How To Prepare Well Before A Coding Exam

Having a fear of exams is quite normal. But this pre-exam anxiety should not cost you emotional distress and thereby distract you from being able to perform efficiently in exams. Stress can be for a particular subject that students don’t quite like or it can be general exam tension. Most students are very apprehensive about appearing for a math exam, as they anyways find the subject too difficult to learn. Math phobia is as real as it can get!

Nowadays schools in Dubai, GCC, and across the world, have adopted the STEAM curriculum, and coding has become a compulsory subject. Just like one would learn Math, Science, and English, students are expected to apply their knowledge to prepare apps, power robots, and use their programming skills to evolve as junior coding professionals. Schools that conduct coding exams, not only test the student’s capabilities to write elaborate codes, but also test their personality by assessing cognitive computing skills, emotional maturity, analytical ability, and problem-solving approaches. So how do you prepare for an upcoming coding examination?

Some tips to practice before a coding exam:

 

#1 Brush-up on the Basics

There are 5 fundamental coding concepts that have to be mastered if one wants to excel at it. These include; variables, data structure, control structures, syntax, and tools. They are the backbone of programming lingo and you can’t go wrong if the basics are on track. The way you learn ABC and never forget all the 26 letters, you need to study coding fundamentals and swear by them! Students can practice these skills on the LEGO® Education SPIKE™ Prime Set which is an excellent STEAM tool that displays easy-to-use hardware and interactive drag-&-drop coding to make students comfortable with learning. The LEGO® Education SPIKE™ Prime Set is available for purchase almost anywhere, and you can even source it from our Knowledge Hub platform for the UAE region.

 

#2 Get Hands-on

The key to becoming good at coding is by getting lots of hands-on practice. Wondering how you can apply coding to use without sitting in front of a computer screen? Here you can use props like toys, paper & pen, and drawing boards, to flaunt your knowledge of coding. When children touch, feel, and interact with the kits, they have better retention power and are able to maximize their coding prowess.

 

#3 Join Online Coding Communities

Collaborative learning happens when like-minded students engage together and discuss their experiences. This meet-up transcends borders, as people from all over the world come together to discuss, deliberate, and find solutions to advance on their coding journey. Feel free to showcase your codes at the forum, seek feedback and share your mistakes. An aspirant coder from anywhere in the Middle East can connect with peers in USA and brief participants about the digital advent in his part of the region. Since technology is ever dynamic and trends change almost rapidly, there is a continuous need to keep abreast & stay updated. Online forums are excellent platforms to join the bandwagon and grow together.

 

#4 Try Mock Coding Exams

Solving mock test papers is the best way when you have to prepare for an upcoming exam. It will give you an idea of what type of questions were asked previously and basis this prepare notes on important topics. We know that trial & error is the greatest teacher, so don’t be afraid to solve old question papers, even when the answer could be incorrect. Experiment with different coding languages, write & re-write your scripts, and successfully attempt the mock coding exam.

 

#5 Practice Makes A Coder Perfect

The secret to becoming a good coding student is practice. One doesn’t become a good programmer and score high grades just by running through textbooks overnight. Continuous and persistent efforts, using the right resources is important. Also, continuous efforts improve logical thinking and problem-solving capacities, which not only makes you better at work but also an evolved human being.

 

Just follow the above-mentioned points and your preparatory hard work will never go waste. Lastly, exam time doesn’t mean you forget to rest, so get a good night’s sleep before you enter the exam hall.