Preparing for Exams and Assessments

Exams can be a very stressful time. It can be difficult to juggle multiple deadlines and revision, with the added demands of organising reasonable adjustments and support for additional needs. It takes time, dedication and lots of organisation!

Here are six top tips to ensure the assessments are accessible and run smoothly, as well as helping you get prepared and motivated for success.

Student top tips: What to do before your assessments

1. Talk to your lecturers about the assessments they are designing this year and how they compare to others you have sat before. There may be a new style of questions or tasks, or coursework assignments instead of exams. Make sure you understand what will be asked of you, so you can anticipate any access needs.
2. Check all the materials you need are accessible as soon as possible. Make sure you have access to textbooks and reading for the content of the assessment and that any revision materials lecturers provide are formatted in a way that is usable for you. To learn more about making revision accessible, check out our helpful page of tips.
3. Ask to test any new online exam platforms or video recording software for presentations. This can help to identify accessibility issues. Training can also be helpful to learn how the new systems work with any assistive technology you use, so you can be confident navigating them on the day.
4. Think carefully about your reasonable adjustments, and how your working style fits with the assessment. If you have a 24-hour window to complete the exam, do you focus best in the morning or afternoon? Consider your strategy for completing the assessment. Speak to the university Disability Support team as soon as possible to ensure the support in place will be as effective as possible. RNIB has a checklist for making reasonable adjustments for exams, on their website, which can help you with this.The Good Schools Guide has an in-depth resource about exam access arrangements, including what they are, what you are entitled to.
5. If you usually have an exam assistant, there are additional factors to think about. This support may be less helpful if you are submitting a verbal response or coursework. It is best to talk to them in advance, to understand how you can work together best on the day. To learn more, check out our guide to the professionals that can support you at university, including readers and scribes which you can use for exams.
6. If you are not going to be on campus, make sure you can establish a good workspace at home or where you will be sitting the exam. If it is going to be difficult to make sure the environment is quiet and distraction-free, or to maintain a strong internet connection, talk to your university as they may have some suggestions to help.

Further Support

If you would like further support getting ready for your exams and assessments this year, why not get in touch with our Education Information Advice and Guidance Service! Or why not read RNIB’s page about preparing for exams, to discover more top tips? The Education Hub also has an informative page with tips on how to keep calm during the exam season, for further support.