Exams

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I had History and English Lit.

English Lit I might have done well

History was a bit of a disaster. I knew enough it was just putting it into words. I reckon I did alright though
 
I realise I'm a bit late to the party. Good luck (tho I guess you've finished these ones now, in which case I hope they went well 🙂 ).

I always went low during exams, both at school and university, which is interesting because a typical stress response would be to go high (e.g. job interviews and the like) - I put it down to needing to concentrate hard for 2h+ 🙂

My exams were in the days before CGMs, so I'd test before the exam, always have food with me, and at the slightest feeling that I might be trending lower would eat something fast acting (often chocolate bars), there's nothing worse than not realising until you're actually low at which point you've got 10min+ of not being very useful in the exam, which is time I'd never get back.

There was no concept of extra time for hypos, it's an interesting though, I wonder how the schools police this though. I've not seen this applied at university either (though I've thankfully not had to invigilate an exams since before COVID)
 
I’ve had one exam this morning (strike day.. we only have to show up for exams) and I’ve got my last one tomorrow

For hypos/ doing a correction you get rest breaks. This means they stop the clock while you treat it then restart afterwards so you still get the same time.

If it’s an exam after lunch I near hypo because my lunch insulin isn’t right (If I reduce it I go high) but haven’t actually gone hypo in an exam yet

Wouldn’t having no extra time (well rest breaks now) for hypos be discrimination of some sort?
 
Lily123 said:
I’ve had one exam this morning (strike day.. we only have to show up for exams) and I’ve got my last one tomorrow

For hypos/ doing a correction you get rest breaks. This means they stop the clock while you treat it then restart afterwards so you still get the same time.

If it’s an exam after lunch I near hypo because my lunch insulin isn’t right (If I reduce it I go high) but haven’t actually gone hypo in an exam yet

Wouldn’t having no extra time (well rest breaks now) for hypos be discrimination of some sort?
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Good luck with tomorrow's exam 🙂

Re discrimination, I've no idea, I've not seen the latest guidance at university but I'm sure it would be taken into account if it impacted exam performance.

Regarding my experience, I never declared my diabetes as a disability and always expected to be treated the same as everyone else - I don't think there was any allowance made anyway at that point, but I may be wrong. By the time I was doing exams I'd had diabetes for quite a while and my control was stable so it was just part of life dealing with it.

Everyone's different though so I can understand taking a different approach.

It was very infrequently that an invigilator would come and ask why I was eating in an exam (and I would almost always need to eat - I would try to be quiet and take something that was not too noisy to open, or open it at the start of the exam while everyone was shuffling around), and at that point saying that I was diabetic would sort the problem out.

I should also add that I didn't test during exams, too much noise, I would go on feel and if in doubt eat, preferring to go high (very rarely, I was almost invariably low) and dealing with it afterwards. Times have changed! 🙂
 
That’s very different to nowadays but I expect it would be

Telling them you were diabetic would sort it out (possibly) but it is worrying they didn’t notice you were eating! (I mean you needed too but they should have still said something)
 
i hope that all goes well tomorrow with your last exam. As @Bexlee said it is good to use internal exams as a test run. The ideas of writing your BG on the front of your appears can be good evidence in things go haywire.

These exams will give you an idea of how you react to stress, but does not remove the need to have a separate room, as we all know how fickle Diabetes can be so it could different next time.

As you have limited awareness of hypos and now have the sensors giving constant data it is essential that you can access hypo treatment, ‘stop the clock’ where necessary and allow recovery time before restarting. It is 45 mins for driving, and whilst it is tempting to rush back to the exam, it is better to let your brain recover.

Just reading through this thread again, I am left with a ‘well done Lily‘ for being so proactive. This should all give you time to focus on your work and revision for the GCSEs next year and remove some of the worries. Still worth checking well ahead of time that the arrangments this year are in place again next time.

Best wishes for tomorrow.
 
Lily123 said:
Telling them you were diabetic would sort it out (possibly) but it is worrying they didn’t notice you were eating! (I mean you needed too but they should have still said something)
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I invigilate university exams these days (though admittedly not since pre-covid) and someone eating, while against "the rules" is not the end of the world and unless they were making a lot of noise I'd not be all that concerned to go and ask them why - my doing that would produce more of a distraction for the surrounding students (and the reason for banning food is to avoid noise/smell distractions rather than trying to make life difficult for students).

In any case my apologies for resurrecting the thread and distracting you, please go back to any last minute revision you need to do and once again good luck! 🙂
 
Thanks @SimonP and @SB2015

The only annoying thing about my exam arrangements is the central system for homework and timetable shows up Rest Breaks and my other exam arrangements but not alternate room. I though rest breaks automatically meant alternate room or that it would be recorded from last year but it wasn’t so that was the only thing.

I’ve been staying pretty much stable during exams (now I’ve said that… 😱)
 
One more day. Rest well
 
I had my last exam today and wrote my BG on the front of the exam paper as advised by the hospital and one of the TAs came and spoke to me afterwards and said how the invigilator said it wasn’t “appropriate”

Different invigilators each day so I’m not expecting anyone to understand that. Bearing in mind the fact I’ve only written my BG on the front of the paper when I’ve remembered.. oops
 
You MUST speak to your form tutor / head of year about it or the the exams officer. You have to follow why the hospital say. Invigilators are very different in their approach I find some get things and some really don’t.

It’s all really good for the real thing next year to iron out all the little (to some people but huge to others) issues.

Maybe it should, as a suggestion, be written on a log sheet. So all the numbers are in one place for every exam maybe ?

Like maths start = 6.8 end = 5.2
Geography start = …….

Also I think you said about rest breaks not a separate room ? That needs sorting out also so you get the right conditions.

Hope your results are good - think of the “poor” teachers now marking them all …… as I look at a pile of papers to mark !
 
Thanks for you reply @Bexlee

I am in an alternate room, I just meant it isn’t on the online system (or on my EAA sheet)

I thought the log sheet may be a good idea as well until the point that it will, without a doubt get lost.

The school do have a copy of the Hospital letter (handed directly to the Exams Officer) but as it’s always different invigilators so I’m not thinking they’d know

The TA that came and spoke to me said they’d speak to someone in Learning Support and get back to me about it

Out of interest, what do you teach? I’ve been thinking that I might want to teach history when I’m older
 
Hi @Lily123

The invigilators should all know of the adjustments for you and more importantly what to do if you do have a hypo.

Our School has folders for individual kids with info in so it might be a good suggestion to put a log sheet into one.

25 years a chemistry teacher with some physics and a bit of biology. Most rewarding job in the world. Good holidays but extremely hard work and very frustrating at times!!!
 
Health Care Plans and all that stuff like exams (if that’s the kind of thing you mean?) are all logged on the central system and invigilators don’t have access to it as they don’t normally have school email accounts

I’ve more had to tell the invigilators that I’ve got my phone on silent and airplane mode but it needs to sit on the edge of my desk as it reads my sensor and I’m Type 1 diabetic. No folders or anything exist as far as I know

Chemistry is really interesting, could never teach it as it’s by far my worst science. I love physics though
 
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