Acing those exam fears

By a disgruntled student

I hate exams… I know it's supposed to help us learn, help measure ourselves and all that, but whatever it is, I just simply hate exams. Given an option between jumping off a building and taking an exam… I would say "bring on the building"…all right maybe not that drastic, but the bottom line is exams are not my favourite thing in the world, and I know most of you will agree with me.

Exams are nerve-wracking, make you want to throw up, earth shattering – because behold you might just get bad results – and annoyingly they are never ever easy. We all know the usual pre-exam feeling; racing pulse, sweaty palms and all that right before we get the paper and start working on it.

The icing on the cake is knowing that not only completing your school life depends on a series of exams, but pretty much the rest of your life depends on it too. If I have made you more nervous than you already are, take a deep breath and read on, because I have a few tips on how to get through these dreaded exams that haunt our lives. With the O/L examinations and final term tests just around the corner, pre-exam jitters must be pretty common these days, and trust me although they are hard to get rid of, there are ways to become more confident when it comes to taking exams.

I spoke to a few students and figured out what they thought were the best ways to prepare for exams. Let's take it one step at a time shall we?

Getting ready for exams…

The most important part of preparing for an exam is knowing what to study. Look back over subjects you've spent a long time on, during classes, check back over what was tough for you, and even ask your teacher in case they are willing to give a few hints. Once you know what to study, all you have left is to know how to study.

When studying, there are a few things that help students.

You should always remember to study:

In comfortable clothes.

In a well-lit, quiet and cool room.

On a full stomach.

Without the television, radio or internet disturbing you.

A little bit every night, not by cramming everything the night before the exam.

Class notes needs to be at hand

Exam papers from the previous years.

By predicting and answering questions that may come up.

With a study partner or group

By making flashcards. By making a final, one page "review sheet" that you can carry with you for final moments of studying on your way or before entering your exam.

Few tips to remember when arriving at the exam

How you arrive at an exam will set the mood for how you take your exam. Be sure to arrive:

Early.

With a full stomach.

Well rested.

With all materials you will need for the exam

Admission Card and your Postal/ National Identity Card

With a plan for grabbing a few final minutes of peace and quiet for a quick review.

Exam rituals…we all have them

Even if we don't really want to admit it, as students we all have exam rituals that help us relax and get on with our work. It really doesn't matter what you do, what matters is it helps you settle in. Here are a few tips from some students.

Set up the needed supplies close by.

Put your admission number and other needed information on your exam/answer sheet.

Take a few minutes to read the directions and the questions properly.

Make a brief plan about how you will divide your time between each question.

Outline an answer to every paragraph or essay question.

Take a few deep breaths every time you feel nervous or panicked. Preparing well for the exam, being confident and settling in before you begin, helps students to be successful. Once finished, it is also important to reflect on how you studied and answered the questions, and what you will change the next time. When you finish reflecting, congratulate yourself for getting through and move on. Most importantly never dwell on what you have done wrong…because ahead of you is another set of exams that don't need to suffer from your uncertainty and lack of concentration.