TIPS FOR EXAM SUCCESS (What To Do Before and During Exams)

Tips For Exam Success

This topic is devoted to the success and progress of the students - secondary, tertiary and professional.

Before Exams - What To Do

It is lack of adequate preparation that makes students adopt fire brigade approach when exam is near. From chewing cola nuts, to drinking Nescafe and having sleepless night, students adopt all manner of strategies to cover up enough ground. But let this tips below will aid you before your exam day:

1. Proper Preparation: Ensure you prepare adequately for the exams. Do not take for granted that you can rush to prepare few days to exam. Begin early preparation so yo can have enough time for revision. Avoid overconfidence and do not underrate any subject or course.

2. Quick Revision: Ensure you have covered the required syllabus on time and have enough time for revision. Your notes must have been updated and all relevant texts and materials procured so you do not begin to run helter skater.

3. Summary jotter: Get a small jotter for each subject. Summarize each subject and note salient points. This will aid you few hours to exams.

4. Know your formula: Ensure you know all the relevant formulae for each subject. Write all formulae in a small jotter on subject - by - subject basis. You can glance through it fee hours to the examination.

5. Study past question papers: Get past question papers and solve as many questions as possible. Seek for solution from other knowledgeable persons or your teachers. Examiners generally do not have time developing new questions. So go through past questions of several years because some of them may be repeated.

6. Practice and test yourself: Solve questions. Test yourself. Close your book ND attempt to reproduce what you have read on each subject. Compare it with your note or text. Check the differences between what you have written and the text or note. Knowledge is actually what is left on your inside or memories after all books are closed. Practice recalling, recollecting and retaining what you studied. If you do this over and over, you will know where you are making mistakes and will be able to avoid such mistakes in the examination hall.

7. Asses your confidence level: Two months to the examination, try to make an honest assessment of your confidence level, on each subject by scoring yourself. For instance two months to the examinations, you may discover that you are capable of scoring 40% in maths. Then you work here and study and practice past questions. Your confidence level increases to 60% one month to Exam. You study more and more until a week to exams when you check your confidence level to be 90%. With this level, if you attempt the exam, you are likely going to score above 80%.

8. Set goals and expected Marks: Assign Marks you desire to achieve on each subject. Work hard towards making such points or marks. Do not be aimless or goalless.

9. Develop Mnemonics: This tool will aid you to remember fast in the exam Hall. Mr. Niger S, for instance, will represent the characteristics of living things, that is,: Movement, Respiration, Nutrition, Irritability, Growth, Excretion, Reproduction and Death.

10. Create mental picture of objects/elements: While studying, you can develop your ability to remember or recall through the creation of mental picture of objects, elements, places or sound. For instance, you can use the sound of a word to remember a topic, point, factor or subject matter. You may link such sounds to name of places or persons or body of knowledge. This will serve as memory aid whenever you need to recall. For example, the word CAR can be used to recollect the word CARTOGRAPHY. Always associate new things learnt with what you already know.

During Exams - What To Do

Some brilliant students have failed due to the fact that they did not take note of salient examination rules and regulations. Here are some Tips on what to do in Exam hall:

> Obey rules and regulations: Every exam has rules and regulations. Ensure you observe such rules.

> Avoid malpractices: Don't get involved in exam malpractices. Don't copy from others or allow others to copy you. If the examiners discover your answers are same with the next person to you, the supplier of the answers may be the one to be penalized.

> Scan through the questions: Before you begin to answer, scan through the questions. Note compulsory questions and the required number of questions. Make selections by ticking the ones you are comfortable with.

> Jot down ideas: Jot down the points and ideas that come to your mind as solution to each question on your question paper (if not disallowed in the exam Hall) or use the last answer sheet as rough work (cancel out neatly afterwards).

> Start with the cheapest question: Your confidence level will grow gradually when you start with the cheapest questions. Then you move to the next cheaper question. Do the toughest question last at that is likely going to consume much Time.

> Review your answers: Go over your answers. Do not take reviewing of answers for granted because it is possible to make mistake.

> Stay on seat till exam is over: Do not leave exam hall before time. If you finished earlier than others, stay and revise your work.

> Write all you know: If you are not very sure of an answer to a question and you must attempt the question, then write all you know about it. Write both the ones you feel are right and the ones you feel are not right. Since you are not sure. The examiner will sieve your answers and select the correct ones.

> Do not talk in the examination hall: Avoid talking or chatting or whispering. You may be penalized for it.

> Seek clarification: If there is error in the question or an anomaly, raise your hands and draw the attention of the invigilator.

Key To Examiners' Questions

Students are often confused or get mixed up with certain key words used by examiners in framing their questions. Stated below are some of such key words and ways to decoding them:

> Describe: The examiner wants you to five detail characteristics of a thing/object.

> Define: The examiner wants you to say the meaning.

> Outline: The Examiner wants you to marshal or list points.

> State: The examiner wants you to explain what you know about a subject matter.

> Comment: The examiner is seeking your opinion or decision.

> Justify: The examiner wants you to judge or prove .

> Assess: The examiner wants you to weigh, check and recommend.

> Evaluate: The examiner wants you to critically examine, judge or weigh.

> What is/are: The examiner wants you know about a thing/subject/object.

> Who is: The examiner wants to know the personality involved.

> How: The examiner wants to know the process and procedures.

> Why: The examiner wants to know reasons or causes.

> Which: The examiner wants you to identify specifically.

> List: The examiner wants you to outline or marshal points.

> Identify: The examiner wants you to point out or show cause.

> Compare: The examiner wants you to show similarities/resemblance.

> Contrast: The examiner wants you to show opposite characteristics.

> Show: The examiner wants you to identify, point out or clarify.

> Itemize: The examiner wants you to list or table points.

> Summarize: The examiner wants you to be precise, concise or straight to point.

> Oppose: The examiner wants you to argue against.

> Determine: The examiner wants your decision, opinion or suggestions.

 > Give reasons: The examiner wants explanations, causes or why.

> Expatiate: The examiner wants you to state causes or reasons.

> Argue for/Against: The examiner wants your opinion on both sides.

> Prove: The examiner wants you to justify, give reasons or convince.

> Criticize: The examiner wants you to speak against or objectively analyse.

> Observe: The examiner wants you to say what you see, note or understand.

> Draw conclusion: The examiner wants you to reach a final decision.

> Vouch: The examiner wants you to check the accuracy, validity or completeness.

> Reconcile: The examiner wants you to sort the difference or variance.

> Relate: The examiner wants to know the relationship, factors affecting other things- variable, objects and elements.

> Analyze: The examiner wants you to bring out hidden facts, summaries, draw inferences and conclusion.

> Consider: The examiner wants your objectives views, judgement and opinion.

> Calculate: The examiner wants computations, data presentation and statistical analysis.

> Breakdown: The examiner wants you to simplify, show details or clarify.

> Simplify: The examiner wants you to clarify, make easy to understand or breakdown.

> Examine: The examiner wants you to critically look into, note or check.

> Narrate: The examiner wants you to tell story of a context, reproduce or report.