Exam Day Playbook
tags: - cocubes - exam-day
Exam-Day Playbook
Before launching the test
- Verify laptop power, stable internet, browser permissions and permitted rough paper.
- Keep water nearby. Do not take a heavy meal immediately before the assessment.
- Read all instructions, especially section order, navigation, negative marking and language options.
- Treat tutorial screens in the gamified modules seriously. Aon states that explanatory stages are not time-limited, so use them to understand the interaction before scoring begins.
MCQ time budgets
| Section | Average | First-pass rule |
|---|---|---|
| Aptitude | 60 sec/question | Move after 45–60 seconds unless the method is obvious |
| Technical | 60 sec/question | Use elimination; do not derive an entire textbook proof |
| Pseudocode | 60 sec/question | Write a tiny variable table; leave long traces for pass two |
Coding: 30-minute split
- First 2 minutes: understand input, output, constraints and examples.
- Next 2 minutes: list edge cases and choose the simpler problem.
- Spend at most 11 minutes obtaining a correct first solution for Problem 1.
- Test Problem 1 manually before moving.
- Spend the next 11–12 minutes on Problem 2.
- Use the remaining time for boundary cases and compilation.
If a problem is genuinely hard, submit a correct partial/simple approach instead of leaving an empty editor.
Section-specific traps
- Aptitude: a percentage increase and equal percentage decrease do not cancel.
- Technical: read words such as "best", "worst", "always", "only" and "not".
- Pseudocode: assignment changes a value; comparison does not. Track each update in order.
- Games: speed follows understanding. Random clicking reduces both accuracy and confidence.
After each section
Do not replay a mistake in your head. Reset, breathe once, and start the next section fresh.
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