Mistake 7

Starting with the Most Difficult Question:

Some students attempt their test and exam papers in a less efficient way. They start with the most difficult questions.

"What is wrong with that?" you may ask.

For one thing, attempting a tough question is a bad start to a paper. Your mind gets stumbled at the very beginning of the paper. You rack your brains trying to come out with the answers for that agonising question. You begin to feel exasperated. You mind loses its calm. You cannot think properly. And you lose precious time while you are stuck with the tough question.

Before you know it, you only have half of the time left. Now, you rush to answer the other questions. But your mind has got so entangled with that tough question that it cannot think properly. You have forgotten the answers to the easy questions! You can’t believe it! And we can’t believe why you even began with that tough question!

Always start with the easy questions. First, it makes you feel good about the paper and boosts your confidence. Second, you are assured that you will get the marks allotted to these questions. Third, if you manage the easy questions properly, you will be able to answer them quickly and allow yourself more time for the difficult questions. Last but not least, you may be able to attain the answers to the difficult questions after you have solved the easy ones. It has happened to many people many times!