On a wing and a prayer

Leaving exam preparations to the last minute may work, but there is a better way.

Damage control: Reading consistently through the year can build a deep understanding.

Most of us have several interesting and accepted ways of deflecting responsibility from ourselves and instead give the task of ensuring our success to a variety of other-worldly beings. Before exams and interviews, students of all persuasions flock to offer prayer, break coconuts, light candles and burn incense sticks at various altars of hope. They hope that the lack of attendance, attention and application will be compensated by a good show of devotion.

There’s nothing wrong with hope, and there is much to be said for prayer. But both are of little use if they are expected to bear the burden of poor preparation.

Last-minute studying and night-before-the-exam cramming are an integral part of student life, and I’m not suggesting you to give it up entirely. To some extent, the tension and anxiety that fuel this end-stage effort help to focus and get more done in that one evening than we have all through a semester. But the problem with such studying is that it rarely survives the exam and almost never translates into real knowledge that can be applied.

Reading consistently through a semester or year is what builds understanding in a way that stays with us.

You’ve probably heard this before from several people, yet only half believe it — because there are too many examples of people who manage to succeed with last-minute cramming. But there’s usually a context to their success that goes beyond the ability to speed-read hundreds of pages in 48 hours or less! For most of us, the stress takes over (often aided by huge amounts of caffeine) and the levels of comprehension fall.

So how does one approach a course in a way that allows you to learn as well as prepare for that inevitable exam? In other words, what can you do during a course that will make it possible for that last-minute push to actually work?

Be regular

Here’s something else you may have probably heard: it’s important to have regular or consistent study habits, such as a schedule for studying and doing assignments. But in my own experience, college students rarely have a study schedule. Study time and homework routines got left behind with school, right? Clearly, this piece of advice won’t get taken up in a hurry.

Another thing that can help you with exam or test preparedness is to pay close attention to what a teacher says in class and what she/he emphasises on. I’ve spoken several times of the need to be “present” (beyond marking attendance) in the classroom when something is being taught, of the value of taking notes and raising questions when a concept is being discussed. Teachers have a way of pointing to things that then seem to crop up in exams. Haven’t you found yourself looking at a test paper and thinking: “Oh, if only I’d paid more attention in class when this was discussed”?

Even the sketchiest of class notes can work as a study guide and help us navigate through a course syllabus. Lectures not only serve to explain the texts but they also tell us how to read the texts — what is important, how one thing relates to another, and how the understanding might be applied to problem-solving.

Different strokes

Courses are of different kinds and perhaps the way one prepares for the examination could also vary accordingly. If the subject requires memorisation and internalisation of information (principles, rules, dates and events), then there’s no way you can avoid spending time reading your books long enough so that the information is on your fingertips.

If, on the other hand, the subject requires analysis and application, those classroom discussions become important. Teachers often ask questions that draw from these discussions, assuming that you would have paid attention and therefore understood the ideas. Also, if the subject is about skill development, that class interaction is crucial. If the learning is based on watching and doing, paying attention to that aspect in class can help you avoid struggling at the last minute.

Paying close attention in class also helps you to anticipate the questions your teacher is likely to pose. All instructors have their favourite assessment methods. Some like open and analytical questions, while others favour information-heavy questions that depend on memory. Maybe you can tell that the main argument I’m making is not really about exams.

Bottom-line: Classroom engagement is important. Consistent reading is important. Deadlines throughout a term are important.

So if you have all these bases covered, you wouldn’t need to worry so much about appeals for divine intervention.