How to prepare for exams

Apr 28, 2002

No matter how clever you are, you must revise to pass

By Willy KituukuThe first step is to prepare carefully before hand. Check where, when and how long each exam is. Find out what each test will cover and what kind of questions they will be - essays, multiple choice questions, or others. No matter how clever you are, you can’t get away with fitting in the odd hour’s revision between watching TV and Sports practices. Before you start, draw up a plan, and give each subject a number of hours each week. Be realistic - don’t make it too hard, or you won’t be able to keep to it. Find yourself a quiet place to work, and take regular breaks to keep your mind fresh. Don’t take any notice of friends who say they haven’t started revising yet. They’re either lying or doomed to fail! Everyone has their own ways of revising, but one good way you could try is to condense your notes so there is less to learn, highlighting key areas or recording them on tape. If you get nervous, or find it difficult to finish in time, practise against the clock, using questions from past papers.The night before the exam, do not skip supper. Food is fuel for the brain, so make sure you get enough of it. Also, cramming at the last minute will just confuse you. On the exam day, eat breakfast. You can’t concentrate properly on an empty stomach. Give yourself plenty of time to get to the exam. Try to stay calm. Read all the instructions on the exam paper carefully, and make sure you understand each question before you start to answer it. Try not to spend too long on any one question, although of course it makes sense to spend longer on a question worth 20 marks than one with only two.

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