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Shelton Mwanyisa
Emerging Issues in Education
WRITING exams is often associated with fear and stress, yet exams remain one of the most important tools used in the educational process for a multiple of educational reasons.
This article has been crafted to prepare and improve students’ performance in examinations.
Remember a stitch in time saves nine.
Think of exam preparation as rehearsal and come up with a game plan.
Welcome to the column, Emerging Issues in Education.
Exam preparation should never start as a reaction to the announcement of the final timetable.
The following tips can help and should be implemented now.
Setting goals
Procrastination is the thief of time.
To be successful in exams, early identification of goals is particularly important to avoid procrastination and help you to remain focused and motivated.
Be clear about what you want to achieve in life and work out some short-term, medium-term and long-term goals.
You may be unclear about which profession you are aiming for but the basic goal is to pass your exams.
Timetable
It is important to develop a realistic study timetable based on clear and specific goals for each study area and session.
Write down where you will study, at what time, and exactly what you intend to do with that time.
Studies show that cramming leads to higher stress and lower scores.
Timetables should be flexible to allow time to refresh.
Remember to eat well, exercise and get enough sleep.
Sleep deprivation reduces cognitive functioning.
Subject content
Success in examinations requires one to grasp the big picture of the subject and topics to be covered.
Consult with your teacher for the national syllabus topics and including assessment objectives.
Get into revision rhythm from day one of your lessons and you will reap the benefits.
Sometimes the teacher gives the class a brief reminder of what material was covered in the last lesson and then goes on to outline the content of the day.
Pay particular attention to concepts teachers focused upon in class or in homework, quizzes, CALAs, and other assignments.
Break your content into incremental steps to be completed and revised well before exams.
Retention of what is read
To be an effective reader, you need to interpret the material to understand it and be able to explain it, whether to yourself or to someone else.
Therefore, by asking yourself what the text is saying in each paragraph, you are gaining direct information about the message in the text.
Highlight main ideas as you unpack the information.
Organise your study area and materials, and make necessary plans.
Try to explain difficult material to someone else.
You can do this with a study partner or in study groups.
You can also work with others to generate questions.
This approach will help to solidify concepts and it boosts confidence.
Past exam papers
The use of past exam papers has been proved to be an effective study technique.
In this way you are exposed to the type of skills and techniques that are tested by examiners.
Practicing these will certainly sharpen your study skills.
Keep in mind that studying for multiple choice tests differs with studying for essay tests.
With essay tests, the content often does not change but the questioning techniques usually change.
In fact, you may find that you use different learning strategies for different papers to process academic information so that you understand and remember it.
Research
Research form the basis of modern pedagogy.
Wherever you are, use what you have and what you can.
Text books remain critically important despite the use of Information Communication Technology gadgets.
Visit libraries if personal text books are hard to come by.
Zimbabwean universities and colleges are usually ready to accept members from their communities.
Make use of the community resources if available.
Weaknesses
Consider where your weaknesses lie.
To identify your own weaknesses, write down concepts that remain unclear.
If you find one topic or paper harder than others, then obviously you will need to devote extra time to it.
Consider the problems you routinely struggle to solve.
Targeting your studying will help you make the most of the time you have for each subject.
Evaluate not merely whether you “know” the content, but whether you have mastered it and can apply your knowledge in ways the examiner demands from you.
Everyone has a different way of learning and there is no best strategy for everyone or for every paper you are studying.
However, the crucial element is that you are actively engaged in the process of studying for exams now.
Online Reporter