5 Tips To Exam Success
>> Wednesday, April 11, 2012
Ever step into an examination hall not knowing what to expect, feeling so unprepared or whatever you've studied throughout the night seems to have gone missing all of a sudden? Fret not, with these 5 simple exam tips; it will arm you with the right strategies and mentality to enter the examination hall filled with confidence and ready to take on the challenge.
I strongly believe that there is no such thing as pure luck in examination and the only way we can do well is to be prepared. So what I'm about the share with you are tips that will enable you to empower yourself in preparations for the exam.
Tip 1 - Create a study schedule. Well, this may sound like a no brainer, sadly, not everyone is doing it. The key in creating a study schedule is so as to give priority to subjects that you are slightly weaker in so that you can practice the questions more. You should also never be complacent with subjects that you are confident or less worried about, allocate a period especially for them. A well prepared study schedule also allows you to have a work life balance, and more importantly helping you to understand the subject you're studying better.
Tip 2 - Use a mind map. Mind maps are very powerful tool which many refuse to believe or have yet to experience. Mind maps allow you to summarize the whole chapter or subject within a single sheet of paper. Would you rather be flipping through pages after pages of long textbooks essays or have the whole textbook sized down to 10 A4 pages? I would definitely choose the latter. Drawing mind maps enables you to digest the key concepts in the chapter and helps in linking up ideas or procedures, depending on the subject you're on. This method not only helps in saving time, but more importantly to allow you to understand it quickly when you browse through your own mind maps, for you are none the wiser.
Tip 3 - Study beforehand. Many people that I've came across are very skeptical and complacent when it comes to studying before the lecturer or professor teaches. Common replies are, "He's going to teach tomorrow, why start earlier?" or "I wouldn't have understood anything if I studied on my own." These are common excuses and I can always counter that by saying, "if you don't understand it, will it make a difference when the lecturer is teaching you the same thing you were going to read?" The importance in studying beforehand is so as to give you a general idea on what is about to be taught, to grasp the concept with the help of a mind map. By not reading up, you are equally clueless when then lecturer is going through the lesson. Remember, prior knowledge always help in your understanding.
Tip 4 - Make a list of questions. Always jot down on a separate note pad should you have any questions when going through your own revision, this is important as it serves as a constant reminder that these are the burning questions that you have to get answers to. By listing questions, you commit yourself into doing whatever it takes to get those answers you desire. You should never highlight questions on your textbook as it will confuse you when you've understood them already.
Tip 5 - Stay committed and share. The above tips can only be useful if you are committed to do them every single day. Creating a study schedule can be easy, but I cannot say the same for being committed to it. We all know how powerful distractions like Facebook, YouTube or 9gag can be. Hence, to want to do well, we must always maintain focus at our end state and vision how we want to enjoy our academic success. Now sharing, by helping fellow mates should they have any questions, allows you to realize that you might have left out some important concepts. I strongly believe that by teaching, we are learning at the same time too.
Now, these 5 empowering tips as mentioned earlier are meant to help you prepare for an examination and not to be used as a last minute guide. When you have painstakingly committed yourself to the above strategies, I can assure you that you will be well prepared for any paper you are about to take. Motivate yourself to make the best out of the limited time we all have and not fall into the temptations of Facebook, etc. With that, I wish you all the best in your academic success.
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I strongly believe that there is no such thing as pure luck in examination and the only way we can do well is to be prepared. So what I'm about the share with you are tips that will enable you to empower yourself in preparations for the exam.
Tip 1 - Create a study schedule. Well, this may sound like a no brainer, sadly, not everyone is doing it. The key in creating a study schedule is so as to give priority to subjects that you are slightly weaker in so that you can practice the questions more. You should also never be complacent with subjects that you are confident or less worried about, allocate a period especially for them. A well prepared study schedule also allows you to have a work life balance, and more importantly helping you to understand the subject you're studying better.
Tip 2 - Use a mind map. Mind maps are very powerful tool which many refuse to believe or have yet to experience. Mind maps allow you to summarize the whole chapter or subject within a single sheet of paper. Would you rather be flipping through pages after pages of long textbooks essays or have the whole textbook sized down to 10 A4 pages? I would definitely choose the latter. Drawing mind maps enables you to digest the key concepts in the chapter and helps in linking up ideas or procedures, depending on the subject you're on. This method not only helps in saving time, but more importantly to allow you to understand it quickly when you browse through your own mind maps, for you are none the wiser.
Tip 3 - Study beforehand. Many people that I've came across are very skeptical and complacent when it comes to studying before the lecturer or professor teaches. Common replies are, "He's going to teach tomorrow, why start earlier?" or "I wouldn't have understood anything if I studied on my own." These are common excuses and I can always counter that by saying, "if you don't understand it, will it make a difference when the lecturer is teaching you the same thing you were going to read?" The importance in studying beforehand is so as to give you a general idea on what is about to be taught, to grasp the concept with the help of a mind map. By not reading up, you are equally clueless when then lecturer is going through the lesson. Remember, prior knowledge always help in your understanding.
Tip 4 - Make a list of questions. Always jot down on a separate note pad should you have any questions when going through your own revision, this is important as it serves as a constant reminder that these are the burning questions that you have to get answers to. By listing questions, you commit yourself into doing whatever it takes to get those answers you desire. You should never highlight questions on your textbook as it will confuse you when you've understood them already.
Tip 5 - Stay committed and share. The above tips can only be useful if you are committed to do them every single day. Creating a study schedule can be easy, but I cannot say the same for being committed to it. We all know how powerful distractions like Facebook, YouTube or 9gag can be. Hence, to want to do well, we must always maintain focus at our end state and vision how we want to enjoy our academic success. Now sharing, by helping fellow mates should they have any questions, allows you to realize that you might have left out some important concepts. I strongly believe that by teaching, we are learning at the same time too.
Now, these 5 empowering tips as mentioned earlier are meant to help you prepare for an examination and not to be used as a last minute guide. When you have painstakingly committed yourself to the above strategies, I can assure you that you will be well prepared for any paper you are about to take. Motivate yourself to make the best out of the limited time we all have and not fall into the temptations of Facebook, etc. With that, I wish you all the best in your academic success.