HOW TO STUDY AND PASS EXAMINATIONS – Green Hills International College

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HOW TO STUDY AND PASS EXAMINATIONS

GREEN HILLS INTERNATIONAL COLLEGE

STUDY TECHNIQUES

Some of the basic causes of failure by students is rooted in the lack of knowledge of appropriate study techniques.

If you want to make it or pass your exams, then consider the following two aspects as a must:

Positive attitude
Efficiency

POSITIVE ATTITUDE

You must first convince yourself that, you have potential or ability to succeed and that success in exams or in life is desired by all normal human beings.

Love success because it will bring you joy, happiness, comfort and general satisfaction.

Develop a winning attitude and you would have moved a big step forward. Do not minimize yourself; you can make it so get started in the right direction.

Try your best to overcome any limitations in your way such as fear. Overcome the fear that you can’t make it. Do not look at studying as being tiresome and boring get yourself success.

Take studies as a challenge to you and not a problem. If you have not been doing well, then it’s time to go out and show your teachers, parents and fellow students that they are wrong about your ability to make it or pass exams.

EFFICIENCY

What is Efficiency? The ability to produce a desired effect or attain a given goal/ Objective with minimum effort, expense or waste. In other words, it’s the ratio of effective work to the energy expended in producing it.

It’s absurd (laughably unreasonable or ridiculous) to study for long hours if it is not done efficiently. It you are putting in a lot of time but at the end of the day there is hardly anything you have taken in.

To increase on your efficiency, you must attain the right degree of concentration.

What is to concentrate?

To concentrate, in this context, means to focus all your thoughts, efforts and attention towards your studies.

With the right degree of concentration, the number of hours devoted to study may be reduced significantly and even better, it will improve your efficiency.

How can we increase our ability to concentrate?

Find the right place and the right environment. Organise where you are going to read from, it should be free from noise, the table should be tidy because untidy tables cause distraction and decrease concentration. The room should also have enough light. The sitting posture is also important and cannot be over looked.
Keep a clear objective in mind and do not allow yourself to be distracted by your friends. Be principled and never accept to be swayed from your goal.

Do not allow any kind of destructors to ruin your concentration regardless of whether they are internal or external sources. Internal destructors may include thirst, hunger, anxiety, excitements, sorrow etc. External ones may be noise, peer pressure etc.

Make an appropriate study time table. Consider the following:-

Harder subjects when you are fresh
Give more time to your weak areas
Must cover all the subjects within the week
Adhere to it or stick to it
Cater for prep time, free lessons, weekends, public holidays, etc
Your time table should allow room for relaxation/ leisure
It should also be flexible to help you cope with un expected circumstances the compensate later
Limit the study sessions to 1 hour, rest for at least 5 minutes and then adjust to another subject.

Make sure you have sufficient rest.

Reading extensively or deep into the night and denying yourself the natural demand for sleep, jeopardizes your concentration and hinders learning during the day, it also makes your mind dull.

Day dreaming or dozing in class or prep is a result of any of the following:-

Lack of interest in studies
Inadequate sleeping hours
Sitting position
Insufficient light in the room
Poor eating habits- such as the type of food or drink or quantity taken in.

A certain amount of tension helps concentration. This is when you drive yourself to accomplish a given task.
Study Actively

Have a pen and a paper-summarise your notes
Expand your notes
Underline main points
Draw diagrams and label if necessary

Memorization
You should always do your best to formulate a way of retaining what you have understood. Organise tour points in such a way that you can easily recall or remember.

You can also enhance your memory by:-

Focusing your attention on what to remember- put your mind there.
Recite or say out what you have read and even write it down. Be active with it.
Visualize (build near mental pictures). At times we remember things when we see them.

Evaluating or self-testing

At the end of your study time try to test yourself or evaluate yourself to see if you are able to reproduce what you have been studying. This can be done by reproducing the main points or drawing and labelling diagrams or graphs without looking at the notes.

Look up standard questions covering the topics you have just read and try them out. Consult your friends or teachers to be sure of the question approach.

OTHER FACTORS THAT LEAD TO FAILURE

Lack of seriousness and the i don’t care attitude
Choosing wrong people for friends- negative peer influence
Dodging classes/ prep and lack of full notes
Involvement in love affairs- consumes time and greatly undermines concentration on studies.
Persistent indiscipline with lots of inconveniences such as time loss.
Failure to prepare adequately for Exams.
Misinterpretation of questions or wrong question approach.
Persistent failure may be due to failure to find out why the previous exam was failed.
Failure to seek Devine guidance or minimizing that very power (God’s power).
Failure to externalize or put correctly in writing what one learnt because of a language handicap or limitation. Poor English leads to wrong communication.
Failure to do assignments
Attempt to undermine the teacher

DISCUSSION GROUPS:

This is a very important approach to learning. It’s learning by talking to and listening to your colleagues. It’s the most effective way in interactive learning.

