There’s a lot of fear around the RE5. How should I study? What’s it like to write the exam? What if I fail? At Skillfully we’re all about helping our candidates succeed – that’s why we’ve built a world-class course to teach the content. We assist in other ways too, like giving candidates a sense of what to expect on exam day. Here’s how a well-prepared candidate goes into their exam.
When it’s time to leave for the exam, you already know where your ID is, because you’ve checked a few days before. No frantic last-minute searching for you! You take the ID with you and leave early, ensuring you arrive at least thirty minutes before the exam starts. That way, you’ll definitely be allowed in, hear all the instructions, and have time to prepare yourself mentally.
Maybe it’s at a church hall, or a community centre. Or it could be at a conference centre, even a golf club – there are venues all over the country. Wherever it is, before the exam you might see people standing around outside, looking nervous. Some will be dressed for the office, taking a few hours off work. Others may be in casual clothes – they’re job-seekers, or they have the day off. Some could be flipping through their notes, or having a quick smoke. Their nerves don’t rub off on you, because you’re prepared for the exam.
Inside the venue, there’s an invigilator to check your name and ID. Maybe you get a friendly smile and a respectful tone – great! Or perhaps you’re treated coldly, even harshly. If so, that’s fine: you don’t need niceness. You have one mission, and that’s to pass the exam.
You get assigned a seat. You could be sitting near anyone. A guy who keeps clearing his throat. A woman who looks around, trying to catch people’s eye, telling them how this is her eleventh time writing and she’s never going to pass. That’s okay; everyone does their own thing. Meanwhile, your task is to enter a focused state, where you’re not feeling scared or strained, but just ready to get going. There are various ways to do this. One mental technique is to interpret stress as excitement. If your heart is beating faster than normal, tell yourself that this is keen anticipation. You’re interested in the questions; you want to know what they say, and to think about them. Or you could try a physical technique, box breathing, which is a simple and effective way to calm the body and mind (google it!).
You’ll get the answer sheet with a cover page, a document with terms and conditions, and the question paper (upside down). The invigilator will explain the instructions. Now your job is to follow the instructions precisely. You’ll sign and date the Ts&Cs document, and fill in the cover page of your answer sheet. As the invigilator will explain, you’ll be providing your ID number by writing it out and also by shading in circles on the cover page. You’ll also identify yourself on the top of your answer page.
Before the exam begins, you may have some time to wait. You’ll use that time to establish calm and confidence. There are 50 questions to come, and you’re going to do your best with each one. You’ll remind yourself that you won’t rush: you have more than two minutes to read and think about every question. The questions generally start easier, then get harder, then easier again. You have a plan to answer in the order that suits you. For instance, if you prefer doing the easy ones first, you’ll leave the questions in the middle for later. It’s your exam, and you’re in charge of how you handle it.
As the exam is about to begin, you’re feeling interested, focused, ready for the challenge. The invigilator announces the start of the exam. Turn over your paper – you may begin.
To enrol on Skillfully’s RE5 course or try a free sample, click here.
