The concept of examination have different definitions for everyone but it is best described as a means of evaluation of the practical and theoretical knowledge an individual or group has acquired over a period of time in a structured institution. It is a set of questions or experiment to test the level of knowledge of an individual. This process has been in existence for a long period of time in the educational system.
As a human, acquisition of formal knowledge and understanding is required in order to be an informed citizen and a literate in which ever field a person wishes or desires. In the educational system, it is not possible to evaluate a persons' knowledge just by looking at them, this process of examination is put in place for student and scholars to demonstrate their knowledge.
As a student with lot of experience with examinations, I strongly believe every examination needs preparation but the level of difficulty of an exam tends to depends on the type of institution and type of examination. What do I mean by this? for example; when I was in the process of acquiring my national diploma in mass communication at gateway Polytechnic, Sapade In Ogun State, my method of preparation was quite simpler than the way I prepared for my examination during my just concluded Higher national diploma program at Moshood Abiola polytechnic.
This is as a result of the type of institution and program. During my HND program, we don't just demonstrate our knowledge in theories and assumptions during exams, We give practical examples to illustrate the questions given to us, believe me, it doesn't come easy.
Though preparation for examination might have general method which includes reading consistently prior to the date of the examination but this method differs for different people because our level of knowledge and method assimilation is not equal.
MY PERSONAL TIPS FOR EXAMINATION PREPARATION AND EXAMINATION PLANNING STRATEGY.
My personal strategies for examination includes the following:
1) Acquisition of examination materials: This is area is of two divisions which includes:
A) Acquisition of reading materials: This is always the first on my strategic plan for examination. Every course have a study guide, handout, textbook e.t.c this reading materials are summaries of what the course is all about, though some course requires you to go extra miles by downloading extra materials with more knowledge and understanding about the course.
In some institutions, most especially when exam is approaching, scarcity of study materials for exam usually occur due to the number of material produced is not up to the number of students admitted and also, not all lecturers or teachers request buying of textbooks at the beginning of the semester because they believe you will eventually get it when exam is approaching. So I usually make sure I get mine at the beginning of the semester before it becomes scarce.
B) Acquisition of food supplies: This might sound funny to some people but for me I'm a foodie and I believe in the saying, "The stomach have a mind of its own😂, which means it is not advisable to study on an empty stomach. Based on my personality, I do not enjoy the eating of junk foods or frequently going to eateries to purchase food, it has become a tradition of mine to stock up my house with food supplies when exam is approaching because I prefer cooking my own meals.
The mind can be so fragile sometimes, especially during the process of reading, the moment you start feeling hungry the mind start losing willingness or desire to continue reading. You can't think when you are hungry, it will make assimilation a little difficult especially for those who can't tolerate hunger just like me.
2) Identify the method, time of reading applicable to you: The duration for reading and method of reading matters a lot, what is applicable to others might not be applicable to you, it is advisable to study and understand yourself without allowing others manner of reading influence yours. Over the years, I discovered that I assimilate very easily and fast but I get bored of reading very easily, which is why I barely read novels or long stories, I prefer poems.
After knowing this about myself I was able to set a time of reading that is applicable to me, I don't read in the night that much, only when needed, most times I read in the afternoon after a good rest. I don't enjoy group reading, I prefer to read alone in a private space because I know I get distracted easily, after reading to my satisfaction then I can engage in group discussion about what I have read and secondly, whenever I'm bored of reading I take a walk outside or listen to music or watch a movie.
3) Reading of study material during the semester: One of the major mistakes a lot of students make is that they tend to wait till exam day is near before they start reading, regardless of how fast you assimilate it is advisable to start digesting your reading materials or textbook during the semester before exam date is set.
The human brain is flexible and it picks up habit very easily, so if you don't cultivate a reading habit from the start it will be challenging to engage in reading when exam is near, the more you read the more you learn, The more you practice the lesser your mistakes. Though I do not solely depend on reading materials for learning, I don't miss or joke with lecturers and I engage in class a lot by answering questions and asking them which makes Acquisition of knowledge more easier. I consider Reading during examination period as a revision.
4) Understand what you read, cramming is not for everyone: I must confess that there are some courses that requires you to do so, especially courses that have to do with formulas. I remember during my HND1 first semester I did a course called statistics, It was not an easy feat for a mass communication student to engage in mathematics because most times we conceptualize, explain, define, narrate through the use of words, but this course called statistics requires usage of statistical tools and formulas.
I remember cramming formulas for geometric/arithmetic mean, mean deviation, standard deviation, variance, correlation, probability and partition e.t.c. I had to cram this formulas, it was one of the exams I brought water bottle into the exam hall because my brain was overheating 🤣. But there are some course you need to come up with your own definition, there are some lecturers who request for textbook definition and quoting a scholar before giving your definition.
5) Practicing of past questions: A lot of lectures and teachers tends to repeat questions but they might change the wordings a little, this prepares your mind for the type of examination you are about to undertake and also test the level of knowledge you have aquired and remind you of somethings you might have forgot to read. I enjoy practicing past questions a lot and I engage in it a lot before the examination commences.
These are my methods and strategies for examination in a nutshell, I'm trying hard not to make the text of this write up too burdensome and congested because you might be a person like me who doesn't enjoy long writings.
This write-up was inspired by weekly prompt "How do you stay motivated during exam" in hive student connect community.
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