STUDY SKILLS & MOTIVATION
Several strategies and activities may be adopted to ensure that you are well prepared for the examination. But before proceeding to this stage, it is important that you develop a positive attitude towards your study programme. The belief you have about your own likelihood of passing your exams will dramatically impact on your own likelihood of success. If we develop limiting belief about what is possible for us to achieve, then our unconscious response is to limit the actions we take. As a result, we also limit the results we get.
There is an old adage which goes “Whatever you dream for tomorrow, whatever you hope to achieve… remember nothing is out of your reach... if you just BELIEVE“
The belief is a vital tool to develop and harness from the very beginning of your studies.
On the other hand, if we believe we are going to succeed, then we probably will. Mohamed Ali is often regarded as the greatest sportsman who ever lived. As well as obvious talent, strength and courage, one of the main reasons he was so great was his tremendous self belief. Most of us have seen television clips of Ali during his boxing career claiming he was the greatest. When he was telling every one this, was he actually the greatest?? Well no. At that time he still had a lot to prove .What he did have though, was complete belief in his own ability. That was reflected in the results he got and despite being stripped of his world title in 1967, because he would not fight in the Vietnam War, he was not deterred. He came back seven years later, won the title back and proceeded to keep it for another four years. His belief he was the greatest not only took him to the pinnacle of boxing but probably the top of sport as a whole.
So, in essence, we should develop a solid self belief in our ability to do things and focus on what I call the 3’C FOUNDATION.
· Confidence
· Concentration
· Commitment
Confidence
Remember that it’s possible to pass. Thousands of students do pass each sitting.
With good tuition, question practice, hard work and persistence, most people can and do pass. The important element is to believe that the end result is possible by you.
Think about the joy and happiness you would bring to yourself, parents, teachers, siblings
And friends when you have passed your exam with flying colours.
So, having confidence in your ability to pass your exams is a first step towards facing that all important – EXAM. Another aspect of exam preparation is to ask yourself some basic questions. Such as
Why do I have to pass the exam?
What is the purpose of studying?
What grades am I aiming for?
Well, the answer to these questions may vary from student to student. But on the whole we can state to achieve good grades to get admission to the University of your Choice.
After the initial enthusiasm, then comes a time you might be bogged down by the uncertainty and wavering of your past performances which might haunt you and take hold your nerves. This is the time for you to reflect the things that you are doing differently, to achieve your grades. This could be doing more exam standard questions practice, putting in more study hours or even getting extra help from a tutor. But it is important to address the issue and devise a constructive turn around strategy , as you can tell yourself that you are not repeating the same mistake again which you did last time you sat exams and messed things up!
Concentration
After developing the right attitude towards your study, secondly, it is important to prepare a plan of study programme. This could be drawing up a study plan divided in to days, weeks and months running up to your exams. Also bear in mind any possible disruption you might encounter like the occasional birthday parties, family occasions.
Make sure you provide for these events as it is part of your social life.
You would mostly find that you cannot keep up to the plan you have created. Don’t worry, this is normal in practise. Make sure you spend additional time to keep up to your plan which you have lost due to unavoidable circumstance.
The main element of this exercise is to PLAN. Remember, ‘A goal without a plan is just a wish’.
Also get an updated syllabus guideline of your particular subject you are sitting. This is the rule book and subject contents on which you will be examined. They can also indicate what your examiner is really interested in testing in each subject units.
Another point to note is to identify areas where your understanding is weak. Spend more time in understanding these weak subject topics. A common method of getting this easy is to ask your teacher. If not satisfied, you can get some help from your friends who might have a good understanding OR hire a tutor to explain it for a nominal tuition fee. There are numerous personal tutors who might be able to help in this regard. You could search for them on internet or referrals from past students.
Commitment
The third and final stage of the process is to commit regular hours for studying on a periodical basis. Some are good at learning in the mornings and some late at nights. Develop the learning style you are most comfortable with. At this stage you should practise exam standard questions. Compare your answers with the suggested answer provided by your examiner. The more time you put in, the more you will get out of it.
Consider different methods of revision. Explore the possibilities of using mind maps, index cards, chunky notes etc.
Mind maps are pictorial description of your subject topics, which are easy to remember and help immensely in your revision phase. There are good academic websites which contains them especially for AS, A2 levels.
Index cards are good when your revision involves diagrams to remember. For example, in AS micro economics, it is essential to explain your economic concepts by use of diagrams. So, it will be useful to draw and practice economic diagrams in different scenarios.
Remember to spread your revision across all your subjects – no employer or university wants A in one subject and two or three fail grades. Be like the juggler and keep all your subjects going at the same time.
Try to find spare times at school or college to revise – this will free up some time at home.
