceeds 180°, you have made an error. Trust your sense of what a reasonable answer looks like.

6For multi-step questions, identify the final target first and work backwards to identify what intermediate steps you need.

7Cross off incorrect attempts rather than scribbling them out completely. Examiners can sometimes award method marks from crossed-out work if it shows correct reasoning.

A-Level Specific: The Extended Proof Question

A-Level proofs require you to start from one side and reach the other — never manipulate both sides simultaneously. Every line must follow logically from the last. End with the result clearly stated and the QED square (□) or equivalent.

The most common proof error: Assuming what you are trying to prove. If the question says “prove that A = B”, you may not write A = B at any point in your working until it is the final conclusion that you have genuinely derived.

Biology Exam Technique

GCSE and A-Level — by Dr Krishan P. Chauhan (PhD, Biological Sciences)

The single most important thing in a Biology exam: Precision of language. Examiners mark against specific words in the mark scheme. “The cell membrane controls what goes in and out” does not earn the mark that “the partially permeable cell membrane regulates the movement of substances by diffusion, osmosis, and active transport” earns. Biology rewards vocabulary precision above all else.

The Extended Answer Question (6 marks)

Extended 6-mark questions in Biology are always assessed for Quality of Written Communication (QWC). This means spelling, grammar, and scientific terminology all matter. The mark scheme typically requires 6 distinct correct points. Structure your answer with one clear point per sentence.

❌ Weak Answer

“Enzymes are biological catalysts. They speed up reactions in the body. When it gets too hot they stop working because they break. They have an active site that fits the substrate like a lock and key.”

2/6 marks. Imprecise vocabulary (“break”, “stop working”), incomplete mechanism.

✓ Strong Answer

“Enzymes are biological catalysts that lower the activation energy of metabolic reactions. The substrate binds to the complementary-shaped active site, forming an enzyme-substrate complex. Increasing temperature above the optimum causes the active site to change shape (denature), preventing substrate binding and halting catalysis.”

5/6 marks. Precise vocabulary, mechanism explained, cause and effect clear.

The Required Vocabulary List — GCSE Biology

These words and phrases appear in mark schemes. If you use the vague version instead of the precise one, you lose the mark.

Vague Version (loses marks)	Precise Version (earns marks)
Moves through the membrane	Diffuses down a concentration gradient through a partially permeable membrane
Cell breaks	Cell lyses / undergoes lysis
Cell shrinks	Cell crenates (animal) / cell plasmolyses (plant)
Enzyme stops working	Enzyme denatures / active site changes shape
DNA copies itself	DNA replicates by semi-conservative replication
The gene makes protein	The gene is transcribed to mRNA, which is translated at the ribosome to produce a polypeptide
Blood sugar goes up	Blood glucose concentration increases
It gets absorbed	It is absorbed by facilitated diffusion / active transport into the epithelial cells of the villi

Chemistry Exam Technique

GCSE — Common errors and how to avoid them

The single most important thing in a Chemistry exam: Show every step in calculation questions. Balance the equation. Show molar mass calculations. Show moles. Show the molar ratio. Show your final answer with units. Six steps clearly shown earns six marks. An answer with no working earns one.

The Moles Calculation Framework

Write the balanced equation

Every moles calculation begins with a balanced equation. The coefficients give you the molar ratios. Do not skip this step even if you think you know the answer.

Calculate the molar mass of the relevant substance

Write out the calculation: e.g., CaCO₃ = 40 + 12 + (3×16) = 100 g/mol. Show every element.

Calculate moles from given data

Moles = Mass ÷ Molar Mass, or Moles = Volume (dm³) × Concentration, or Moles = Volume (dm³) × 24 (for gases at RTP). Write the formula, substitute, calculate.

Apply the molar ratio

Use the coefficients from the balanced equation to find the moles of the substance you need. This is the step most students miss.

Calculate the final answer with units

Convert back to mass, volume, or concentration as required. Write the unit. A number without a unit is incomplete.

Structure and Bonding — The Most Common Exam Errors

Error	What to Write Instead
Ionic bonds are “strong”	Ionic compounds have strong electrostatic forces of attraction between oppositely charged ions in a giant lattice
Metals conduct because they have electrons	Metals conduct because they have a sea of delocalised electrons that are free to move and carry charge
Diamond is hard because it has lots of bonds	Diamond has a giant covalent structure where each carbon forms 4 strong covalent bonds in a tetrahedral arrangement — making it very hard
Simple molecular substances have a low melting point	Simple molecular substances have weak intermolecular forces between molecules — not weak bonds. The bonds within molecules are strong.

Physics Exam Technique

GCSE — Calculations, graphs, and extended answers

The single most important thing in a Physics exam: Equations, substitution, and units — in that order, every time. Physics is mathematics applied to the real world. The marks follow the structure, not just the answer.

The Physics Calculation Protocol

❌ Weak Method

“1200 × 2.5 = 3000”

Gets 1 mark. No context, no formula, no unit.

✓ Full Method

F = ma
F = 1200 × 2.5
F = 3000 N

Gets 3 marks. Formula, substitution, answer with unit.

Graph Questions — What Examiners Want

Plot all points within half a grid square of the correct position
Draw a line of best fit (smooth curve or straight line) — do not dot-to-dot
Gradient: use two widely spaced points on the line, not data points
Label both axes with quantity and unit: “Time (s)” not just “Time”
Anomalous points: identify and exclude from line of best fit — but do not erase them
Describe a graph: direction (increases/decreases), shape (linear/non-linear), and rate (steeply/gradually)

IB Diploma — Exam Technique

Mathematics AA/AI and Sciences — by Dr Krishan P. Chauhan

“The IB rewards communication. A student who writes clearly, structures arguments logically, and explains their reasoning — even partially — will outperform a student who computes the right answer and writes nothing else. This is the defining difference between IB and A-Level assessment.”

— Dr Krishan P. Chauhan, IB Mathematics Teacher

Paper 1 (No Calculator)

All working must be shown — no method marks from GDC
Exact answers expected: leave in surd/π form unless told otherwise
Check sign errors carefully — the most common Paper 1 error
Time: typically 90 minutes. 1 mark ≈ 1.5 minutes

Paper 2 (GDC Allowed)

Use GDC for graphs, intersections, and numerical solutions
Still show the setup: write the equation you are solving
Sketch GDC outputs — a labelled sketch earns the graph mark
Do not over-rely on GDC for algebra — it is slower than by hand for most algebraic questions

Internal Assessment (20%)

Choose a topic that genuinely interests you — your engagement shows in the writing
The Exploration is marked on: Presentation, Mathematical Communication, Personal Engagement, Reflection, and Use of Mathematics
Avoid topics that are too simple (no A/B grade possible) or too complex (impossible to demonstrate understanding)
Dr Chauhan provides specialist IA support throughout the process

Extended Essay & Theory of Knowledge

EE in Mathematics: choose a focused research question, not a broad survey
TOK connections in Mathematics: explore the nature of mathematical proof, axioms, and the unreasonable effectiveness of mathematics in the natural world
3 bonus points (EE A + TOK A) represent a full grade boundary improvement

Reading about exam technique is useful. Practising it with a qualified expert is transformative.

Book a session and apply these techniques to real exam questions with immediate feedback.

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