The mid years are fast approaching and that means the first half of a major exam that will contribute significantly to your studies. Many students would probably not be in the urgent mindset as of yet, but it’s about time to get worried. A popular thing that many students do, especially during the mid-years are cramming towards the last week. And sad to say, it works! Here in Singapore where the education system is rigid, it yields one good thing for students: A fixed curriculum and topics. This means that once you have the basic understanding of specific topics down, and are able to answer past year questions, chances are that you will pass and even do well for your examinations.
But it is precisely because of this that students tend not to do well for their mid-year examinations. Because once they cram their mid-year topics in their mind, they tend to forget about it by the end of the final year examinations, resulting in a not too exemplary result at the end of the year. Instead of worrying so much, here are some of the ways that you should NOT prepare for your mid-year examinations:
Cramming based on the school notes
This is a definite no-no because not only is it inefficient in the short run, but the knowledge never sticks. What you want to do instead, is write your own notes that you wish to remember using a study technique that you are familiar with and filing that note for revision for both your mid years and future examinations. This is the most sustainable way to study for your mid years and ensure that you won’t have to worry about forgetting things on a later date.
Studying All The Topics With an Equal Intensity
What is more inefficient than cramming is studying everything at the same rate. Not all topics are created equal to each other and that is a fact. Even in tertiary institutions, there are certain topics that are not focussed on heavily, especially during the mid-years. Don’t waste your precious time memorising everything about an unimportant topic when you could have spent more time on a major topic tested. Select and choose out more important topics and ask your teachers which topics are more important. Chances are, they’d be more than happy to assist you and would indirectly be guiding you to the right path.
Not Having a Study Plan
Many students don’t practise this especially in the lower levels of education at primary and secondary school because the topics tested are easy to cope with. However, once they reach higher tiers of education, it becomes a problem because of the sheer amount of workload that plagues them. Always start the habit of planning a study plan and start early. You should at least have 2 weeks of study time, split up according to the prioritised subjects. Preferably, the plan should be as detailed as a timetable, and one that you can easily modify without much conflict.