Strategies For Exam Preparation
After a period of learning, students would normally be scheduled for an examination. In our education system, students usually are subjects to tremendous pressure because of the public examinations. Many students face a lot of pressure during this time. Apart from them, their school teachers, tuition teachers, principal, schools and parents too experience the same.In actual fact, though examinations are an important part of the education system, it is not the ultimate goal of education. If you have tried your best but still fail to obtain a good results, you should not condemn yourself. We have to understand that every examination follows certain scopes, objectives and systems. They may at time be more advantageous for certain students. Understanding them can help us to do better in the examination.Sometimes we do not do well in exams due to some disadvantages or external factors beyond our control. For instance, if your hands are very agile, and you are able to write many words within a short time, then it will give you an edge during exam. Otherwise, you may lose many marks due to the lack of time.However, so long as you have tried your best, the results will be secondary.Good Preparation, Good Results
Most importantly, students must work hard on a regular basis. When facing public exams, it would be to your advantage if you start preparing earlier. It would not help if you try to get ready at the last minute.Few months before the exam, students should start adjusting their study timetable. During the period, your study schedule should be more intensive. However, you should not have to high expectation about yourself from the start, as this could easily lead you to exhaustion and cause you to quit studying. You should make adjustments gradually and try not to cause too much pressure on yourself (not to be lazy though !). This continues until it peaks one month before the exam.Your revision should follow certain plans and strategies. First of all, you should organize all your revision materials, and arrange your schedule according to the time you have and the importance of these materials.This to avoid situations (shortly before exams) where you realize some important topics have not been covered, while too much time has been used on the unimportant ones. I believe your teachers would be able to assist you in this matter.You should pay more attention to those subjects you do not usually do well. First of all, attempt all the question that you are confident of answering and scoring high. Then try the harder parts. But you have to treat ever subject equally.Having Exam Tomorrow
At the final stage of preparation, students normally experience intense pressure and anxiety, especially with regards to subjects they are weak in. During this time, students will feel as if they have not finished reading certain subjects. So they will burn the midnight oil in order to read a few more pages. This is actually very unwise. Just think, how could you focus on your exam the following day if you have exhausted yourself the previous night ? During the exam period, students should try to relax themselves, and allow their minds to stay fresh and alert. If you have prepared earlier, you should have completed all your revision by then. You not only need to revise by skimming and speed-reading some important points and organising your mind. Your objectives this time should not be learning anything new, but should focus on a quick revision of the topics learnt previously. The purpose is to allow some important details to be imprinted clearly in your mind.
If you maintain good rest and sleep, you would naturally have a more active and agile mind during the exam.
During Examination
Your performance during the exam is very important.
During this time, your teachers and friends would not be able to assist you, and you are on your own. Here, i can only provide you some good advice.
Many students tend to attempt questions involving writing without carefully thinking about the topic selected. Due to exam tension and fear of not having enough time, many try to write as much as they can without proper thinking and planning. This is not an effective way of attempting exam questions. First of all, students should read the question carefully, and try to understand what the question is about. There are usually 3 types of questions: expository, argumentative and descriptive.
In answering questions, it is best to draft the main points, organise them and then write out the answer. Higher marks will of course be awarded to answers which are relevant and well organised. (As human beings, examiners will naturally be pleased to award you with better marks if your answers are clear or coherent.) Therefore, it is a waste of time to write something irrelevant as it will not help you to gain any marks.
In answering multiple-choice questions, you should first go for thoes questions you know well. Questions which you are not very sure of the answers should be attempted last. You should not waste your time on these questions but quickly garner as many marks as you can from the easier ones. When facing tough questions, you should first eliminate those answers which are obviously wrong, in order to focus your attention only on possible answers. When you are not sure, do not simply change your existing answr. The first impression is usually more accurate.
Multiple-choice questions are either too tricky or too easy. Therefore it is very important to read the questions carefully. Nevertheless, the question format usually does not change very much. It would be very helpful if you could do more past year exam papers.
Whenever you have any doubts druing the exam, you should not be shy to put your hands and obtain clarification from the examiner. After all, examiners are obliged to assist you in this.
Stay calm and do not allow the tensed atmosphere in the exam hall to affect you. Students who are calm during the exams usually perform better.
To all form 3 members, PMR candidates tomorrow, all the best in your exam. Gambateh !
