Chemistry Exam Day Checklist

Exam day itself is not a time for last-minute learning. It is a time for execution: deploying the knowledge and skills you have built over months of preparation. The practical details — what to bring, how to spend the morning, how to manage the first ten minutes in the exam room — can make the difference between a calm, focused performance and a flustered one. This checklist covers everything.

The night before

Pack your equipment bag

Do this the evening before, not the morning of. Lay out everything on your desk and check it off:

Essential items:

• Two black ink pens (in case one runs out)
• Two pencils (HB, sharpened — for diagrams, graphs, and working)
• A ruler (for drawing tables, graphs, and apparatus diagrams)
• An eraser
• A scientific calculator with fresh or fully charged batteries
• Your candidate statement, school ID card, or exam admission slip
• A transparent pencil case (many exam centres require see-through cases)

Useful additions:

• A small pencil sharpener
• A spare eraser
• A clear water bottle (check if your exam centre allows this in the room)
• A watch or small clock (phones are not allowed, and not all exam rooms have visible clocks)

Do not bring:

• Correction fluid or tape (usually prohibited)
• Notes, textbooks, or flashcards (leave them at home or in your bag outside the exam room)
• Your phone (leave it in your bag, switched off, outside the exam room — or at home)

Test your calculator

Turn it on. Do a quick calculation: what is the Mr of H2SO4? If you get 98, the calculator works. Check that it is in the correct mode (not in radians or statistics mode). Replace the batteries if they are old. A calculator that dies mid-exam is a disaster that is entirely preventable.

Sleep

Go to bed at your normal time or slightly earlier. Sleep is more valuable than one extra hour of cramming. A well-rested brain retrieves information faster, makes fewer errors, and handles pressure better. If you cannot sleep, lie still with your eyes closed — rest helps even without full sleep.

The morning of the exam

Wake up with enough time

Do not rush. Set an alarm that gives you at least 90 minutes before you need to leave. Rushing creates stress before you even reach the exam centre.

Eat breakfast

Your brain needs glucose to function. A moderate breakfast — toast, cereal, eggs, fruit — is better than nothing and better than a heavy meal that makes you sluggish. Avoid excessive caffeine if you are not used to it; it can increase anxiety.

Light review only

If you must look at something, glance at:

• Your one-page topic summaries
• Your error log (the top five errors you tend to make)
• Your flashcards for factual content you find weakest (ion tests, definitions)

Spend no more than 15-20 minutes on this. Do not attempt new content, new past papers, or topics you have never studied. This is review, not revision.

Arrive early

Aim to arrive at the exam venue 15-20 minutes before the start time. This gives you time to find your seat, use the bathroom, settle in, and take a few calm breaths. Arriving late creates panic that takes the first ten minutes of the exam to recover from.

Avoid the pre-exam crowd

Do not stand in a group of anxious students comparing what they have revised. “Have you studied the Haber process?” “What about polymer structures?” These conversations create unnecessary doubt. If a friend mentions a topic you have not revised, you cannot fix it in the next five minutes. Put your headphones on or find a quiet spot.

In the exam room

First 5 minutes: setup and survey

1. Write your name and candidate number on the answer booklet.
2. Read the instructions on the front page (you already know them from practice, but check anyway).
3. Flip through the entire paper. Note the topics covered, the question numbers, and the mark allocations.
4. Identify the questions you feel most confident about. This reduces anxiety.
5. Note where the high-mark questions are (6-mark extended responses, multi-part calculations) so you can plan your time.

During the paper

Read each question twice before writing. The first read gives you the gist; the second catches command words and qualifiers.

Pace yourself. Check the time after every two or three questions. Use the one-minute-per-mark rule from the Paper 4 time management guide.

Show all working in calculations. Even if you can do the arithmetic mentally, write it down. Method marks require visible working.

Write neatly. An illegible answer cannot be marked. If the examiner cannot read your chemical formula, you lose the mark. This is especially important for subscripts in chemical formulae and for numbers in calculations.

Draw diagrams in pencil. Use a ruler for straight lines in apparatus diagrams. Label clearly. Include arrows for heat, ion movement, or electron flow where relevant.

If stuck, move on. Write your best partial answer, circle the question number, and return at the end if time permits. Do not spend five minutes staring at one question while easier marks go unclaimed.

For Paper 2 (MCQ) specifically

Answer every question. There is no penalty for wrong answers, so a guess is better than a blank. If you cannot determine the correct answer, eliminate one or two obviously wrong options and guess from the remainder.

For Paper 6 specifically

Read the full practical scenario before answering any questions. Note the aim of the experiment, the apparatus, and the procedure. Paper 6 questions follow a logical sequence, and later answers often depend on understanding the full context.

After the exam

Do not discuss answers in detail

Comparing answers with classmates after the exam causes unnecessary stress. If you got a different answer, you cannot change it. If you discover you made an error, the anxiety carries into your next paper. A brief “that was manageable” or “that was tough” is fine. Detailed answer comparisons are not.

Shift focus to the next paper

If you have Paper 2 on Monday and Paper 4 on Thursday, use Tuesday and Wednesday for targeted Paper 4 revision. Do not dwell on Paper 2 — it is done. Focus on what you can still influence.

Take care of yourself

Eat well, sleep well, and take breaks between exams. The IGCSE exam period can span several weeks across multiple subjects. Sustainable habits — regular meals, adequate sleep, brief exercise — maintain your performance across the whole period.

Exam day is about execution, not learning. Every minute of preparation you have done across the year converges on these 75 minutes in the exam room. Trust the preparation, follow the routine, and perform.