Completing exams and assessments remotely

Even though all Covid-19 restrictions have been lifted, there will be no on-campus exams taking place. Some of you may have previously sat online assessments, however some of you – especially if you’re in your foundation or first year – may not have.

It’s often difficult, especially at this time of the year, to feel focused and motivated – after a while, it’s only natural to feel drained because of previous deadlines. Or you may want to enjoy the weather but believe you can’t because of your assessments or exams – but you can still do both. Just remember that you’re almost at that finishing line and will be able to enjoy the rest of your summer vacation as soon as you’re done. 

Always remember that if there are external factors that are affecting you, you can contact your department or your personal tutor to ask them about the steps you can take to apply for extenuating or mitigating circumstances.

Create a routine

I know that’s easier said than done, especially because it can often feel repetitive, but it’s easier to have a checklist in place so that you know when and what you need to submit. Starting your day off with a checklist is only the first step for your routine; figure out when you work best (if that’s during the mornings or the evenings) and schedule in breaks too, because they are extremely important for your mental health. 

You may not be able to complete everything on that checklist within a day, and that’s fine. Just make sure you are kind towards yourself – it can often be carried over to the next day!

Preparing for an online assessment

The best thing about an online assessment is that it’s no longer a memory test. As an English Literature student, I no longer had to remember essential dates or quotations from a text for an exam, and that was a relief for me. But that doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t prepare for an online assessment. Preparation is key – you don’t want to be compiling research or reading material for the first time because your focus will be on that, rather than the actual assessment. 

An essential step is finding a calm and quiet space where you can complete your assessments. Try to stay away from any form of social media – it can be easy to get distracted by this, especially while reading a thread about something that interests you.

To ensure you’re prepared, make sure you’ve already complied your own notes – these can be written on paper, flashcards or in a Word document – just make sure that they’re easily accessible to you.

Make sure you’ve listened to the lectures. Important information, at times, is lodged within a lecture, and it’s easy to forget that you can watch previous lectures as they’re now recorded.

Be sure to write a short plan before you start answering – it always helps to establish what your key points will be.

Also, remember to analyse and evaluate information, just as you would do with any assignment, to ensure that you are properly answering the question.

Janki is a third-year English and Creative Writing student and a Student Community Leader for the School of Arts and Humanities.