Have
faith that you’ll pass the WASSCE / WAEC examination
According to Dobrin:
Faith is an expression of hope for
something better. More than a wish, it is closer to a belief, but not quite. A
belief is rooted in the mind. Faith is based in the heart.
We act in faith when there is no
guarantee, no certainty. No one knows what kind of life an infant will have,
yet people continue to have children. No one can know how life with our mates
will turn out, yet we continue to have faith our relationships will last a
lifetime.
Have faith in the possibility that
you’ll pass the WAEC examinations in flying colours.
The effect of mixing desire and
faith has a psychological benefit:
It improves your confidence to crush
any paper on the WASSCE / WAEC examination.
Start
preparing early
Don’t wait until when it’s 3 weeks
to the start of the exam before you start intense reading. Start preparing for
the WASSCE the moment you know you’d write the exam.
Develop
a study plan
Anybody who wants to pass the WASSCE
/ WAEC examination needs a timetable.
Don’t
plan to depend on anybody on the exam day
If you plan to depend on someone in
the exam day, you may end up disappointed, frustrated and dejected.
Humans can’t be 100% trusted. Your
best buddy who promised to help you on the exam day may disappoint you.
Your girlfriend/boyfriend/ teachers
may be wary to help you on the exam day for one reason or the other.
Besides, you can get caught for
cheating.
So:
Learn and prepare to stand on your
own. You are your best saviour or investment.
Discover
your weaknesses and build on them
Contrary to popular believe:
There is no harm in trying to build
on your weakness.
There is no harm in engaging in an
activity where you can’t make much impact.
Some people argue that this would
keep you from frustrating yourself and others.
I find this theory wrong because:
- It stops you from improving yourself.
- It stops you from working on your weakness and your weakness could lead to your downfall.
You’re weaknesses could be anything:
- Topics you don’t find pleasant
- Your poor (ineligible) hand writing capacity
- Your poor drawing capacity
Etc.
Here’s an illustration:
You may not become an expert in
solving problems on differentiation. Yet, the little you’ve struggled to learn
could fetch you a few marks on the WASSCE.
A few marks can make you move from a
B to an A.
How
to discover your weak topics
One of the best ways to do this is
to take practice tests. These tests should be centred on
every topic for every subject you plan to write on the WASSCE.
Don’t
neglect basics
I was a better writer when I was
teaching. I was constantly going over the basics and constantly reminding
myself, as I reminded my students, what made a good story, a good poem.—Gil
Scott-Heron
Have you seen a footballer who can’t
kick a ball? It doesn’t make sense right? After all, kicking a ball is one of
the fundamentals of being a footballer.
There you have it:
Fundamentals / basics matter in
everything we do.
For example:
Don’t go learning all the gas laws
if you can’t covert from Kelvin to degree Celsius.
Most students skip the basics of
various topics in a bid to reach their goal quicker or easier.
These students fail to revise
introductory topics before the exam.
They assume that the basics to most
topics are not that important.
But, they are usually hit with this
sad truth on the exam day:
- Basics are important in having a solid base.
- If you have a solid base, you’d be able to fight the toughest questions.
Don’t
neglect “easy” topics
Take any WASSCE past questions and
you’d certainly see “easy” questions.
Some of these “easy questions” are
awarded high marks. Yet, students still fail to answer these questions
correctly.
It’s not because these students are
dumb. But, they were too busy focusing on relatively harder topics at the
expense of easy ones.
For example:
I’ve seen students who concentrated
on covering topics they treated in SHS 2 to their final year. To them most
topics treated in SHS 1 are easy and didn’t need much attention.
But, they were hit with the truth
when questions from topics they treated in SHS 1 appeared in the WASSCE.
Don’t make that mistake.
Understand
how you study best
Every individual learns differently.
It’s important you know how best you
study.
For example:
A student who learns best at a quiet
environment would certainly need to study in a library or quite room.
Know
that you come first
I remember the words my high school
proprietor would say:
You did not come to school with
Kojo, Kwame or Christine, so forget them and focus on your exams.
I do not mean you should be selfish
or anti-social.
But know this:
After high school, you and your
friends are most likely to go separate ways. But, your WASSCE / WAEC results go
with you wherever you go.
So whatever you do should be to your
best interest.
If you fail the WASSCE / WAEC
examination at the expense of helping others, you’re to blame.
Note: I’m not saying helping others is bad, but when the help you
give them becomes a liability—cut it off. Remember, it’s your life.
