Over the years, examinations have been dreaded by students. No matter the level of studentship one is, one is faced with a test of his knowledge in any subject, this usually arouses some level of tension in the individual. The degree of tension, however, depends on how vast and grounded the student is in the knowledge of what he is being examined on. So, what determines whether an exam will be fun or terror is how well the exam has been prepared for. In a moment, I will show you simple tips that converted my exams to fun that I usually looked forward to have.
1. Start early to read- The problem with many students is that they believe that the best time to prepare for an exam is when the exam date has been fixed. Some other group of students even believe that it is not necessary to read until one has his exam timetable at hand. These people spend all their time from the beginning of the academic session to the end doing every other thing except reading. I want to tell you that this attitude does nothing more than putting a student under undue pressure before exams; makes him dread exams or even fall sick ( the so called “exam fever” ) and ultimately leads to failure. What I do that helps me is to start reading early _ just as soon as the new academic session begins. I start studying my books while following the lectures as they are taught. I also try to avoid piling up notes to copy, assignments, practicals etc. In fact, I just do my studies diligently from the beginning of the session avoiding unnecessary pressure. It is counter-productive for a student to play all through an academic session only to resort to a “crash programme” at exams periods. He either fails the exams or he forgets most of the things he read soon after the exams because they are not well consolidated. This is one of the causes of having graduates who cannot defend their courses (half-baked graduates). Try and start studying early from next academic session following the simple tips to read without forgetting, you will see that before the exams come, you would have been ready and while other students shiver and read all night to prepare for the exam, you will have enough time to read, rest and sleep getting better prepared for the exam than many other people.
2. Be consistent- Slow and steady, they say, wins the race. When you have started reading early in the session, it will pay you more if you remain consistent. It is a common experience to see students who start reading from the beginning of the session but before the session is half gone, they have forgotten their resolution earlier. For me, I make personal timetable and follow it. This however requires self discipline, but I do it. So, you can. Follow a well organised simple timetable. An easy simple timetable can be one that has just a subject or two (not more than three) to read in a day in addition to the day’s work in school. This timetable should give time for other activities such as: rest, play, religious activities, and house chores. When you follow your timetable, just taking each day as it comes, you will be better organised, balanced and committed to your studies and when the exams will come, you notice that there will be no need to fear but just to have fun because you are better prepared to face them.
3. Apply good study skills- Another important aspect is your study techniques. Different people read a particular text but have different levels of comprehension and recalling capacity because of different approaches to studies. If you apply good skills, you will be in a better position to maximise the time spent in reading. So it is important that you learn how to read without forgetting.
4. Do thorough revision- The importance of revision cannot be over emphasised. The more you revise, the more what you read forms part of you and you understand the topics better and hence you can reproduce or even synthesise information better. For me, I start revising early enough before the time for any exams. This helps me to avoid revising under tension and allowing my brain to assimilate naturally. Thus, while other students will be spending sleepless nights in classes revising few days to the exam, I read at my usual comfortable pace having no need to over stress myself. What a fun in place of stress in exams!
5. Sleep well on the eve of exam- The eve of an exam is the worst time to read so hard. It’s not true! Some may exclaim, but just wait a minute; it is only those who use bad study techniques that get chocked with time before exam irrespective of the volume of what you have to read. Your brain needs enough time of relaxation to be able to work effectively and only a good night sleep of not less than 6 hours will provide it. So to avoid confusion or forgetfulness during the exam, give yourself a good dose of night sleep.
6. Be confident and composed as you enter the exam hall- Self confidence begets bravery and by a stroke of courage a man can perform beyond his ordinary ability. If you believe you can, you will. It’s that simple. Fear is a major factor that destroys many who entertain it. No matter how well prepared you are, if you keep having doubts within yourself, you cannot achieve anything. After you have taken your time to prepare well and have rested enough, trust your brain and enter the exam hall with confidence; you will be surprised at how wonderfully you can perform.
The truth is: Even professors fear exams, but if you follow these simple tips, your exams can be fun.
1. Start early to read- The problem with many students is that they believe that the best time to prepare for an exam is when the exam date has been fixed. Some other group of students even believe that it is not necessary to read until one has his exam timetable at hand. These people spend all their time from the beginning of the academic session to the end doing every other thing except reading. I want to tell you that this attitude does nothing more than putting a student under undue pressure before exams; makes him dread exams or even fall sick ( the so called “exam fever” ) and ultimately leads to failure. What I do that helps me is to start reading early _ just as soon as the new academic session begins. I start studying my books while following the lectures as they are taught. I also try to avoid piling up notes to copy, assignments, practicals etc. In fact, I just do my studies diligently from the beginning of the session avoiding unnecessary pressure. It is counter-productive for a student to play all through an academic session only to resort to a “crash programme” at exams periods. He either fails the exams or he forgets most of the things he read soon after the exams because they are not well consolidated. This is one of the causes of having graduates who cannot defend their courses (half-baked graduates). Try and start studying early from next academic session following the simple tips to read without forgetting, you will see that before the exams come, you would have been ready and while other students shiver and read all night to prepare for the exam, you will have enough time to read, rest and sleep getting better prepared for the exam than many other people.
2. Be consistent- Slow and steady, they say, wins the race. When you have started reading early in the session, it will pay you more if you remain consistent. It is a common experience to see students who start reading from the beginning of the session but before the session is half gone, they have forgotten their resolution earlier. For me, I make personal timetable and follow it. This however requires self discipline, but I do it. So, you can. Follow a well organised simple timetable. An easy simple timetable can be one that has just a subject or two (not more than three) to read in a day in addition to the day’s work in school. This timetable should give time for other activities such as: rest, play, religious activities, and house chores. When you follow your timetable, just taking each day as it comes, you will be better organised, balanced and committed to your studies and when the exams will come, you notice that there will be no need to fear but just to have fun because you are better prepared to face them.
3. Apply good study skills- Another important aspect is your study techniques. Different people read a particular text but have different levels of comprehension and recalling capacity because of different approaches to studies. If you apply good skills, you will be in a better position to maximise the time spent in reading. So it is important that you learn how to read without forgetting.
4. Do thorough revision- The importance of revision cannot be over emphasised. The more you revise, the more what you read forms part of you and you understand the topics better and hence you can reproduce or even synthesise information better. For me, I start revising early enough before the time for any exams. This helps me to avoid revising under tension and allowing my brain to assimilate naturally. Thus, while other students will be spending sleepless nights in classes revising few days to the exam, I read at my usual comfortable pace having no need to over stress myself. What a fun in place of stress in exams!
5. Sleep well on the eve of exam- The eve of an exam is the worst time to read so hard. It’s not true! Some may exclaim, but just wait a minute; it is only those who use bad study techniques that get chocked with time before exam irrespective of the volume of what you have to read. Your brain needs enough time of relaxation to be able to work effectively and only a good night sleep of not less than 6 hours will provide it. So to avoid confusion or forgetfulness during the exam, give yourself a good dose of night sleep.
6. Be confident and composed as you enter the exam hall- Self confidence begets bravery and by a stroke of courage a man can perform beyond his ordinary ability. If you believe you can, you will. It’s that simple. Fear is a major factor that destroys many who entertain it. No matter how well prepared you are, if you keep having doubts within yourself, you cannot achieve anything. After you have taken your time to prepare well and have rested enough, trust your brain and enter the exam hall with confidence; you will be surprised at how wonderfully you can perform.
The truth is: Even professors fear exams, but if you follow these simple tips, your exams can be fun.
Genius World is a site every student must be visiting on regular basis. It is so rich, interesting, educating and enriching.
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