Tests/Exams/Assessments - thoughts/feelings/opinions?

Trawling through the forum and couldn't find a thread dedicated to exams or things of the sort, so thought I would make one on the topic and wanted people's opinion on the subject:

• Is anyone currently studying for/taking exams at the moment or this summer?
• If so which ones, and for what qualification
• Any form of stress/panic if so, how do you deal with it?
• Any interesting exam related stories? People pissing themselves, etc,etc
• Are exams the best way of determining a student's academic abilities?

I'll start off, I'll begin my summer exams this coming Monday, and will run till about first week of June. Currently studying Maths,Economics,Chemistry and Physics at AS level. No stress/panic but does get a bit tiresome, so I either cycle or eat to have a break. No interesting exam stories I'm afraid.

Forgot to mention, it'll also be nice to know how people prepare themselves for upcoming exams! Any pre exam rituals, e.g. wearing those lucky socks of yours

Ok, Also doing AS's , Economics on monday. No stress, same as you and I definitely agree with you about doing other stuff than just revising, helps a lot.

Slight tangent, but just finished the civil service assessment centre. It was hard. Some serious time pressure applied. Passed, but got shredded in the feedback.

Forgot to mention, it'll also be nice to know how people prepare themselves for upcoming exams! Any pre exam rituals?

Ahh, same economics first thing Monday morning. Good luck to you, young sir. Aqa?

Ha, atleast you passed!

Apologies, but what is the qualification exactly for? (Sorry, I don't know much about civil service)

I just failed my second ever examination (the first being the same examination).
It means that I won't be a doctor in August.
Beyond that I'm not really sure what it means, but there's a possibility that it will mean the end of a 9 year relationship, and a bunch of other stuff that's shit.
Not least of which is spending another year studying- which I cannot afford financially, mentally or physically.
I have spent 10 years working towards this and the exam in question is a practical assessment of clinical skills. I failed because despite getting 70% both times I didn't pass 3 stations of 12.
The second sitting I broke down in the middle of the exam, having piled the pressure on myself for the previous two months (as it meant the above).
There is no chance of appeal, and honestly I don't think I can continue.
The level of shitness has reached fully fucking shit. I'm devastated, not least because I worked my fucking ass off, have never been even slightly close to failing anything in the entirety of medical school, and most of all no doctor who I've ever worked with could conceive of my failing this exam the first, let alone the second time.

I'm broken. A complete wreck.

(((hug)))

Keep your head up! damn, that sucks man - what are your next plans?

(((more e-hugs)))

Yep, Aqa micro econ. finding it properly hard but I'm more confident in macro, Good luck to you too

Ahh, we're complete opposites, love micro, macro not so much. GL nonetheless!

Doing GCSEs at the moment.
Rather exotic set: Additional Maths, English lit, English lang, Physics, Chemistry, Biology, Geography, French, Art and Technology.

Not really too worried, which is scaring me the most. Took a day off today doing rugga.

I've got one relatively interesting story, maybe not, but halfway through a physics practical someone realised he had notes and a phone in his pocket and then went on to report himself to the teachers.

Personally I think exams aren't really much of a test on a students academic ability, some more so than others couch biology cough, but is probably a decent system of testing that isn't over complicated. I do think that even if we were to develop a new system after a while it would eventually revert to testing the same skills (or other skills that aren't academic ability) as the system we have now as teachers and examiners find cracks and exploit them to give their students the best chance.

Aaahhh the good ol' days of GCSE, trust me - its A LOTTT easier than AS (not saying to this to scare you at all - just a lil warning), only revised a day before my geo exam and still managed a B.

I was told it was going to be a jump from GCSEs to AS level but damn, I underestimated the warnings.

Enjoy gcses as much as you can tbh , what subjects are you looking to choose next year for AS?

sigh , i miss GCSEs.

Currently doing maths, further maths, physics and art at A2 level. Art course is basically all done and my first maths exam is on Wednesday.

Good luck to everyone else!

Totally agree with all of this! did pretty well in GCSE's but grades aren't looking so good for A-level, big step up

Ha! Trust mee! When you get your first U/E it hurtsss soo bad (maybe more me than you guys anyway), what subjects are you doing in AS?

I'm doing pretty much the opposite of you apart from econ haha, so doing econ, history, politcs and rs

I'm going to be doing: Maths, Further Maths, Physics (Pre-U), Chemistry (Pre-U)

Sounds like fun.

Ahh okay, LFGSS' David Cameron ;)

Wehh, chem is NO joke whatsoever, but I think you'll be fine, considering your combo of subjects

Yeah, all were fine at AS, but the step up for A2 is insane, especially in further maths! Your options look fun too, I'm guessing you'd go down the mechanics route in maths?

Nah. More interested in civil/structural engineering.
We won't have to do AS ( it think they got rid of it this year) but also I'm doing Pre-U so is all just one course over the two years with a couple of big exams at the end.

Oh cool! I meant that as in unit wise; I would definitely recommend doing at least M1. I looked at doing structural engineering, but decided to go for architecture instead.