I was ashamed by the amount of time it took me complete an exam prior to my ADHD diagnosis, but Dr. Caldwell wants to reassure students with ADHD that there are options available that can help them succeed.
First, she recommends visiting your school's disability office to see if they can offer you extra testing time and private rooms for minimal distractions. "What happens is you're focussed on your test, you're answering question after question, and then somebody in the corner coughs and you go down a rabbit hole and you've lost time," Dr. Caldwell explained. "For a neurotypical brain, it's one thing if you lose 30 seconds three to five times. For an ADHD brain that is going to do that much more often, it's just literal time that needs to be made up."
She also suggests wearing an analog watch or having a timer nearby (she loves the Time Timer), so you can be more mindful of the passing of time. People with ADHD may not realise how much time has passed and can often benefit from external reminders.