Put
the WASSCE / WAEC examination in perspective
Don’t act as if you don’t have
anything at stake before the WASSCE / WAEC exams.
Think about how best you can
optimise your chances of passing the WASSCE every day.
Note: Don’t do this in an obsessed manner. You may go crazy.
Know
the exam location before the exam day
Some students have missed exam
because they didn’t know the exact location of their exam.
It’s not right for you to start
asking for directions to the exam venue on the exam day. Do all your
investigations a day or days before the exam day.
Remove
fear from your dictionary
When we experience fear, our adrenal
glands release adrenaline into the blood stream. This causes a series of
biological reactions in our body:
- It increases blood and oxygen flow to our muscles so we can run faster.
- It restricts blood flow to other areas such as our stomach.
- It dilates our pupils so we can better see things around us.
This is also known as the ‘fight or
flight’ mode. In this state, our senses and reflexes become heightened.
It’s easy for us to escape real and
physical danger.
But, these reactions are only
helpful when we are facing real physiological danger. They do not help us when
we are facing self-perceived dangers.
Self-perceived dangers don’t
actually result in any physical harm. So, we only become held back by such
responses when we don’t need them.
A WASSCE question paper should not
make you fear—it can’t give you any physical harm.
Self-perceived fear of the WASSCE
does you no good. It’d only make you to make wrong decisions before the WASSCE
or in the examination hall.
Remove every trace of fear from your
brain—it does you no good.
Rewire your mind for success.
Plan
like a pro
Develop a strategy or plan for each
subject before the WASSCE.
I’m not talking of negative
strategies like:
- How sneak text books into the exam hall
- How to sneak mobile phones into the exam hall
- How to store answers in your calculator
- How to write answers in a your body without getting caught
I’m referring to positive strategies
that worked for me, such as:
1). Knowing the types of topics
you love the most
I’ve already advised you try your
best to be friends with every topic.
But, some topics should reserve a
special place in your heart. These are the topics you’re most likely to get
correct.
For example:
My favourite topics for Elective
Mathematics included :
- Statistics
- Matrices
- Differentiation
- Integration
- Transformations
I usually get questions on the
topics above correct.
So, when they appeared on the actual
paper. I wasted no time in choosing them.
I scored an A at last.
2). Having planned introductions
for your essay:
This strategy has helped me to score
great marks in the following areas:
- WASSCE English Language question paper
- IELTS Essay Writing
- SAT Reasoning Test Essay Writing
I didn’t like going through the
hustle of trying to create an introduction opener. So, I had about 5 predefined
introductions stored in my head.
I’d select anyone that best fits the
essay I planned write or twist it to rhyme with it.
Understand
the exam format for every subject you’re to write
This would enable you to make smart
decisions before the WASSCE.
For each subject you’d be writing,
try to find out:
- How long will the exam be?
- How many questions will you be expected to answer?
- How many questions do you need to answer pass?
- How many questions will you have to choose from?
- What can you expect the questions to be about?
- What you’re allowed to take into the exam?
- Will the exam be the same form as previous years?
- Which questions carry the most marks?
For example:
You wouldn’t waste time answering
questions with little marks if you know which ones carry most marks.
Form
strong alliances with bright students
Image source: Flickr (Kennedy
Library)
- Mix up with the brightest of students
- Form study groups with them
- Learn from them
You’d become a better students
associating with students better than you.
Leverage
the power of examination centres (May / June WASSCE)
WAEC usually request for WASSCE exam
centres to get some materials before the exam.
You can use this to anticipate
the kind of questions that are likely to be asked(for practicals).
For example:
If WAEC requests your school to get
the following items ready before the Biology practical:
- Maggots
- Cockroaches
Etc.
You can definitely guess the type of
questions that would be asked in the exam. So you’d know what topics to
intensely cover.
Develop
consistency in reading actively
This is the one of the hardest parts
in your preparation to pass the WASSCE / WAEC examination.
It’s one thing to make a promise to
read every day, or to obey your timetable.
However, it’s another thing to keep
to this promise.
Distraction, procrastination, and
laziness shouldn’t be in your arsenal.
They are just ingredients that’ll
guarantee you fail the WASSCE / WAEC examination.
Read
wide
Source: Flickr (Judit Klein)
It’s good to cover every topic in
the WASSCE / WAEC syllabus.
