5 REASONS WHY STUDENTS FAIL EXAMS
This article was originally written by a Kip
McGrath colleague who runs the Luton and Stevenage Centres and we loved it so
much we wanted to share. To view other great education articles go
to http://leaderinlearning.wordpress.com/
Your
son or daughter has just got a mock exam/test result and has failed
miserably. He/she did lots of revision, but said he/she had a complete
blank when faced with the paper. So what went wrong? Here are the top
reasons why students fail.
1. Not Enough Revision
First
things first, revision does not = reading. Revising is an active process.
Students really don’t understand what they are reading. They should know what
every word means, be able to analyse every diagram, bullet point, graph and
date. Mind maps, mnemonics, highlighting key point and notes summaries on
cards are all useful ways of doing active revision.
2. Starting Revision Too Late
The
path to success lies in good planning. Start revision early. Little and
often is better than a mad panic at the end. Revision should be started so that
there is enough time to understand, learn, memorise and to practice past
papers. Students should create a revision timetable and stick to
it. This will ensure that all the topics are covered and not just the
ones the student likes. They should go over work a day later and then a
week later.
3. Stressing Too Much
Students
can put themselves under unnecessary pressure during exam season. Parents
can relieve the burden by making sure that they are eating regularly and
getting enough sleep. Tiredness makes revision ineffective and affects
performance in exams. Revise for maximum 30 minute intervals and then
have a 5 minute break.
The
exam should be treated as a normal school or college day, other than that they
are doing an exam. Follow your normal routine will help you relax.
4. Running out of time in
the exam
Students
should answer all the easy questions first and then go back to the ones they
have missed out. They should spend more time on high mark questions and
only answer questions they are asked to.
5. Misreading the question
It’s
one of the first lessons our teachers teach us, but it is one of the most
common reasons why students fail. They did not understand what was
required from the examiners and therefore didn’t answer the question. Students
should get hold of a stash of past papers and make sure they also have the
answers to check their understanding. Then familiarise themselves with
exam questions and the language used and always ask themselves “What do they
want me to write?”. They will be less likely to misunderstand if they
have come across similar questions before and being confronted with an exam paper
won’t freak them out.
If your child is about to start an exam year
at school, please contact Kip McGrath to discuss additional tuition in exam
preparation including study techniques.
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