We all want to take home that perfect grade, and show it off to all our friends and family; we all dream of having your friends gawk and gasps whilst your parents proudly boasts of your latest perfect score to the neighbors.
Yet, that A+ will forever remain elusive to some of us, nothing but a fleeting dream, a distant hope, a painful memory. But the worst thing is not receiving that perfect score on your final year exams; it’s studying as best you can, putting in your greatest effort, and yet not receiving that perfect grade, all the while not knowing why!
In case you’re one of those in the sea of millions, who put in their best effort and yet emerging from the exams with a mediocre B, here’s a handy checklist of some major (and minor!) faults that can cause one to slip up and miss that perfect score by inches!
1) Stress
This is a relatively common factor that causes us to slip up during the crucial moment in the examination halls; stress, accumulated during the long study periods and late hours, can cause our minds to suddenly blank out during the moment of reckoning. It’s common and sometimes even unavoidable, and I’m sure everyone has gone through one of these ‘omigosh my mind is blank what do I do know’ moments in their lives.
The good news is that whilst blanking out is a common occurrence, there are ways to deal with such a crisis, as well as minimize the chance of such a disaster altogether. Eating and sleeping well works best to rid yourself of any stress; foregoing oily and fried foods for healthy fruits and vegetables will help immensely, as will a solid 8 hours of sleep. It’s been said many times before, but staying away from last minute revision is probably a good idea as well. If the need to cram for a test last-minute arises, try alternating studying and power naps; information gets absorbed into the subconscious rapidly whilst sleeping, so repeated half hour study sessions followed by half hour power naps will allow you to absorb more than continuous studying for hours on end.
If you find yourself blanking out in the middle of a test, you need to simply calm down, and relax. Inhale, hold your breath for 5 seconds, then exhale, and repeat if necessary. A calm and clear mind will always prevail in the end!
2) Time Management
Sometimes, what really causes a person to falter in his pursuit of education is a hectic and unrelenting schedule, or maybe even simple procrastination. There are many causes for this; too many extra-curricular activities and sports, too many commitments, poor time allocation with hours wasted, or simple, pure laziness. A schedule should always be double checked for any time wastage; is too much time spent on transport and commuting? Or perhaps there are too many sports training or music lessons on the list? Or worst still, perhaps there’s no planned schedule at all, and you have no idea what you’re going to do for the next week? Planning ahead is the key. And those with trouble with their faulty memory should consider acquiring a journal, or perhaps a digital planner.
On a side note, multitasking might not be the best idea if one isn’t used to it. After all, dabbling in multiple tasks will simply result in a ‘Jack of all trades, Master of none,’ and in the end, nothing will ever be finished.
3) Procrastination
After all, who doesn’t like putting off homework until next week?
Procrastination is a deadly vice, one that can easily cause grades to plummet; yet, it is also one of the easiest vices to tackle, with a simple dose of determination. The best way to prevent procrastination is to remove all temptation; either the removal of all distracting devices (such as computers and televisions), or going to a conducive environment (such as the library or (gasps!) a deserted classroom) should suffice. Bring nothing but stationary and two sets of homework/revision; in this manner, there’s no other option but to study, yet allowing oneself to switch between subjects if a sufficient level of boredom is attained.
By the way, study groups are horrible……an absolute waste of time. They’re the fastest way to do nothing for an hour except simply talk to your friends. Good for expanding your social circle and building up friendships…….not so much for getting a good grade.
4) Bad teachers/materials
Okay, okay…….sometimes there’s just no helping it. There are a few rare exceptions (yes, RARE exceptions) where a subject grade is in the danger of failing, simply because the students detest/loathe/laughed too much at their teacher, or simply cannot comprehend the garish of their textbooks. There’s really no help for this inside the classroom; all the student can do, is stare blankly at the teacher while he drones on and on about some incomprehensible topic. But the duty of the student lies outside of the classroom; if he knows that the learning in the classroom is almost negligible, he should take the effort to do some research and understand the concepts of the classroom. Wikipedia and Sparknotes are good places to start on a totally new topic; various other study-help sites exist as well to help the budding student. And if worst comes to worst, the student might want to consult their parents about hiring a tutor; a young, affable and knowledgeable tutor might be just what you need to finally score that elusive A+!