Advice?

[Maggie Wallis]

Most of the best test-takers don't cram. A large portion don't even study.

If anything school systems reward coursework far too highly. It's to the point where someone can ace every test/quiz/exam, yet still fail the course if they don't do the coursework in a lot of cases. On the other extreme doing all the coursework but bombing the quizzes/tests/exams usually guarantees that you pass. Why is it that effort is held in a higher light than competency? I don't care how hard someone tries, if they don't succeed on the exams then they likely didn't actually learn the material; and if teaching students the material isn't the goal when teaching a class then what is?

There is no perfect system... a lot of school/college qualifications are merely a demostration that you can learn and comprehend to a certian standard, not that you hold the information for the rest of your life...

If you get a degree in marine biology.. it all tells your future employer is that you can learn to a certian level, and when that employer is McDonalds they don't really care...

I could pass an exam on a Friday afternoon.. go to the pub and have forgotten it all and have a lot less brain cells come Monday morning...

I have to continually take exams within my profession to prove that I still have the information I needed to pass the exams in the first place and that I'm up to date with changes in regulations and processes... plus I have random file checks carried out by the regulator...

Though my Doctor doesn't... he could be trying to diagnose and treat me from what he learnt in Uni 30 years ago...

 

[DeletedUser5582]

Hey guys,

Basically I would like some advice from the ever wise TW community.

I'm currently in my last year of school, it's now 8 weeks to my exams and tbh I don't think I've ever been so worried in my life. I usually do quite well in school(B grades) but for some reason I feel as if my head has turned into a sieve. Preparation tests seem to be getting harder and my grades are even falling in some subjects which I've always been good at. I study daily after school for 2hours ish but this recent mental block has me stumped and I don't know what to do.I'm quite shy in RL so I don't really want to discuss it with any teachers etc.

Any advice would be hugely appreciated and I would also be grateful if you didn't spam/troll this thread as it wasn't particularly easy to write giving my ego and all!

Love,
CF

First up never worry about exams. Some excel at them others don't is just the way it is and some of the most successful folk in life didn't really do well in exams so all you can do is your best. Accept this and is easier.

As for revision bite sized chunks is often the best way as the human brain really only concentrates for 30 mins or so. Revise your topic and make notes and after 30 mins stop and have a 5min break then re read your notes and move on.

Cramming. Well I was/am rubbish at French and before my French exam my plan was to parrot learn some very impressive phrases rush in and scribble them all down which was a genius plan until Sarah Hirst said to me "remember Dr. banner is the incredible hulk " just before I went in :icon_evil:

So am not a french teacher to mine and everyone else's benefit

So don't cram just make bullet points of what you are revising then condense these some more so a whole subject becomes a series of "triggers" for you and you'll be amazed at what your brain will remember

For example "Dr. Banner est l'incroyable Hulk" which is useless but confuses the hell out of arrogant Parisian waiters and distracts them from my inability to shrug and forgo soap.

At the end of the day CF exams really don't matter unless your aim is to be a nuclear physicist. Do your best and you'll know that whatever the outcome you've haven't let yourself down and that lesson will see you sail through life!

Oh and good luck!

 

[Nauzhror]

There is no perfect system... a lot of school/college qualifications are merely a demostration that you can learn and comprehend to a certian standard, not that you hold the information for the rest of your life...

Even proving that you remember it all right now is better than failing every single test but still passing because you did the coursework.

That basically says, "Well, you didn't learn anything, but you tried to, and that's good enough for us.". Nowhere else in the real-world is that true. No job has ever given me a promotion or raise for trying but failing.

 

[Maggie Wallis]

Even proving that you remember it all right now is better than failing every single test but still passing because you did the coursework.

That basically says, "Well, you didn't learn anything, but you tried to, and that's good enough for us.". Nowhere else in the real-world is that true. No job has ever given me a promotion or raise for trying but failing.

There is more to intelligence than just being able to repeat a list of facts or a collection of knowledge... for example the ability to apply and evaluate said knowledge is most probably more important...

Exams can be a good test of knowledge and course work can be a good test of the ability to use the knowledge...

A simple example might be an exam that asks you to name the chemicals required to make dynamite... the course work might be to make the dynamite without blowing yourself up...

I'll let you decide which person is most intelligent:

A) Bill, that can remember what chemicals are required to create dynamite but blew himself up trying to make it...

B) Ben, couldn't remember what chemicals are required to create dynamite in an exam... but when given the chemicals makes some lovely stick of dynamite without blowing himself up...

Fortunately for me I'm probably one of few people that get paid for what I know, rather than what I do (just as well as they don't pay me for trolling)... I would think most of us get paid for what we do, not what we know... I'm pretty sure I wouldn't pay a mechanic that knows how to fix my car but can't actually do it... Though I'd happily pay a mechanic that needs to get the manual out and read through the instructions and then fixes my car...

But anyway.. intelligence is a concept and is therefore not measurable as a whole... and most people that struggle in one area will suceed in another...

 

[DeletedUser7797]

As a really old person CF and someone who has changed career and taken very difficult professional exams in later life ( as well as doing O and A levels when younger).

There is some great advice here but I would reiterate:

Don't panic, if you fail one or a few you can re-take
Try to take regular breaks, your brain will re-sort stuff
Try and suss out how you learn stuff by trying out past papers and considering how well you did. Decide how you learnt the stuff you know and try and repeat that technique in the other subjects.

One last bit, try and stay away from TW, it eats up time and you need to be very selfish about time in the short term so that you do as well as you deserve.

Good luck

 

[DeletedUser]

Think positively and revise in short bursts - no more than an hour at a time, otherwise your brain will simply lose interest, have breaks of about 30 minutes in between sessions, the more active, the better.

Needless to say, avoid any distractions: turn off your TV, sign out of Skype, switch your PC and phone off altogether if you're not using them as revision tools.

Probably covered in the previous comments, but meh.

Edit: also, staring at a book does not constitute revision, be sure to apply the knowledge with flash-cards, exam questions, etc. Remember that a lot of marks are often based on spelling, grammar and technique, in a lot of subjects. Be sure to 'signpost' for the examiner, by which I mean show techniques you use clearly. Although, I confess, the only subject I'm truly proud of is English, but feel free to Skype me if you have problems with it, I'm not yet at college/university, however.

 

[DeletedUser]

whats the point
dont ya realise what year it is and that the powers that be are going to slaughter the best of 90% of the population..
I suggest you take all the advice from here that feels good and enjoy it while you can.

 

[Nauzhror]

There is more to intelligence than just being able to repeat a list of facts or a collection of knowledge... for example the ability to apply and evaluate said knowledge is most probably more important...

Exams can be a good test of knowledge and course work can be a good test of the ability to use the knowledge...

A simple example might be an exam that asks you to name the chemicals required to make dynamite... the course work might be to make the dynamite without blowing yourself up...

Except of course all doing the coursework usually means is you tried, not that you succeeded. A lot of classes the coursework is not graded, merely given a score for being completed on time. As such it's just padding that allows incompetent people to pass no matter how little they actually learn.

Not to mention that I've taken a lot of courses where the "exam" was hand-on.

ie. I had to write an operating system and a programming language from scratch during my junior year (university not high school).