Splitting up fully timed exams

[JR_StudyEd]

I have an issue that I am a little ashamed to admit: I can't bring myself to sit down for the full exam time, in exam conditions, and give a past VCAA exam a genuine, wholehearted crack. Even if I sat myself down in the library (which I don't want to do), I would probably give up at some point.

I apologise if the following makes no sense or sounds stupid. Say you have an exam with 2 hours of writing time. Due to my inability to focus for that long, I decide to split up the writing time into four 30 minute portions. I still end up completing the exam in the time allotted. Would doing exams in that manner be as effective in helping me revise and refine my exam technique as sitting down for the full 2 hours? I know I probably have to do at least one fully timed exam for each of my subjects, but at this point, sitting down for the full allotted time seems unattractive and unappealing. Splitting it up and breaking it down makes it more likely that I will actually complete the practice exam rather than put it off until the week before the actual exam.

And yes, I am 100% aware that it is not about the quantity of practice exams I complete. But I want to get them all marked, and a timed exam is always more effective for revision.

[PhoenixxFire]

Have you tried taking a break in the middle and going for a walk for five minutes or so without pausing your timer? I couldn’t sit through my exams either so I always went for a walk to the bathroom in the middle just so I could have a break. It’ll lose you some time but I think being able to focus in the second half was worth it.

Splitting up your time means that it won’t account for you getting more tired towards the end, I’d suggest taking some time off it - do your exams with 10 or 15 minutes less than what the conditions to account for the tiredness you’ll get in the real thing.

You can’t perfectly replicate exam conditions anyway, so if splitting it up helps you get through the exams then it’s probably going to be helping more than it’s hurting.