TCAs are timed, online exams, typically a few hours in length where you need to answer essay style questions and get to show off all of your knowledge! They can be quite daunting however there are many steps you can take to make ensure your exams go as smoothly and easily as possible.
Preparing your workspace
Most TCAs are quite long, usually anywhere from two to four hours. This means it is important to ensure your workspace is clean and tidy, and any distractions like last night’s dinner pots and a mountain of plastic water bottles aren’t in your way. Therefore, spend the night before the exam ensuring your workspace is as you like it, with things such as a laptop charger and notebook in easy reach if you run down your battery or need to scribble down some ideas before you forget. Moreover, since they are quite long, make sure you’ve eaten a meal beforehand and have enough water and snacks to keep you going through the exam, as walking to the kitchen to figure out what snack you want or fill up your water bottle can cost you precious time in an exam. However, it is also important to mention that if you get stressed, taking a mini stretch or walk around the kitchen can help to clear your mind and calm you down to get back into the right mindset.
Organising your revision notes
Since TCAs are open book exams, this means you are allowed access to your books and any revision resources you’ve made, it’s important to ensure they’re easily accessible and organised. The last thing you want is to be surrounded by paper trying to find out where that one little piece of information you know you wrote down somewhere. Therefore, it’s a good idea to either print out mind maps or keyword definitions you’ll need access to during the exam and have them in an organised folder next to you. Pinning them up on your pin board is a good idea too. Or, if you prefer digital notes, try putting all your notes into one document, making it easier to find what you need.
Being prepared for the questions
Another important step is to go through your assessment brief and ensure you know how the exam will be structured and how many words are expected of you for each question. Learning objectives also shed light on what you’ll possibly be tested on during the exam, for example it could mention linking two topics, therefore you can then find out how two topics link together as it is likely you’ll be asked it during the TCA. It is important to mention that although you are allowed access to notes during a TCA, they won’t give you the exact answer, you’ll need to be able to understand the content and utilise it to get the correct answer.
Keeping your environment calm
Finally, make sure your environment is calm during the exam period. For example, ensure your phone is turned off, your housemates are aware so they know not to make noise and the window is closed so no unnecessary noise creeps in. However, you may function better without silence and need a little bit of background noise to concentrate, in this case, you could put some music on in the background. Or, if you need complete silence, having headphones in without sound works well to cancel noise.
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