10 Ways to Do Better in Exams

Take It Easy:

If we get paralysed with fear during our exam and forget everything we have learnt, it doesn't help! Exams should be like ice-cream, they shouldn't make you scream. Believe it or not, there are a lot of students who enjoy exams. For them exams are an opportunity to demonstrate their knowledge and skills. If you have confidence in yourself and your preparation, then there is no reason why you should be afraid of exams. The best way to be during the exam is relaxed but alert. So change your attitude about exams. If you have serious exam phobia, rid our article on how to get rid of exam phobia. 

Take a Lot of Model Tests:

In order to do well, in addition to knowing a lot about your subject, you also need to know everything about the exam itself: how many and what type of questions you need to answer, how much time you get for each question, what is expected in the answer, which questions are most likely to be on the test, and last but not least, the exam schedule!

If your course teacher is going to grade your exam, then you can get important clues about what questions to expect in the exam and in what way to answer them from the class. Pay special attention to things s/he gives importance in class or spends a lot of time on. Do not miss the last classes before the exam, that is when you are most likely to get hints about likely questions. Also, look at the past questions

Make testing yourself a compulsory part of your preparation. Take old question papers and solve them within actual time and other conditions. Use it to find your weakness. How much time are you taking? What kind of mistakes are you making? Find out ways to overcome those weaknesses.

Here is an example of how self-testing helped a group of students in a Cadet college. These students found that they were finding it difficult to finish their geography test on time. After a lot of thinking, they found a solution to their problem.

In their exam, they needed to draw a map of Bangladesh and identify the location of different important places on it. They didn't know which places they would have to locate but they knew they would have to draw the map of Bangladesh. They had some time in between when they got the answer sheet and when the questions were handed out. So as soon as they got the answer sheets, they drew the map. And when they got the questions, they just located the places they needed to! In this way, they saved valuable time!

Don't the Devil Attack You !

Here is how the devil might attack you in the preparation phase.

• By making you spend more time worrying about the test than preparing for it.

• By making you lie to yourself: saying you can review something in one night or make things up during the test.

• By telling you to somehow get through this one and then do things differently the next time.

• By telling you," Why be a fool and learn everything? Be smart, wait till the last day, when you can get the 'short suggestion' ( list of questions that will be on the exam.) Then study them the night before."

• By telling you that midterms and other in course exams are not that important.

• By telling you, studying is of no use. You are doomed to failure!

Don't let the devil win! When any of these thoughts come, think the opposite!

Be at the peak of your mental ability on exam day!

Sleep:

Why study all night only to find out your head isn't working and you are making sloppy mistakes on the exam? Nobody is going to ask you how much you studied the night before, they are going to look at your answer sheet. So make sure you don't cram before the exam.

There have been several researches on how  sleeping the night before helps us perform better in exams. One study found that students who got a whole night's sleep before the exam did 25% better in a multiple choice exam than students who didn't. Another study found that students who slept well the night before their math exam did better than those who didn't. So do not sleep less than you usually do the night before the exam.

Eat:

Skipping breakfast before an exam is not a good idea, you don't want to think about food while you are writing do you? A study among secondary students in Durham showed that students who drink enough water and healthy food such as fish oil or healthy carbohydrates do better in exams. So eat healthy food. Avoid rich food, sugary food, junk/fast food and other heavy food that are hard to digest.

Meditate:

If you know how to meditate, do not miss your meditation before the exam. Some top students we know actually increase the number of meditations they do per day before the exam, this helps them get by with less sleep and remain calm and alert.

Organize Your Things:

Organize all the things you will need the night before the exam the night. In that way you won't spend time rushing in the morning.

Be at the Exam Hall Early:

Take your seat at least fifteen minutes before the exam starts. Meditate for five minutes. Repeat the autosuggestion: I remember everything I read. Everything will come spontaneously when I sit down to write.

Read the Question Carefully

Read the question paper carefully once, paying attention to the directions. Make sure you know exactly what is asked for in the question. Words like, 'define' 'describe', 'compare', 'contrast', 'comment on', 'ist' and 'explain' all mean different things and need different answers. Resist the temptation to write what you prepared well instead of what is asked for in the question.

Plan Your Time

When reading the question paper the second time, decide which questions you are going to answer and how much time you are going to spend on each of them. Resist the temptation to write everything you know about a topic and move on to the next question when the time is over. Make sure you do not leave any question unanswered because of time constraints. You will get better marks for two short answers than you will get for one long answer. Keeping time for revision is really important. Make sure you have written your name and other information correctly, that the numbering of the answers is accurate, and check for other mistakes.

Learn How to Think Like an Examiner:

Imagine you were grading the exam. You were checking fifty scripts with the same answers in a short time. What would you like in the answer sheet? You would want to ensure that an answer was accurate, had all the required information and qualities, in the shortest possible time, wouldn't you?

So give your examiner what s/he wants. Make your handwriting clear and legible. Highlight all the key points. Pay special attention to the introductions and conclusions, because those are the parts that will leave a lasting impression. Include diagrams, quotes etc. to make your answer exceptional. (Ensure everything you are adding is relevant to the question though.) Start with a question you know well, and end with a question you know well. This will leave a good first and last impression with the examiner.

If You Can't Remember, Meditate:

Never panic during an exam. If you don't know the answer to a question you must answer, after finishing the rest of the answers, go to your Quantum Home. Then open your eyes and write whatever comes to your mind. You may find you remember more than you think.

Do Not Let One Bad Exam Ruin the Rest:

Do not let one bad exam ruin the rest. Make the habit of thinking about the one that is coming instead of the one that passed. Meditation will help you do this.

Continue your monchobi till the results are announced.

Learn from Your Mistakes:

This is very important. If your results are not satisfactory, do not blame luck or the teacher/authorities, take responsibility for your own grades. Find out what you are doing wrong and avoid making the same mistake in the future. You will get an idea of the possible reasons for poor marks here.