Exams

Having been back in a studying environment, I'm kind of thrown into the world of examinations again. I think we can all agree that exams are just stressful. All those time spent on revisions, looking through notes, memorising facts and figures (and formulas!).

Some people thrive during exams. Ideally, one would be very prepared, revising all the notes and practising all the past exam papers. Primed and ready to tackle whatever questions that may appear in the upcoming paper.

Some are fortunate. This I call "main target saja". Skillfully selecting only some of the topics and often hoping that the topics that they read would come out in the exam. But this can be a dangerous craft. Kalau yang di target atu keluar, baik. But if not.....

Some are not so fortunate. Even despite the preparations, if the questions set by teacher/lecturer are completely different, this can prove to be difficult to score.

Here are some of the things that I've learned about exams:

1) Preparation is key. Ample time should be made for revision and clarification with the teacher/lecturer about topics that is not quite understood. Kill the enemy called procrastination. This is easier said than done of course.

2) Memorising formulas should be banned. To me, this does not serve any purpose. In the working world, there are always references available to look up for the exact formulas. Knowing which formula to use is actually the key knowledge.

3) Discussions with colleagues/classmates outside the class are very useful. More often than not, this is the time that you actually understand the subject and concepts. How many times do we sit in class and listen passively when the lecturer goes through the notes without really understanding anything? This also includes answering past-year exam papers as a group.

4) Examinations does NOT fully reflect a person's understanding of the topic. First of all, not all the topics covered in one module would be asked. It's a real pity when a student have understood a concept very clearly, but no questions are asked about it in the exams.

5) It's judged based on performance on the day. Since we can all agree that it's stressful, even the brightest student might falter with nerves.

6) Time limitation is a factor. How many times have we heard "I just wish there was more time to answer that question. I could've gotten more marks" ? I guess there's an element of discipline of having a time limit to answer the questions, so as to teach delivering results on time. But there are cases where the time allocated is just too restricting with the amount of questions that needs to be answered.

7) More weight should be put to courseworks and assignments. What's good about assignments is that all they are designed to enhance the understanding of a particular subject. You spend some time to get an in-depth look at the subject in order to answer the questions. Also, unlike exams, most of the topics (if not all) are covered. I would go even as far as half of the weighting should be from courseworks and assignments.

8) The learning process is much more beneficial than the final marks that you get. Of course, in the end some form of quantitative assessment is needed, but overall, it's the stuff that you learn is what you're going to use for the future.

9) Last but definitely not the least, make doa to Allah so that all the efforts may come to fruition. Insya-Allah.

Anyway, those are just some of my views. Feel free to comment.