preparing for exams

After students have been taught for a period, examinations are taken to test their knowledge of the subjects taken. Most students dread examinations because it comes with so much pressure ad uncertainties. No matter how much you must have read, you are never 100% prepared for any examination. 

The method of preparation usually varies from student to student. Some might read in groups while others read individually. The student’s area of strength often affects their preparation method for example if he/she likes calculation courses or reading courses. A person that is better with non-calculation courses might need some assistance with calculation courses and hence have to read with a partner or group.

The students’ assimilation rate is another factor that affects the student’s preparation for exams. While some students can read and understand within a short moment, others have to go over it a couple of times to get a full grasp of the topic. This doesn’t mean the student who learns faster is better or not it just means it is important to identify your reading pattern and work with it. It is also important to note your reading tactics can be improved on by being consistent. In addition to this, there are some people that have to write down each line of what they read to make it stick otherwise it fades away but some others can put anything to memory by just looking at it. Again, either of these can be developed and neither is better than the other.

Learning is process that broadens your mind. The more books you read the better your thought process is. It is a tool that develops your thinking basically. This is because there is a transfer of knowledge from the writer to the reader. The reader begins to reason or rationalize things from the writer’s point of view and this further improves the reader’s idea of the subject because by reading, you have either learnt something new or developed what you already know. It is also beneficial because each writer is speaking a language in their write up and it is very possible for two writers to write on the same topic and a reader finds one more appealing than the other. This happens because the thought process of the writer the reader finds appealing is clearer to the reader than that of the other writer, he finds less appealing. The writer and reader could connect because of the style of writing this could be as a result of choice of words, clarity, subject type, readers interest and level of comprehension etc. 

Writing is similar to speaking. For efficient communication the speaker must pass his message in a language the listener understands otherwise this defeats the purpose of communicating. The same applies to writing as the writer must know who his audience are and communicate in a way they will understand.  By consistently reading, you become accustomed to the writer’s style of communicating and this helps  understand the message better. 

One last skill in preparing for examinations is to study the lecturer. This is important because by studying their pattern, you can predict your exam questions to an extent because sometimes lecturers indirectly tell you what to expect in exams and you can only pick up these cues by paying close attention to them. 

In conclusion, to effectively prepare for exams, identify your reading pattern and be consistent with it in order to develop it. Find materials that speak the language you are familiar with so you can understand faster and pay close attention to your lecturers to understand their question style (a good example of this is the use of past questions. This shows a clear pattern from history). By following these steps, success is most certain in your examination.