Exam preparation
Use the resources on this page to prepare yourself and your technology for upcoming exams.
Contents
- Preparing for online exams
- Preparing for in-person exams
- Directions to examination venues
- Past papers
- Studying for exams
- Wellbeing
Preparing for online exams
Guidance has been created which provides suggested steps for submitting answers for an online exam.
Students must familiarise themselves with this guidance well before their exams.
Part of this suggested guidance will entail accessing applications such as MySaint and Office.com as well as downloading the relevant applications to your mobiles and computers:
- Microsoft Word (mobile and desktop app)
- Office Lens mobile app
- OneDrive for Business
You should read the relevant guides and practice using the applications in advance. If you're unsure, contact the IT Service Desk.
Dress rehearsals are available for students to practise upload and submission techniques during revision week(s). The Examinations office will communicate to students when those are available and provide further information. New rehearsal exams are released throughout revision week(s) until two days before scheduled exam day.
Guidance documents are provided within the rehearsal exams to assist students with the collation and upload techniques required for each scheduled exam. The guidance documents will be where the exam paper will be downloaded on exam day, but all other features within the online platform reflect what students can expect to see on exam day.
Preparing for in-person exams
Guidance for in-person exams contains information about items that are permitted in the examination venues and items that are not, conduct during the exam, and arriving at your exam venue.
Students must familiarise themselves with this guidance well before their exams.
Directions to examination venues
In-person exams are held in various venues across the University. You should familiarise yourself with the directions to your examination venues ahead of your exams.
Past exam papers
Past exam papers can be accessed via MySaint. Within MySaint, click on the tab "My courses" on the left hand side and scroll down to the box titled "Past exam papers".
If the past paper you require is not available via MySaint, or you would like more information about the format of your exam paper, please check with your School.
The School of Mathematics and Statistics has its own arrangements for making past papers available through its web pages, which are notified to students.
Studying for exams
If you would like further advice on effective approaches to studying, a variety of resources are available through CEED (the Centre for Educational Enhancement and Development). You can book a 1:1 with a skills tutor, send a quick query by email or access online resources.
You can contact CEED on learning@st-andrews.ac.uk.
Wellbeing and exams
It is normal to feel apprehensive or worried about upcoming exams. Student services have advice and a range of resource to help support students ahead of, and during, exams.
If you’d like to speak to someone about managing stress caused by exams, please get in touch with student services at theasc@st-andrews.ac.uk.