If you’re about to give your MYP e-Assessments soon and need some advice on how to go about it, you’ve come to the right place. I gave my MYP e-Assessments just 3 months back in May 2018, and scored a 50 out of a possible 56. It could have been higher but, I made some stupid mistakes which hopefully – if you’re reading this – won’t make your time around.
USE the past papers you have!
With MYP e-Assessments being pretty new, there aren’t a lot of past papers to practice from – about 4-5 per subject. This being said, you should use these past papers to their full potential, making sure you attempt all the questions, see and understand the types of questions that appear, and try to find a pattern as to how questions are given.
You should definitely try giving one past paper in the actual time limit allotted and then check your answers against the key. With the others, try going through them slowly, question by question and making sure you understand what the questions are asking for.
Understand the Answer key
Yes, we’re all tired from being told to look at the criteria for each subject or assignment, but for e-assessments, it can really help to know what the question wants you to focus on.
Also, if you focus on the point system in the answer key, you’ll realize that the IB grading system isn’t that harsh. For math and science papers, even if you get a numerical answer wrong, if you’ve shown correct working, you will be awarded marks for that!
I’m telling you, go and check out the answer key. It can be that one thing which will help you get those extra marks in subjects you struggle with.
Start with the longest questions first
This is something that can make or break your paper – and I say this from experience, so listen closely. I gave my extended math paper starting from the first question, and spending between 5-15 minutes per question, not really paying attention to how many questions were left. It was only when I reached the last question – worth 30 marks – that I realized I only had 45 minutes to do an entire math investigation with calculations and everything. My entire paper had gone really well (so well, I was expecting a 7), but just because I didn’t attempt this question in the beginning, I didn’t manage my time well and could not even do a fourth of the question in the time left. So yeah… I left a 30 mark question out of a 100 mark paper, and got a 5 instead of a 6 or even a 7.
Please please please take note from my stupidity and DON’T make the same mistake I did! Not knowing the answer to something is not even close to the feeling you get when you know you could have easily answered a question but ran out of time.
Go through your papers properly in the 5 minute reading time, and start with the longest questions first – especially investigations in math. Small questions don’t weigh as much as these long ones.
Read the questions properly
So many people have made this mistake time and time again! PEOPLE, read questions properly! It’s not as hard as you think. Reading half a question and writing a detailed answer focusing on the wrong thing is much worse than spending that extra minute fully reading and understanding the question.
You can’t exactly fix a wrong answer in the last 5 minutes... just saying.
My advice? Keep re-reading the question throughout your answer. This makes sure that your answer is focused on the right topic and sometimes re-reading a question can actually help you remember things that you probably didn’t remember when first reading the question. So though it seems like a waste of time, re-reading questions while answering (especially long ones) can actually help you write a more detailed and to-the-point answer.
Use the bullet point method
As someone who isn’t used to answering questions depending on length, and doing them as they come in order, it can be really annoying to start with the longest question first. Talk about OCD!
So I present to you the bullet point method.
This is really helpful for essay questions. Basically, as soon as you start a paper, go straight to the essay question, and write down all your ideas in bullet points. Any information that might be helpful in the essay or how you want to structure your essay – just jot it down.
After you finish all the small questions or when you have at least an hour left, switch to the long essay questions and properly structure them using the information you jotted down in bullet points at the start of the paper.
This way you won’t have to waste extra time trying to refocus on another question and can spend your time making sure your essay is perfect. Trust me, this method actually helps save time.
Just make sure you practice it before you actually give the exam and see if it works for you.
Write a full lab report – bulls**t and all
Now, I know this seems kind of unnecessary considering you aren’t told to write a proper lab report in the exam (they only ask for variables, one hypothesis, method and materials), BUT if you’re also a fast typer like me, or if you have some extra time before the exam ends, that extra bullshit in your lab report goes a LONG way. It makes your lab report seem more sophisticated and gives the impression that you know exactly what you’re typing.
Remember - don’t waste your time trying to make your lab report perfect and leaving other questions for later. Time management is key, and this is just a tip to make your exam go to the next level. You can only do well if you finish the exam properly.
SO ONLY DO THIS IF YOU HAVE THE TIME!
Do all your good luck rituals before each exam
Yeah, so this one is kind of stupid, but hey, I believe in this stuff. Just the placebo effect of thinking that you’ve done your good luck ritual (IDK, having a good breakfast, talking to someone, wearing a lucky charm or colorful underwear) will make you perform better. I'm telling you, it works.
That added confidence that fate is with you will make you much more relaxed and focused for the actual exam.
So take five minutes out of your day and do your little good luck rituals!
All of this being said...
In the end, it really all comes down to how well you studied for your exam. Each and every person is different, and how much effort they put in to get the grade will always be different.
You may need 5 hours to grasp a math concept compared to someone who only needs half an hour. In the end, it’s really your dedication and effort that shows in your results, and that’s what matters.
The results of e-Assessments shouldn’t be compared to other people, because this is something completely irrelevant of teacher bias or school competition. It’s your effort, your hard work, and you can only compare your grade with how much work you put in.
You may not have gotten the highest grade in the class, but maybe you got an unexpectedly high grade in a subject you usually perform pretty bad at, and that’s something you should be really proud of!
These tips are probably something to remember, but in the end, if you’ve worked hard, the exams should be a breeze.
Good luck and study hard! Even if you don't really want to! : )