Good psychology, methodical and organized reading, healthy eating and satisfactory rest are small - but effective - secrets that can determine a student's performance in the exam room.
The Ministry of Education, in order to help the thousands of school residents who are preparing for either the promotion or the Pancyprian Examinations, has issued a guide for the preparation of students. And because there are no magic formulas, the following tips may be especially helpful for those looking for them.
Prepare yourself psychologically
As the exam period approaches, a state of anxiety is inevitable in almost all students. This anxiety, according to the Ministry, to some extent proves to be positive, because it awakens and activates all the student's forces, to meet the challenge of the exams and thus prove his ability to succeed. He points out, however, that some children, for a variety of reasons, feel overwhelmed by this anxiety, leading to anxiety.
This disorganizes the body and causes negative results for the preparation of those who suffer from it. Causes tachycardia, anorexia or bulimia, headaches, hot flashes, irritability, inability to concentrate, etc. That is, what the student does not need. That's why it's good to prevent stress with the right organization, which is the best anxiolytic.
The Ministry likens the examinee to an athlete competing in a crucial race. To emphasize that he must take care, first of all, of his psychosomatic condition: neither to be completely indifferent, nor to toil too much to the point of overwork.
Get into good habits
The Ministry also advises those affected to acquire good habits, which will prove to be useful allies:
- Start the preparation early with systematic study and repetitions.
- When you feel tired, take a break. Your body has limited biological endurance and, overcoming it, you force your brain to function without concentrating, so you strain it in vain.
- Maintain a balanced work and sleep schedule. Sleep deprivation and excessive fatigue weaken your performance. Intermediate light physical exercises help to relax the tension and increase your concentration. E.g. five consecutive hours of still reading give less than forty minutes of study and breaks of 10-15 minutes with similar exercises.
- Follow the basic instructions for proper nutrition: Nutritious but light foods, not overeating in a few meals, but small and more meals at set times. Avoid coffee, alcohol, drugs and other unnecessary things.
- Choose the space that suits you, to work quietly and undisturbed. Do not allow the phone, TV or other agents to interrupt or distract you.
- Pay attention to the lighting. Let the light fall not on your eyes, but on the book or notebook you are using.
- Watch out for oxygen in your room. The closure causes premature fatigue or headache.
Ten commandments for the day of judgment
Given that students will follow the previous tips, the Ministry of Education is confident that they will have a good result. At the same time, however, it gives some additional instructions for the day of the examination:
- Get enough sleep and wake up optimistic for a light breakfast.
- Arrive at school about 30 minutes before the start of the exam, taking the required with you.
- Do not be fooled by whispers, chatter or panicked classmates, who quickly inform you that things are very difficult.
- Enter the exam room with confidence.
- When picking up the test piece, do not start writing down the answers right away. First read the whole thing carefully, to know what is required of you.
- Start answering the well-known questions first. Leave the last difficult questions last and insist on understanding exactly what they are asking you to write.
- When you write them down, check carefully to see if they are asked of you, and if you have not missed something. Pay attention to the clarity, precision and completeness of each answer. No less, pay attention to the spelling and the whole appearance of the writing.
- Make the right allocation of time available to you. If you do not have time to answer a question in detail, state even briefly your knowledge on the subject.
- Do not hand over the writing unless you re-read it at least once or twice. If others have already delivered it before you, ignore them, as long as you are within the examination time limit.
- Do not worry, because your writing will be graded fairly, as it deserves.
Not to the parrot, yes to understanding
Do not study mechanically or memorize the pages of the book, but proceed to grasp the meaning of the text in front of you. Gather your thoughts and proceed with the reading keeping in mind the following tips:
- Understand the title of the chapter first and read the whole chapter, to understand as a whole what topic is in front of you.
- Study the same chapter, paragraph by paragraph, noting the basic concepts on your book or notebook or both.
- Use the critical power of your mind. Evaluate the paragraph: what new adds, is an opinion or is a fact, how it relates to the title of the chapter or with previous knowledge you have about the subject, contradicts or agrees with them, find parallel examples. In short, discuss with yourself what the author is saying before you accept it. Remember what you were taught in class, what was discussed, what views were expressed, where you ended up. Look at what you have written in your notebook from the relevant lesson, what questions or exercises your teacher gave you and where he emphasized. This process will make it easier for you to remember the essentials and make your own new knowledge.
- In the end, organize the chapter in its main points and in the individual auxiliary points. Try to imagine questions that you might ask if you were the examiner.
- Read all the chapters of the exam material and not optionally thinking that they will not pass the exam, because it is very easy (or very difficult) or because their questions were included in previous exams.
- Do not neglect repetitions.