Ask Maggie: why, exams, why?!

Dear Maggie,

I’m in my final year. Maths. Probably says it all. My modules are all 100% exams this year and I am really nervous about them. Maths always lumps exams together with barely any time in between which makes it really hard for me to concentrate my revision. When’s the provisional exam timetable coming out? Whenever it is, if I find that all my exams are close together is there anything I can do? My girlfriend is anxious about all this too – she’s from California and wants to book her flight home ASAP. With it being Christmas, flights are really expensive and she wants to try to get the best deal she can. But she needs to know when her exams are!

Oh those exams! Looming already, eh? Well, the provisional exam timetable is now out – have a look. If you feel that there is a problem with the dates for your exams, you should contact the Maths department as soon as you can. I believe the Maths Exam Co-ordinator is Dr. Reinaud. Or else ask the School Secretary who you need to speak to. The provisional timetable will become the confirmed timetable next Monday, 5th November, so you need to get on with checking this out. I hope it works out for you.

As far as your girlfriend is concerned, she too should now be able to see when her exams are expected to be. She will see too, in the blurb above the timetable, an “important” bit which says that all students are expected to be here for the entire duration of the exams, that is until Friday 21st December. Bummer – and I know that not all students stay around for this. However, it might happen that an exam has to be re-arranged at the last moment which could mean that a student who leaves town before the last day could be caught out – with no grounds for redress if they did leave town early. So I guess she should book her flight for on or after 21st December.

Even if you’re feeling stressed about the exam period, remember to stay clam and on top of your work now. Exams are scary, but they won’t be nearly as bad if you’re prepared and relaxed. If you feel overwhelmed check out our exam advice and download our exam relaxation track! And don’t forget what comes after exams – 5 weeks of holiday! (And Christmas!)