Swotting and cramming are not the ways to pass an exam
- here's how to cope with that most testing day of your life
Don't wait for the exam to hit you, go out there and
meet it. You know it's coming therefore you have no excuse for not being
prepared
Pass an exam is the goal of most students since nearly all courses
have some form of assessment and the culmination is the proof (usually
by the acknowledgement of a third party) that the student has acquired
and assimilated a knowledge of the chosen subject at a specific level of
attainment. As a result 'exam day' is perceived as being one of, if not
the most, important days in a student's time in that role.
With so many assignments, class tests and projects, it can be
thoroughly frustrating to prepare and pass exams while balancing social
life and other 'human' considerations. There are a few tips, though,
that can help a student cope with the pressure and demands.
- Consistent students have always been among the most successful
people. Setting aside a fixed amount of time everyday will go than
spending a large amount of time 'cramming' a few days before or even
the night before the exam.
- If you really want a high score, then spend 3 to 4 hours of
serious study just going through textbooks and understanding formulae.
This is because a lack of understanding is infectious and can cause
panic that will contaminate beyond the question to which it relates.
- Reviewing can also help a student pass. This is because the brain,
like dynamic RAM in a computer, needs periodic refreshment to retain
learnt information. Periodically, it is appropriate to revise
definitions, formulae and concepts. This will even work better if done
as often as possible. Since the understanding of some concepts also
depends on past studies, this will help a student to avoid falling
into the trap of cramming formulae and concepts on the eve of the exam
day.
- A key factor in a revision plan is to have a timetable. Time
management will help one to plan spare days to catch up on subjects
that may require extra attention and have an equal share in all
subjects. Lack of a timetable will result in a person spending
unnecessary amounts of precious time on a particular subject unaware.
- Spending some time to look at past questions and organizing
discussion groups to discuss answers is another way that can help a
student to pass exams. Many 'favourite' exam questions usually have
just a few minor changes made to them from year to year or sometimes
just a minor rewording. Looking at questions for concurrent years will
usually reveal a pattern of questions.
- Avoiding stress is also very important to doing well in an exam.
One way to avoid stress is to an studying on the eve of the exam. Just
looking at the main points for a short period will be enough and
should not cause undue anxiety.
- The recommended test approach is that for every question, read all
the options first, even if you are completely certain of the answer.
If you are not so sure, just mark what you consider to be the best or
most likely answer and move on. Sometimes related questions may give
one a clue to an answer one is unsure of. It is wise to bookmark these
questions and review them if there is time left. Above all, never omit
a question. If one does not have clue on a subject, taking a blind
guess is better than leaving a blank space.
- In the unlikely event that you need an answer to one part of a
question so that you can proceed to another part and you are finding
the first part impossible, write 'Guess = ..." for the first part and
then, for the second part, write "Using my guess from part 1 .... ".
This serves two purposes - firstly it allows you to proceed with
minimum delay and secondly it shows the examiner that, although you
(admit you) had no idea how to do the first bit, you were perfectly
competent with the second part. This is a very different marking
proposition to a student who writes gibberish for both parts or whom
leaves both bits blank.
- If you run out of time, write notes about how you would answer the
question. This works particularly well with essays where, for a
question meriting 20 marks, perhaps only 3 to 5 will go for use of
English. The remainder are for knowing the facts - something which you
can perfectly well demonstrate with just notes. Thus having only 5
minutes to attempt an essay which should take 30 minutes is only
likely to earn up to 5 marks. Writing notes to show how you would have
tackled the question could easily earn you 10 to 12 marks.
Following the above guidelines should help you or your student pass
the exam.
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