Preparing children for end of year examinations

WITH its many activities, third term presents a challenge of preparing children to the next class. This preparation is critical irrespective of whether the students are sitting for national examination or not.

Did you know that most children only take revision or preparation seriously when the exam is drawing very close? Certain amount of tension produces some hormones that help students feel alert and more focused.

Passing examination is not just about revising and mastery of notes. It also takes specific examination skills. In fact, most students who perform below expectations do so because they lack examination skills and not necessarily because they are dull.

Tips to help you prepare students for end of year exams this term

Topic by topic evaluation:

In this approach, you formulate a small test at the end of every topic to help you assess how well the learners have grasped the concepts covered. Try to use more of application than plain recall questions to limit possibilities of children getting addicted to cheating.

Set standards and make your expectations clear:

Treat the class exercises seriously and avoid making vague comments like ‘poor’, ‘fair’ or ‘good’. Point out what exactly is ‘poor’ or ‘good’ in a child’s work.

Practice without drilling:

Avoid excessive drilling of learners using too many past papers at the expense of understanding the subject content.

Drilling cages learners into an exam box which hinders their creativity and turns them into exam robots.

Employ exam language:

Many students fail as a result of their inability to understand or interpret questions appropriately.

To enhance their practice, employ the exam type of language in their class assignment. This will help polish their exam skills, improve their ability to interpret key words in a question and enhance their confidence

Planning and organisation:

It is difficult for students to revise piles of work and many topics in a given subject at a go. Help the class to break the topics into small manageable tasks. This arrangement instills a sense of planning and helps students to be more organised and disciplined with their work.

Draw up a revision timetable

Encourage students to draw up a revision timetable as soon as the term begins. This will help them break the tradition of beginning to revise only after final exams’ timetable has been pinned up.

The discipline of following a study timetable will help the child to resist the temptation of spending more time in the subjects they enjoy than the subjects they find difficult.

Remember, ‘all work and no play makes Jack a dull boy’. A balanced child must have time to play. Have a fruitful end of term.