02 April 2020
Chief Brent Collins, President, www.FirePrep.com
Written Exam Day Strategies
On the day of the examination, it is a good idea to have someone call you to make sure you don't oversleep the morning of the exam. If you have a friend who is also taking the exam, you should follow each other. In case your car would break down on the way to the exam, you could ride along with your friend and still arrive at the examination.
Make sure you know the exact location of the examination. It is a good idea to do a test run to find out the time frame it will take you to get to the examining site. Remember that if it is a weekday and the examination is at 9:00 a.m., you will have to factor in rush hour traffic. Remember, an accident that morning could cause you to be late for the examination. Allow yourself at least an additional 45-50 minutes if you will be driving at a busy time period. You should arrive at the examination site at least 45 minutes to an hour ahead of time. This gives you adequate time in the event of any problem.
You will find that most firefighter examinations have a 2-3-hour time limit. You should build up to concentrating for these extended periods of time. If the examination is 3 hours, you want to be just as sharp at the end as you were at the beginning. Take some type of snack with you to eat after the second hour of testing to keep your blood sugar up. This will increase your concentration level and keep you from becoming drowsy.
Read the directions very carefully or listen closely to the moderator or instructor if directions are given orally. Some examinations have different sections with different instructions for each. If at any time you are unsure of any of the directions, raise your hand and a test monitor will come over and explain the instructions to you.
Before you begin, make sure you have all the pages in the examination. In most examinations you will be told the number of pages in your booklet; check to make certain that you have all the pages or sections. If any page is missing, immediately raise your hand and inform the test monitor.
Before you begin the examination, give yourself a chance to get your thoughts together and relax. To relieve anxiety, take 4-5 deep breaths, inhaling and exhaling slowly. This will help release any anxiety that you may have. Always remember, it is better to have some anxiety and be well prepared for your examination than to have no anxiety and be unprepared. We have a video on this channel that addresses test anxiety.
Good luck in your pursuit of the greatest job on the face of the earth! Remember – luck goes to the prepared!