HAVO Aardrijkskunde exam-day guide
HAVO Aardrijkskunde · Prepare for the day ahead.
Your checklist
Bring your school ID or a valid identity document
You usually need to identify yourself at the exam location. Confirm with your school which document is accepted; if you are unsure whether a particular document is valid, ask your own school or the exam-provider before the exam day.
Bring several pens (blue or black) plus a spare
Write with a pen that does not smudge and keep a spare. For maps, graphs and sketches a pencil and eraser are useful. Check with your school whether pencil is allowed for drawing and annotating maps.
Bring a simple, non-programmable calculator if permitted
Calculators are sometimes allowed and sometimes not, depending on the paper and the year's rules. Confirm with your school which type is allowed and whether it must be cleared of stored data.
Bring an atlas only if your school says it is allowed
Some geography exams allow a school atlas (often a specified edition). Do not assume this; confirm with your school which atlas and edition, if any, you may use, and practise with exactly that atlas.
Bring a ruler, pencil and eraser
You may need to read scales, draw cross-sections, or mark locations on a map. A transparent ruler is handy for reading graphs.
Know the start time and the location
Check the timetable and the room in advance, and plan to arrive well before the start. If the location or time is unclear, confirm it with your school.
Leave your phone and smartwatch at home or switched off in your bag
Devices that can connect to the internet are almost always forbidden at the exam table. Confirm your school's exact rules on phones, smartwatches and earbuds.
Bring water and a small snack for before or after
You usually cannot eat during the exam. Confirm with your school whether a water bottle is allowed at the table.
Prepare your geography knowledge, not just summaries
Make sure you can read maps, graphs, climate diagrams and population pyramids, and that you can explain cause-and-effect chains (for example, relief, climate, vegetation, land use).
Practise with old exam papers under timed conditions
Work through a few complete papers and mark them with the official answer model. Note which question types cost you the most time.
Check the exam regulations with your school
Rules on late arrival, leaving early, toilet visits and what may lie on your table vary. Confirm these with your school or the exam-provider before the day.
Plan the day
Do a last structured review of the main themes: climate and landscapes, population and migration, urbanisation, globalisation, and the geography of your own region. Use your textbook's summaries and your own notes, but keep active: cover the answer, explain it aloud, then check it.
Complete at least one full old exam paper under timed conditions. Afterwards, mark it strictly with the answer model and list your three biggest error types (for example, misreading maps, forgetting units, or giving a description where an explanation is asked).
Practise the skills that carry many marks: reading a map with a legend and scale, interpreting a climate diagram, a population pyramid and a graph, and explaining a cause-and-effect chain in full sentences.
Check the practical details: exact time, location, allowed aids (calculator, atlas), and the rules on phones and ID. If anything is unclear, confirm it with your school now rather than on the day.
Protect your sleep. Do not cram new material late at night in the last two days; consolidate what you already know.
Do a light review only: skim your summary sheets, key terms and the list of error types from your practice paper. Stop studying in the evening.
Pack your bag: pens, spare pen, pencil, eraser, ruler, calculator (if allowed), atlas (if allowed), ID, and your timetable or admission details. Put everything together in one place.
Set an alarm and plan your route and travel time, including a buffer for delays. Check the weather and transport information if relevant.
Eat a normal breakfast and arrive well before the start time. Avoid last-minute cramming of new material; instead, glance at your key-term list and your own error list.
Switch off your phone and put it away in your bag before you enter the exam room, following your school's rules.
Read the instructions on the cover, check the number of questions and pages, and note the time available. Scan the whole paper briefly so you know what is coming.
Divide your time roughly by the marks per question. Do not spend too long on one difficult question; mark it and come back later.
Read each question carefully and note the command word: describe, explain, compare, give a reason, or use the source. Answer exactly what is asked, and quote figures or map features from the source where relevant.
For explanation questions, write full cause-and-effect sentences rather than single words. For map and graph questions, state the location, the trend, or the value and then interpret it.
Check that you have answered every question, that your name and candidate number are correct, and that your answers are legible. Use any remaining time to finish marked questions rather than to rewrite clean answers.
Rules to check
Bring valid identification as required by your school or the exam-provider. If you are unsure which document is accepted, confirm with your school before the exam day.
Follow the rules on permitted aids exactly. Whether a calculator or atlas is allowed depends on the paper and the year; confirm with your school and do not bring forbidden items to the table.
Phones, smartwatches and other devices that can connect to the internet must be switched off and stored away, not kept on your person or table. Confirm your school's exact policy.
Arrive on time. Rules on late arrival and on leaving the exam room early vary; confirm with your school or the exam-provider what applies to you.
During the exam you may normally only communicate with the invigilator. Ask the invigilator if you need to leave the room for a toilet visit; follow their instructions.
Write in the language in which the exam is set and answer in full sentences where the question asks for an explanation. Illegible or ambiguous answers may not be credited.
Scoring is based on the official answer model: marks are awarded for the required elements of an answer, so check how many marks a question is worth and give that many distinct points.
If you believe there is an error in the paper or a problem with the conditions, report it to the invigilator during or immediately after the exam; do not try to resolve it yourself. Confirm the official complaints procedure with your school.