Advantages of Group Discussions:

They give you opportunity to interpret facts given in class or read in books. This removes misconceptions and provides solutions to continuous problems.
Widens coverage and speeds up revision. It also simplifies difficult topics or those that are more intellectually demanding. The knowledge shared here helps the members to improve on their performance.
Slower students are compelled to increase their speed in attempt to catch up with the faster ones.
These groups stimulate motivation and interest. Makes learning easy by talking and listening- it’s more natural and easy.
More ideas are brought up and the wrong ones are quickly rejected.
Gives opportunity to master question approach.
They enable students to criticize each other on issues or facts- this helps one to become tolerant and grows intellectually. You also learn to solve disagreements and conflicts in learning.

GROUP STRUCTURE:

The group should be of about six students of the same class. This will give each member opportunity to speak.
The group leader should be a more knowledgeable student who is also willing to accept responsibility.
Friendship should prevail among the members. Respect each other.
The leader should be in position to harmonize the group and be ready to be consulted freely.
The leader should not have overriding powers over others.
All members must participate equally. No single member should dominate the discussion.
Every contribution to the discussion must be supported by sufficient evidence.

PASSING EXAMINATIONS IN MATHEMATICS AND SCIENCE:

Mathematics and Science are not different from other subjects. In fact they are not as difficult as many students think. What makes Maths and Sciences appear difficult is because they require a lot of understanding and working. Therefore they require a highly motivated and determined person. Mathematics is similar to a branch of knowledge called logic, which requires systematic reasoning. Like logic, Mathematics uses formulas and a lot of calculations to get a conclusive answer.

Science on the other hand belongs to that area of knowledge that relies on Empiricism and relies a lot on sense experience, although as in Maths, calculations and use of formulas are evident. It’s for this reason that many people classify Maths and Science together. However, the latter requires the students to use his sense a great deal mostly through observation and experimentation.

For the above reasons Maths and Science appear difficult. In reality success in a subject has little to do with simplicity or complexity of the subject. One of the major determinants of success in school is the attitude we have about ourselves in our ability to succeed. To succeed in Maths and Science, we must see ourselves as students who have the ability to succeed. This positive attitude towards the subject is a major ingredient to success. You should always look forward to succeed in all subjects. Many times you dream of becoming a doctor, accountant, architect, engineer, and so forth. All these life careers and many others you dream about, require Sciences and Mathematics as core qualifications. Therefore, you should be very careful as you think of your careers. It’s wrong to dream of becoming an engineer if you don’t worry if you have neglected Maths and Sciences, but instead work hard in Arts and Languages only. The emphasis here given to Maths and Sciences does not mean that the other subjects should be overlooked. Passing well in all subjects gives you a wider opening for your future career. The fact is that since Math and Sciences require comprehension, calculations, analysis and applications etc means that more time should be allocated to them. More important, they require a lot of concentration.

Other Requirements for Success in Maths and Sciences.

Interest:-Good performance is directly related to interest. You should be interested in the subject and the Teacher. Negative attitude towards teachers has always produced poor performance and despair in many students.
Concentration:- Although concentration and interest are deeply related, it’s important that you choose the appropriate time you are able to concentrate in your private studies. In class try to be fully attentive. If you have a problem with your concentration, try to know what distracts you and seek the appropriate remedy.
Determination:- Strong motivation will always help you to be determined. With strong determination, you are able to overcome the obstacles that would lead to failure. Determination will help you produce the best of your ability.
Organisation:– Be well organised- with good organisation, you know exactly what you should do. Make sure that you have a timetable that is strictly followed. Allocate Maths and Sciences to hours when your concentration is at its highest.
Practice:– Do practice every day. Mathematics and Sciences always require intensive practice. Every topic that is covered should be practiced thoroughly.
Discussion:– With your colleagues, share with them what you know, ask them what you don’t know. This will greatly help you. Students who share with others greatly actualize their potentials. Make sure that each topic is understood in detail.
Revision:– Revise as many as possible class tests and past papers and finish all the assignments give to you by the teacher.
Make sure that you score over a certain mark in all tests.
Before the next lesson, make sure that you have understood the previous lesson in details.
Understand the formulas well and in detail and write them down. Show them to your colleagues.
Don’t miss classes, every lesson is important. Missing a lesson leaves a vacuum.
Follow the lesson well and ask questions, in case you don’t understand something.
Do away with bad company especially failure-mongers. Many students drop Math and Sciences because of poor advice from colleagues who tell them that they are difficult. Also avoid the company that encourages idleness rather than hardworking.
Be strict with your program, making sure that you do not postpone doing exercises.
Make sure that you have acquired the necessary tools eg. Mathematical set, pens, books etc.
All assignments should be taken to the teacher for marking after being completed in good time. Unmarked assignments are of no use. It’s from marking that you come to know of your strength and weaknesses. Do not copy answers for assignments; remember that the most important thing is not to get the answers right but your ability to apply formulas and concepts step by step.
Proximate preparation is always important; i.e. to prepare for the class in advance greatly helps you to follow the lesson later.
During Science practicals, make sure that you know every procedure, participate fully, ask questions and observe keenly.
Participate in academic competitions e.g. Science Congress and Math competition.
Watch relevant television programs that are of scientific nature and listen to radio programmes of the same.

