"I love to go to school. It is fun. But I don't like the exam at the end of the year."
Students always tell me this, and I felt the same too. Most of us love going to school. We meet our buddies. We have fun playing pranks on one another. We gossip. We do cool things in school! Now, who doesn't like school?
Why do we like school but don't like to pay the price of going to school: the examination? No one likes to pay anyway... Right?
To me, it's all in the mind. School is fun because we make it fun. School is interesting because we make it so. When the word "Examination" comes into the picture, things become serious. Score badly and you will be retained. Fail badly and you will be expelled. Think about it, we are afraid of exam because we (or the society) make it sound so scary. Tweak our mindset a little and everything becomes easier!
Easy to fail?
If we have been conscientiously doing our work, just doing the minimum, is it easy to fail? I doubt so. We would have gotten at least 50%, the passing mark. We would have no problem progressing up the levels right?
Set realistic targets
When we are scoring F9, set a target of D7 or C6. If we are scoring C6, set a target of B4. Work towards the target slowly. For O Levels or A Levels students, we have 2 full years. Don't aim for A1 right from the start. More often than not, the stress we put on ourselves will undo whatever preparation we have done. The most important thing is to compare with yourself, not to compare with your peers.
Ability to change things overnight?
Easy to fail?
If we have been conscientiously doing our work, just doing the minimum, is it easy to fail? I doubt so. We would have gotten at least 50%, the passing mark. We would have no problem progressing up the levels right?
Set realistic targets
When we are scoring F9, set a target of D7 or C6. If we are scoring C6, set a target of B4. Work towards the target slowly. For O Levels or A Levels students, we have 2 full years. Don't aim for A1 right from the start. More often than not, the stress we put on ourselves will undo whatever preparation we have done. The most important thing is to compare with yourself, not to compare with your peers.
Ability to change things overnight?
"Die! Tomorrow exam already, I still don't know this, this and this."
If we have been consistent in doing our work, will we ever have so many "this" that we don't know? Are we able to grasp all "this" in just one night? We know the answer! Let's calm ourselves down. Everyone has been in this situation. I have been in this situation all the time! Glad to know that you are not alone right?
The differentiating factor between a top student and other A's students is the ability to stay calm.
What to do?
The cliche: do your work conscientiously. Yes! Do a bit every week and you will find it easier when you are doing your revision at the end of the semester.
Even if you think that you have done consistent work, do not set unrealistically high target. I always set realistic target for myself. When I scored F9 for General Paper, I set E8 as my target, no matter how much effort I thought I put in. Why not C6 immediately? Because I knew that E8 was already a mountain for me to climb. There was no need to stress myself up with unnecessary burdens.
One night before the exam, stop reading. The more you read, the more things you find you don't know. I always tell myself this:
Even if you think that you have done consistent work, do not set unrealistically high target. I always set realistic target for myself. When I scored F9 for General Paper, I set E8 as my target, no matter how much effort I thought I put in. Why not C6 immediately? Because I knew that E8 was already a mountain for me to climb. There was no need to stress myself up with unnecessary burdens.
One night before the exam, stop reading. The more you read, the more things you find you don't know. I always tell myself this:
"Aiya, I don't know means it won't come out lar."
True enough, out of 5 times, I was right for 4 times.
Conclusion
Having said so much, the most crucial point is to walk into the exam hall "feelingless". Do not feel anything. Do not carry any burden with you. Do not think of A1 or F9. Think of nothing at all. No worries about forgetting the knowledge. It will come to you when the question is staring at you.
Walk in, do the paper, disregard what is happening around you. Can't do a question? Skip. Can't do again? Skip. Can't do the whole paper? Drink water and go to the restroom. Stay calm and it will come to you.