You can also try:
Example in exchange rates in Micro economics (SPICED)
STRONG POUND IMPORT CHEAPER EXPORT DEARER
Another way of consolidating your knowledge is by brainstorming. That is, organising study groups to learn with your fellow students. Always, remember to keep your focus straight towards your exam, when working in groups.
Another way to focus on the grades you want to achieve is to write down the grade you want at the end of each study period. Just looking at it and day dreaming will not help.
Work hard at it. Our brain is programmed to concentrate up to a certain amount of time, so take regular breaks in between studying.
After a long prolonged studying it will be unwise do more studies. At this stage the more you try to put in it will be less productive. So, the key is to worker smarter than harder.
That is, one per cent inspiration and ninety nine per cent perspiration.
On the whole, be committed until the end of the last paper you’re sitting. If you find the papers tough, don’t worry, most students would have found it difficult anyway. So you are on the majority – celebrate!!
After all exams are formidable even to the best prepared, for the greatest fool may ask more than the wisest man can answer.
Remember, 3 C’S – Good Luck with your studies!!
DON’T PANIC- READY, STEADY & PASS
YES, it’s time of the year again. All over the country AS & A level students are contemplating the forthcoming exams and wondering how to maximise their chances of success and target grades.
As you get closer to the exam stress levels rise and it becomes difficult to focus on how to spend your time effectively. The more frustrated you become the less effective your study time will be .In an attempt to help you keep sanity intact I thought I would offer few key tips on how to survive the exam run-in. Having been through this myself, and seen students over past ten years ,I’ve picked up a few points that you might find useful.
DO
Plan your revision schedule. Work out how much time you have available. Draw up a plan, making sure you can give adequate time to all aspects, and stick to it.
Get started early & Leave time for plenty of question practice. Think of the exams as you would your driving test; you spend most of your lessons practising what you will do in the real thing. It should be the same here; make sure that when you come to the exam, answering the questions is second nature.
The earlier you start the more time you will have to get it right. Many of us starting our revision because once we start it means we’ve admitted that the exams are not too far away! Do try and begin well in advance because it gives you time to learn in a planned and controlled manner rather than having to rush everything.
Make sure you practise the written question properly. It’s all too easy to read the question, jot down a few points and then look at the answer. You’ll conclude that the question was fine as you knew most of the points. If you get used to doing this, you will find it difficult to write out full answers in the real exam. It is important to note that exam boards put more emphasis of the understanding of the topics through theory questions. If you ignore theory question practise, you are exposing yourself to obtain low grades in the exams…!!!!
Focus on the right things when reviewing answers. The most important things to focus on are points that you knew but did not, or got wrong. These are the wasted marks, and are the easiest things to put it right. The things that you didn’t know take much more effort to learn and remember.
Make sure you know how you are going to get to the exam. If there is a public transport strike scheduled for the first day of the exams, how is that going to affect you ?Assume that anything that could go wrong with the travel arrangements will do, and leave plenty of time to get there.
Don’t panic! Even if you have left your revision until quite late there is still time to improve. It’s easy to get more and more worried by exams and this can actually get in the way of your studying. Whatever time you have left, whether it is three months or three days, it can make a difference to your grade if used properly .Don’t give up- Keep at it! ( But , remember the cardinal rule ‘ Never procrastinate your revision programme’ )
Get hold of the specification (syllabus), past papers and examiners reports. Your revision needs to be structured and focussed. The best place to start is the specification- this will set out exactly what you need to know, your revision should always be based around the specifications.
You should also need to look at the past papers for example papers to get a feel for the way questions are asked and what has been assessed in the past. Past exam papers come with mark schemes which shows what the examiners were looking for. Clearly these are very useful to look at to understand more about what the examiners are looking for.
You should also try to read the Chief Examiner’s report. After each exam the Chief; this report gives you a very valuable insight into what the examiners thought was good and bad practice. Examiner writes a review of how students coped with the questions.
Don’t
Be unrealistic when drawing up your study pan. You won’t be able to spend four hours an evening studying after a hard day’s at college or school.
Go back and study everything from scratch. You know more that you think, and you should focus on whether areas that have come out of your question practise.
Assume that if you get something wrong that you will remember it next time. Ask yourself what it was in the question that would indicate to you needed to write that particular point in the answer .You need to start making links between the question and answer ,So that you will get it right next time.
Exhaust yourself in the final run in. Some of you might be doing four three hour, exams and over two days and you will need to conserve your energy. Studying until midnight on the day before your first exams is not going to help. Last minute preparation might make you more stressful….So avoid it!!
This is never an easy time. Particularly if you still have to mix college, study and part time work. But take note of the points above and although it may make it any easier, you will be happy when the results come out eventually.
Good Luck with your revision and forth coming exams!