EXAMINATION TERMS:

Account for:- Give a satisfactory explanation of something
Describe:- Give a detailed or graphic account of
Outline:- Give the main features or general principals of a subject omitting minor details and emphasizing structure and arrangement
Define: – Set down the precise meaning of a word or phrase. Show that the distinctions implied in the definition are necessary
Discuss: – Investigate or examine by argument and debate, giving reasons for and against
Analyse: – Examine part by part
Compare: – Look for similarities and differences
Contrast: – Set in opposition in order to bring out differences between different things
Criticize: Give your judgement about merit of theories or opinions or about truth of facts, and back your judgement by discussion of evidence
Evaluate: – Make an appraisal of the worth of something in the light of its truth or utility; include to a lesser degree your personal opinion
Explain: – Make plain, to interpret, and to account for
Illustrate: Use a figure of diagram to explain or clarify or make clear by use of concrete examples.
Interpret: Expound the meaning of; make clear and explicit, usually giving your own judgement also
Justify:- Show adequate grounds for decisions or conclusions
Relate:- Show how things are connected to each other and to what extent they are alike, or affect each other.
Review :- To make a survey of, examining the subject critically
State:- Present in a brief clear form
Summarize:- Give a concise account of the chief points or substance of the matter, omitting details and examples
Elaborate: Work out carefully in great detail
Examine:- Consider in detail and subject to an analysis in order to discover essential features or meaning

QUOTES THAT WILL INSPIRE YOU IN LIFE

Always do your best that you plant now, you will harvest later.
There is no failure except in no longer trying.
To be successful you will have to be prepared to do some tasks that you don’t enjoy doing.
You are where you are, because that is where you have subconsciously chosen to be.
( Team) Together everyone accomplishes more.
We are all a result of the decision that we have taken.
Do the right thing in the right place at the right time.
God is more interested in your character than your comfort.
Hold a funeral for “I CAN’T” and say hello to “I CAN”.
When the student is ready, the Teacher will appear.
Use your mistakes as Stepping-stones and not stumbling blocks.
Without a challenge or struggle you cannot grow.
The greatest thing in this world is not so much where we are, but in what direction we are moving.
As soon as you discover that you are going in the Wrong direction, just turn around and you will be facing the right direction.
Your mind is like a computer, what you put in is what you get out.
As a rule……….he who has the most information will have the greatest success in life.
We become like the people we associate with.
God will never give you a challenge that you a challenge that you cannot handle.
Pay now and play later, alternatively you can play now and you will pay later.
The release of your potential demands that you refuse to be satisfied with your latest accomplishment.
Failure is an opportunity to begin again, more intelligently.
Put GOD first in everything you do.
The world stands aside to let anyone past who knows where he is going.
Whoever wants to reach a distant goal must take many small steps.
The man who succeeds above his fellows is the one who early in life clearly discerns his object, and towards that object habitually directs his powers.
Don’t tell people how hard you work; show them how much you get done.
The start of being a millionaire is spending less than you earn.
Any individual can be, in time, what he earnestly desires to be, if he sets his face steadfastly in the direction of that one thing and brings all his powers to bear upon its attainment.
Most winners are just ex-losers who got mad.
A leader must be able to concentrate under difficult conditions- to keep his head when all about him are losing theirs.
The way to get to the top is to get off your bottom.
The greatest power GOD has given to any individual is the power of prayer.
You cannot lead anyone further than you have been able to go yourself.
There is only one sure method of turning dreams into reality and that’s by waking up.
Nobody cares how much you know, unless they know how much you care.
He who conquers others is strong; He who conquers himself is mighty.
Are you deliberately planning to be less than you are capable of being?
The person, who does not make mistakes, does not usually make anything.
You will only learn to have money when you learn to control it.
Get advice from people that are moving in the same direction as you, and who are preferably further down the road.
When fear knocked, faith answered and no one was there.

CONCLUSION

In conclusion, i appeal to you to take the above issues seriously and put them into practice and avoid the aspects you have been warned about. If you implement the guidelines in this paper, then be sure success is yours. Always remember that “Education is your life, so guard it well”.

GOD BLESS YOU

PREPARED BY:

GILBERT KALEMERA

E-mail: gilbertkalemera@gmail.com, director@greenhillsinternationalcollege.org

TEL: +257 6137 75 39, +257 79 25 80 60

DIRECTOR .

TRUST IN GOD AND SHINE