How to Pass an Examination

When I was doing my undergraduate degree I learned a lot of things about myself. I would encourage you to know yourself. Knowing yourself includes knowing your habits, your learning style, and best learning times which produce optimal results for you. I learned that when the examinations were really near I was able to keep awake and learn “hell-of-a-lot”. This was probably because the fear of failing was phenomenal and I did push myself too far.

On one occasion I studied all night for an examination the next afternoon. I worked hard. Guess what, my judgment was wrong. I found that I could not recall many of the articles I had read. You've guessed it. I barely scraped through. I now realize the importance of an appropriate balance. Now I am older, wiser and smarter, I always have a good night's sleep before an examination. My suggestion is you do the same.

One of the other things I learned while doing my undergraduate degree was to start preparing for the examinations real early e.g. soon after enrolling. I located and made a list of previous years questions. When these topics were discussed I paid particular attention to them. Many-a-times the questions were repeated. Now that I am a lecturer I am aware that many lecturers have favorite questions and tend to rotate them. I too tend to do this. The reasons for this behaviour are simple. The questions which an examiner can ask must be “important and have broad applications”.

Very few questions fit this general criterion. So the questions are repeated because there are only a limited number of options a lecturer has. So try and guess what the questions will be. You will be surprised at the number of correct predictions you can make. You must do an analysis of your course, the lecturer and the trends which are at work in your university.

A certain amount of anxiety is good. However, too much anxiety can be disabling and therefore counter productive. When this happens it is a good idea to learn relaxation exercises. Yoga, walking, watching TV, talking with friends or family can all help. Avoid talking with persons who are not likely to support you or are stressed out themselves. In extreme cases call your teacher.

When you are studying difficult topics it is helpful to study for shorter periods, have frequent breaks, make notes, and sleep when tired. Studies show that sleep helps neurons establish connections. Knowledge and recall are essentially nerve connections. The more nerve connections and pathways you have the more knowledge you will have. Sleep helps to organize thought processes. NEVER participate in physically demanding activities after you have learned lots of new materials. If you do you are not likely to remember very much.

Reward yourself for small gains

To be successful one needs to know oneself. Goals which are set must be realistic and achievable. If you set very difficult goals, I am sure, they will be achievable if you are well motivated but be prepared to pay the economic and opportunity price. We all know our weaknesses and our strengths. You are, most probably within the normal range of people who is not too smart and not too stupid. Be prepared to study the areas which are not your favorite. You may be weak in one or more of these areas.

The situation will be compounded if you are weak in the areas and you dislike them. The chances are that you will have difficulty staying focussed. One hour will seem like one day. However, you have the ability to turn things around. I had the most amounts of problems with Obstetrics & Gynecology, and Paediatrics. My strengths were psychiatric nursing, medical and surgical. So be prepared to spend more time studying what you have ignored in the past. You will not pass if you are not motivated to succeed.

At the end of week one of study, your pace and confidence should be increasing. Of course there will be times when you will be feeling down, there will be times when you will be feeling artificially high. Whenever, you do well in the self assessed tests you will feel good. Use this energy to push your energy and motivation to new “highs”. If you do not do too well you may feel down. You need to kick yourself and remind yourself that you have passed many examinations before and you are not going let this happen now. This is called reminding your self of your successes. Most of us are successful most of the time.

No matter what you do, please disassociate yourself from “failures”. You do not want to hear them tell you what they want to tell you. Remember, if you associate with failures, you will be a failure. Let me tell you one other thing, if you are looking for a successful partner you need to hang out with successful people and you will find yourself a partner who is successful. If you hang out in bars etc. you will find yourself a good alcoholic. You can interpret what a “good alcoholic” is for yourself! Many successful businesses deals are made on the golf course. It is not helpful to know why one failed. It is more helpful to know how and why one passed.