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100
Words We would also
like to remind readers that the 100 Words page appears every first
Sunday of the month. The theme for
January is Spark. Please send in your contributions before December
28 to: Madhubhashini
Ratnayake, The
truth Blind
faith Believe Believers'
war Elevation Truth will triumph I believe, the
game of life Don't let exams get you down By Ishani Ranasinghe and Vidushi Seneviratne "Everyone has his own way of studying. Until you find it, you are in a mess," says  Thilan. Studies, we
can't escape them, can we? At some point in our lives comes this
big hurdle and there's no getting away from that dreaded ordeal
of facing a public exam. But though you may feel very much alone,
remember that family or friends can usually help out, maybe just
by talking things through. For many of
us, the first 'big' exam is the O/Ls. The countdown has now begun
for the 2002 O/Ls and another batch of students will face this crucial
examination starting tomorrow. Whether you're the calm, cool type
who has revised well ahead or the last-minute crammer, the exam
can be very stressful and different people react to the pressure
in different ways. Never set your standards by those around you. Remember that
studying for half an hour every day for two weeks before the exam
is likely to be better than two hours while waiting to go in. Nervousness
is the enemy. It stops you thinking. Staying calm is vital. So what's it
like for the students whose exams are just around the corner? "The
thing is, there is so much to study that you can never be sure,
so yeah it is a bit scary," admitted Kaushalya. You may be
the one feeling all the pressure, the weight of parental expectations
and your own desire to succeed but these days, exams are public
property it seems, and for some students, the fact that not just
one's family but indeed, the whole neighbourhood is interested in
how they fare, is hard to deal with. Says Sarangi, "The annoying
thing is that everyone wants to know about it." "The whole
neighbourhood and all my unknown relatives want to know about it,
especially when the results are out," adds Surani. So how do you
deal with the pressure? Advanced preparation is the key. First,
know your topics of study. If a certain section is not going to
be in the test, forget it and concentrate on what is going to get
you marks. Focus. Throughout
the period of exams or during the time of a heavy workload, it's
important to keep a balance in your life. Another key factor is
to try and avoid worry - it can be self-destructive, it'll distract
you and keep you from doing your best. While you can expect to feel
the pressure, you don't have to accept that such tension will become
unbearable. Use exam time
as an opportunity to learn how to deal with greater, increased workloads...
it will help you in the future, when you have to face that great,
big world out there and things just keep getting tougher. They say that
whatever you do, work at it with all your heart. If you have not
done as much as you should up to now, don't despair. Decide that
you will start working hard from now. Don't spend time thinking
about what you haven't done. Make an honest
assessment as to how well you are currently working... don't kid
yourself. If you need to make some changes - do so, NOW. One of the
most successful exam strategies is to break down the subject areas,
concentrate on each area for one or two days and then revise all
of it, once the exam is close by. Also, accept that some people
can stay up late and study into the wee hours of the morning, while
others are early birds and study best at dawn. Just because your
friends study in a certain way or at a certain time, you don't need
to do the same. Make sure your style of study is right for you.
For some, group
study sessions are quite fruitful, particularly close to the examination.
Discussing facts and hearing others say the facts out loud, is quite
a successful way of remembering them. But of course, for some others,
studying by themselves is the best. Here again, follow the strategy
you are most comfortable with. When it comes
to the exam period, try to stay as relaxed as you can. Before the
exam, read through your notes. Remember, this is not the time for
making new notes or testing yourself. It's not unusual at this time
to think, "I don't know any of this". This feeling is
a reaction to the pressure and as long as you have studied the topic
earlier, you can be reasonably confident that it will come back
during the exam. Between exams,
continue to work hard - but perhaps not quite as hard as before
the exam. After an exam, avoid talking about how you fared. Post-mortems
on exam papers can be terribly demoralising at times - try not to
give the papers you've finished too much thought. Remember life
is not all about exams! You need to play too! Put aside enough
time each day or each week for some fun. Get together with a friend
after school and do something you both enjoy...go shopping, watch
a movie or de-stress with a hectic game of badminton. Mrs. Lalani
Nagahawatte, a teacher at Musaeus College, Colombo, shared some
thoughts on a common occurrence in Sri Lanka. "By the time
of the exam, the children are already nervous because after all,
this is their first public exam. But some parents add to this burden
by adhering to traditions such as leaving the house at a certain
auspicious time. It is most often the parents who pressurise the
kids." She also added that children should not really think
of exams as a life and death matter but just take them as they come. Eat well and
sleep well. Stay relaxed - and pray. Good luck. |
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