STUDENT 911
Exam Preps
Vukosi Nwaila
It is that time of the year again, stress starts to kick in
and everyone is quiet anxious about qualifying for exams simultaneously happy to dust off the semester.
Everyone has their own way of studying but this time
around, last minute studying or cramming will disappoint you. A university is an institution where you get
trained or prepared for work; quite different from high
school since you have to understand what you are really
studying hence cramming would be a bad idea this time
around. To help you prepare for exams, below is lists
of 11 DO’s and DONT’s to help you prepare for exams.
DO
1. Have faith in yourself, believe you can make it
2 .Perceive the idea of writing an exam as a way of
testing your understanding.
What causes exam stress is thinking “oh my word I will
fail, how am I going to get all that information in to my
head in 3 days” .So how about you perceive exams as
a way of testing how much you understand in a module
.Once you have done that you are good to go...remember it is all in the mind.
3. Draw up a study time-table.
The idea of using study time tables has always been a
bad idea for some people but once you get used to it, it
will work wonders. Draw up a study time table and allocate at least 50 minutes for every module with 10 minute
breaks in between.
4. Start studying as early as possible.
Use study guides, slides and other available study material .Test yourself using previous exam papers and
stick to your study time-table.
5. Cease to procrastinate
It is so easy to procrastinate once exams commence,
avoid telling yourself you’ll do something later when you
can actually do it now.
6. Drink as much water as you can and eat healthily
and study SMART.
Getting good grades doesn’t necessarily result from
studying hard, it is studying smart that gets you good
grades .Take for instance someone who studies for 10
hours then gets to the exam venue and only gets 50%
right and someone who studied what was REQUIRED
for less than 7 hours and got 80% right .Refer to study
guides and don’t just study everything and while you are
at it try to eat healthily and drink water.
DON’T
1. Think you cannot make it
It is so easy to look at ourselves and think “i am not
smart enough to make it, I am an average student”.
Truth is you are smart, look at the mirror every morning
22 - Student 24/7
and start getting used to that idea and besides you does
not necessarily have to be smart to pass an exam you
just need the right attitude and a little faith.
2. Procrastinate
Don’t leave it for later, do it now.
3. Cram
Study with understanding, do not cram the work. It does
work yes but remember that you will need the information you are studying later, for instance in economics
you might have to reflect on the work you did the previous year so cramming might be a bad idea.
4. Burn the candle at both ends
Do not text and study simultaneously, cut off social networks until you are done with exam ...the last thing you
need is to get distracted and later regretting doing that
later.
5. Lose hope
So you write a paper and then get to your room, check
you’re textbook and realise you didn’t do the right thing
...well do not stress as this might affect how you do in
your remaining PAPERS. Once you are done writing,
put away the question paper, try not to think about it and
then focus on other things, and do not lose hope.
Here is a quote to get you going, all the best for your
exams!!
Our Greatest Fear —Marianne Williamson
It is our light not our darkness that most frightens us
Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate.
Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure.
It is our light not our darkness that most frightens us.
We ask ourselves, who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous,
talented and fabulous?
Actually, who are you not to be?
You are a child of God.
You’re playing small does not serve the world.
There’s nothing enlightened about shrinking so that
other
People won’t feel insecure around you.
We were born to make manifest the glory of
God that is within us.
It’s not just in some of us; it’s in everyone.
And as we let our own light shine,
we unconsciously give other people
permission to do the same.
As we are liberated from our own fear,
our presence automatically liberates others.