I finish too early

[co15]

Sometimes when I do exams under pressure I seem to blank out a bit and write really short essays (3 pages) and ACs (2 pages). I'm not sure about the exact reason I do this. I think it has something to do with panicking or maybe sabotaging myself so that I know if I don't do well it was because I didn't try not because I didn't know how. Anyone know how to write so that you are barely finishing? Aha it sounds weird but I'm not sure how I can write like I do at home in the exam.

[dmitridr]

Basically you need to believe in yourself and just power on through the exam with confidence. Make sure you revise your quotes, notes and metalanguage so you don't waste time in the exam, and this will also allow you to showcase depth in your response.

Good luck!

[heids]

How about you spend longer planning?  Rather than diving straight in, spend more time brainstorming - force yourself to keep searching for different ideas, examples or ways of looking at the topic before you start writing!  I always found jotting down lots of notes in dot-points cleared my mind a bit and made me less stressed, and the ideas flowed better than when I tried to produce them while writing a full paragraph.

If you start panicking, remember to put your pen down, lean back, stretch, take a sip of water, and breathe deeply - calmly repeat to yourself a few times that you're okay, in fact you're awesome at this!  Don't stress about the time it's wasting - it's worth it if it calms you down.

All the best!

[co15]

Thanks for the replies! Hopefully that exam will go smoothly.