But, it’s also important you cover
more than what is listed in your WASCE / WAEC Syllabus
WAEC is also known for bringing
trial questions. These questions are usually from topics that are not on the
WASSCE / WEAC syllabus.
Reading wide can place you in a
position to answer a trial question and get it right. This could save you the
hustle of answering a relatively harder question on the exam.
Take
regular breaks
Study breaks are important for
several reasons. There’s a limit to what your brain can handle in any one-study
session. Trying to push past that without giving your body any time to recover
will just leave you tired.
Know
the content on the WASSCE / WAEC syllabus
There is a possibility your teacher
or textbook may not cover every topic in the WASSCE / WAEC syllabus.
It’s left to you to know which
topics need to be covered prior to the exam.
Develop
consistency in practice—practice, practice, practice
Some students prefer to read than
practice. But, this is a bad learning habit.
Science even shows that constant
practice benefits students.
Get
familiar with every topic you’re required to know
Don’t cast a dice on which topics to
cover.
We all know WAEC recycles questions
from it’s WASSCE past questions.
But, that doesn’t mean they can’t
bring new questions from unpopular topics.
Recommended: WASSCE
/ WAEC syllabus
Take
notes
Take notes of important deductions,
explanations, etc., during your study.
Exercise
regularly
I mean both physical and mental
exercise that will rejuvenate your body and mind. Here are some examples:
- Play chess regularly
- Jog regularly.
Etc.
Watch
your health
It’s a very bad thing to be
inflicted by sickness before the exam.
So, watch your health before the
examination day.
If you’ve been bitten by lots of
mosquito lately, take some malaria medicine a week before the exam.
Otherwise, imagine the damage you’d
face if your hit by malaria a day to the exam.
Avoid
stress
It’s important you spend your time
reading, but don’t over work your brain.
I’ve seen students that spend the
whole night reading, only to forget what they read the next day due to stress.
Cram
for the exam if you have no better option
If you didn’t have time to prepare
for the WASSCE in advance, you may need to learn as much as much as possible in
a short period. Cramming may be your best option.
But, cramming is not an effective
way to study, although it is better than not preparing at all.
Learn
how to study effectively
Effective study requires time
management, note taking, clear mind, pace, active reading, memorization and a few
tricks.
Know
that your teachers are important
For those writing the May / June
WASSCE / WAEC examination, your class work makes up 30% of your score for each
subject.
I believe you already know who is
responsible for submitting your class scores—your teachers.
Most teachers just give their entire
students marks above 20 for different reasons.
However, if your teacher doesn’t
like you, he/she could give you a mark that will guarantee you stand a hard
chance of scoring an A on the WASSCE / WAEC examination.
So if you are the type that always
creates problems for your teachers—repent.
Also, if you treat your teachers
nicely, they’d be motivated to teach you to the best of their ability.
You may not like your teachers, but
just act as if you do. You may even need this skill to excel in the real world.
Eat
well
Image source: eatingwell.com
Your brain won’t be able to function
at its best if you’re not eating properly. Getting enough nutrients will allow
your body and brain to function optimally while you study for the WASSCE and on
the exam day.
Make sure that you eat the right
food at regular intervals.
Stay
hydrated
It’s tempting to load up on
caffeinated beverages when you’re studying for the WASSCE.
But, be careful. Caffeine will
dehydrate you. Dehydration can cause fatigue, so drink plenty of water.
Caffeine can also give you a wicked
case of the caffeine jitters.
Pray
for success if you’re a believer
Source: Natefancher.com
Atheists may not believe in prayer.
However, I’m spiritual, so I’d say pray for God’s guidance prior and after the
exam.
Besides, there are many
psychological benefits of prayer. According to Wikipedia:
Many accept that prayer can
aid in recovery due to psychological and physical benefits. It has also been
suggested that if a person knows that he or she is being prayed for it can be
uplifting and increase morale, thus aiding recovery. (See Subject-expectancy
effect.) Many studies have suggested that prayer can reduce physical stress,
regardless of the god or gods a person prays to, and this may be true for many
reasons. According to a study by Centra State Hospital, “the psychological
benefits of prayer may help reduce stress and anxiety, promote a more positive
outlook, and strengthen the will to live.
On the exam day…
Here are the tips you need to follow
on the exam day:
Be
confident
If you’ve attended class, taken
notes, studied…
In fact, if you’ve obeyed all the
tips in this piece, you can be confident that you’re ready to take the exam.
Having this confidence and visualizing yourself passing the exam will help you
be successful.
