Great time management is key to giving a great exam. In the case of the O-Level Chemistry Examination, the rule is no different. You have to manage your time well during the days preparing for the exam and of course, during the exam itself. In this post, we have prepared a guide to help you do so exactly. We will start by taking a look at the format of the exam and tips on how to manage time when giving it.
Time Management Tips for While Giving the Exam 
The Pure Chemistry O-Level exam has three papers, with the first being Multiple Choice Questions (40 questions in an hour), the second being structured questions (80 marks within 1 hour and 45 minutes), and the third being a school-based practical assessment who’s time duration can vary. The following tips can greatly help you save time when sitting for the first two papers:
- When encountering a difficult question in both Paper 1 and 2, skip it and move on to the next one. In this way, finish all of the easy questions in the exam first, that is, the ones you’ve studied and are confident in.
- In Paper 1, cross out the options which you know for sure are wrong for a question. In this way, even if you do still struggle and decided to come back to it later, you can ignore the crossed out answers right away, thus saving time.
- In Paper 2, before answering a question carefully note the marks and the keywords. If the question asks you to state something, you don’t have to elaborate the answer by explaining and can thus save valuable time. Moreover, if the question has two marks attached to it, then it’s safe to assume that you need to write two key points in your answer. Writing a paragraph of extra or irrelevant information will thus waste your time. Remember, if you’re confused about something move on to the next question and come back to it later; this is much better than writing something inaccurate there before you’ve gone through the whole paper.
- Leave a few minutes at the end to check your work. This goes not only for your Paper 1 and 2, but honestly every single O-Level exam you will sit for. Checking your work in the final few minutes of the exam can help you discover mistakes you may have overlooked, thus giving you essential extra marks.
- Don’t panic: never forget that a lot can be accomplished in a single minute. You can do everything right and sometimes still end up in a situation where there are questions left and the time’s running out. Most often than not, you spent it on thinking too much about a question. In these situations, the most important thing is to breathe. Make the most of what you have left. Panicking will only make you lose more time.
Time Management Tips While Preparing for the Exam 
Preparing for the O-Level Chemistry exam effectively is half the battle of doing well in it. It can be difficult to do with all the other subjects you have to handle, but why else are time management tips there for? The guidelines in this section will help you manage your time effectively during the months leading up to the main exam.
- Set a Goal
You already know the month that you’ll have to sit for the Chemistry exam and if it’s coming up soon, then you already know the date. For the first scenario, you need to set a date by which you will have already completed a segment of the syllabus. Not the whole syllabus mind you, because that can lead to procrastination, just a chapter at a time. For example, maybe you’ll plan to finish the Redox Reaction and Electrolysis chapters of Chemistry 5 days from now on so and so date. If you stick to this and finish a chapter at a time, pretty soon you’ll be done with the whole syllabus.
If you don’t have much time left before the exam, then use this technique to complete your revision. For instance, in the next 6 hours you’re going to go through the notes and question papers of three chapters in Chemistry. Set realistic time limit goals and motivate yourself by offering a self-reward at the end.
- Divide your time equally.
Spending every single second of your time studying will do you no good because that is the path that leads to burnouts, memory loss, and pain. You’re a human being. You need time to eat, sleep, breathe, drink a cup of tea or two. Listen to a song. Keep your brain and body healthy by giving both enough nutrition, rest, and serotonin. What you can do here is create a schedule of your day (if you want something quick, simply download a planner app on your phone) and allot your rest, study, meal etc. times in there. Follow them.
You may struggle for a day, a week, even a month maybe. However, with consistent practice, everyone can into the routine of effective time management. The sooner you begin working on the skill, the better your exams – and life – will become.
Seb Academy Tuition Centre specialises in teaching O level Chemistry, A Level Chemistry to secondary school and JC students in Singapore. Our tutors deliver results consistently through engaging lesson plans, encouragement and constant follow-ups with their homework to ensure learning is on track to their A! Our O level Classes & IP Classes provides a comprehensive package for understanding chemistry concepts for the O Level Syllabus. The Program is rigorous and would provide a seamless transit for students looking to further tertiary education at A Levels H2 Chemistry or polytechnic courses. Also, do check out our new lower secondary classes offered! Seb Academy also offers virtual classes and a full fledged student’s portal where you can access a resourceful library of curated lectures, mini lectures, assessment and key answering shortcuts to help you to secure your A! Our Sec 3/4 Classes are helmed by Mr Sebastian Lim and Ms Sera, and Mr Sam Lee heads the A Level Chemistry Tuition Class division. Do read our interesting articles on our blog page for other content on academics, exam insights, Chemistry in every day lives. If you want to find more about our classes, do contact us today for more information!