Check
yourself properly before you enter the examination hall
I’ve seen students disqualified even
though they unknowingly carried unwanted materials into the exam hall.
So, make sure you’re not with any
unwanted material before you enter the exam hall.
Have
the necessary materials…and in duplicate forms if necessary
Write everything you need on a piece
of paper and make sure you have them at hand before the exam.
You should also make sure you have
the duplicate copy of any necessary material you need.
These include:
- Pen
- Pencil
- Calculator
- Eraser
Read
carefully before you answer
Read your question paper actively
and carefully. Don’t be in a hurry to assume you know what the question asks
for.
Look out for these words or phrases:
- List
- List and explain
- Enumerate
- Describe
- Expatiate
- Deduce
- State
- Differentiate
I’ve seen students that “listed”
when the question clearly requested for an explanation.
I’ve seen students from Ghana who
answered questions meant for students writing in Nigeria.
If you make any of these mistakes,
you may not be awarded the full mark…
…or you may not be awarded any mark.
So, be careful before you start
answering your questions.
As Nigerians would say: “Shine your
eyes well well”.
Fill
your details and answers carefully
Don’t make mistakes in filling your
answers or inputting your details to the answer sheet.
Use
your calculator to perform a few tricks where necessary
We all know calculators can perform calculations in no time.
However, you can also use them to
solve some complex problems in no time.
This would save you the stress and
time you may go through when solving it manually.
It will also help you to crosscheck
your values in no time.
For example:
Some acceptable calculators on the
WASSCE can solve quadratic equations, simultaneous equations, etc.
Examples are:
- Casio fx-83gt plus
- Casio Fx 991ES Plus
Arrive
early
Arrive, at least, one hour before
the start of the exam.
Know
when to go the extra mile
For example:
Some questions may not directly ask
you to provide diagrams. However, to get the full mark or extra points, you may
need to provide a diagram.
This is most popular with questions
that use the following keywords:
- Explain
- Describe
- Show
Etc.
Utilize
short-cuts where necessary
Illustration 1:
If you’re doing a chemistry
practical on titration, and you are sure of the endpoint value in you first
experiment.
Don’t waste your time carrying out
another experiment….
…just add +2 or -2 to your endpoint
value to get the subsequent values.
Illustration 2:
Ratios and proportion
For a physics experiment that
requires you to determine the current I, where length (l) is 15cm, 40cm, 50cm,
60cm and 70 cm.
You can carefully perform the
experiment for the first value(l=15cm), and use ratios and proportions to
generate consequent values.
Note: You can intentionally introduce some errors in other not to
attract suspicion from the marker.
Presentation
is key
- Use good English.
- Draw nicely
- Arrange your work properly.
- Avoid a dirty work.
- Cancel neatly.
- Write legibly.
- Underline sentences or words where needed
Obey
the rules
Rules are meant to be obeyed.
Failure to do so can get you punished.
Speed
up
You only have a certain amount of
time to complete an exam, so pace yourself as you work. This will ensure that
you get through every section of the exam.
Also, it’d save you enough time to
review your work.
Have
a watch.
You need to keep track of the time
you spend in any question.
It’d help you pace yourself during
the exam.
Be
calm
If you are restless, you may not
know when you’d say 1+1 is 10.
Also if you’re so excited because
you find the questions easy, you may make the wrong decision.
Review
your work
Review your answers before you
submit your exam. Look for any incomplete or missing answers, errors, etc.
Don’t
create a scene
Don’t argue with the invigilator.
Don’t disturb other examiners.
Raise your hand when you want to
speak to an invigilator.
Avoid
any form of cheating
Image source: wischannelc.com
I know you want to pass the WASSCE,
but it’s not right to do so by cheating. Here’re some reasons why:
Cheating is lying: It gives the examiner a false sense of what you know.
Cheating is stealing.
Cheating causes stress: You’d always be hiding and worried of being caught.
Cheating could cause you to fail: Your paper could be cancelled. Also, there are chances
you’d copy the wrong answer since you probably don’t know much about the topic.
You’ve been given a brain with so
much capabilities, you can use it to ace the WASSCE without cheating.
Besides, people have passed the
WASSCE / WAEC examination without cheating, and you too can do the same.
Conclusion
If you’ve reached this far by
reading every line above, clap for yourself. You’ve done well.
I hope you follow the instructions
in this guide to the fullest.
credit: larnedu.com
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