Tips on surviving Trial examinations

The time has come. Trials are upon us, or more specifically, Trial examinations are upon Ashleigh-Jade and thousands of other Matric learners. After 14 years  (2 years kindergarten and 12 years of school) in the structured security of a school system, I'm finding it hard to believe that it is now time for my baby girl to put all that knowledge to the test in what is known nationally as Trials... 
In the lead up to Trials, there have been countless countdowns, study timetables, healthy eating plans, vitamins swallowed, as well as stress attacks, pimple outbreaks, nerves on edge and everything else that goes with pre-exam stress... 
So to encourage Ashleigh-Jade and all her school mates facing these dreaded Trial exams, I thought I'd put a few pointers together: 

 RIGHT BEFORE THE EXAM:

  1. Get a good night's sleep. In my opinion, this is the golden rule by far! A rested brain will mean you can think more clearly, remember things more accurately, and describe things more creatively!
  2. Get to the exam in plenty time. Don't leave too late for the exam. Allocate extra time incase there is a hiccup (traffic jam, flat tyre, etc.)
  3. Pack carefully for the exam the night before. Don't leave gathering everything you need for the exam to the last minute. Also, take extra pens, erasers, rulers, 'just in case'.
  4. Eat a good breakfast. Even if breakfast is not your favourite meal, don't risk having a sugar low in the middle of a 3 hour exam. A low-GI option would be ideal (porridge or wholewheat toast).
  5. Stay away from other students right before the exam. Chatting about what you've studied and what you might have missed will only cause you to panic unnecessarily. Find a quiet spot away from the hype of 'pre exam hysteria' and breath! 
IN THE EXAM
  1. Relax. Take deep breaths. Keep calm.
  2. If time allows, read through the entire exam paper before answering anything. This will help you manage your time and allocate time to each section. 
  3. Read ALL the instructions carefully. 
  4. Read each question carefully. Make sure you understand what it is that is being asked (stress often makes you mis-read or mis-interprit questions -- see point 1).
  5. If possible, mark each question as D for difficult or E for easy. Then go back and tackle all the Easy questions first. This will get you on a roll and give you confidence to tackle the more challenging questions.
  6. Underline clue words in the question. This will help direct your answers. 
  7. Remember to look at the number of marks that have been allocated to each question. Don't spend too much time on an answer if it's only for 2 marks, similarly, don't rush through an answer if it's for 25 marks!
  8. Leave space if you feel there is more to say but you're running out of time. If time allows, you can always go back and complete that question.
  9. Remember to clearly mark the question number that you are answering. Teachers don't mind if the order is not right, as long as it is clear which question you are answering.
  10. Write neatly. Don't make the examiner have to work harder when marking your exam!
As the two definitions below confirm, the 'Trial' examinations are really just 'tests' to prove that you have the knowledge to step into the next phase of your life. Nothing more than that...

tri·al

 
noun
1.
Law .
a.
the examination before a judicial tribunal of the factsput in issue in a cause, often including issues of law aswell as those of fact.
b.
the determination of a person's guilt or innocence bydue process of law.
2.
the act of trying, testing, or putting to the proof.
3.
test; proof.
4.
an attempt or effort to do something.
5.
a tentative or experimental action in order to ascertainresults; experiment.


test

1    [test]  Show IPA
noun
1.
the means by which the presence, quality, or genuinenessof anything is determined; a means of trial.
2.
the trial of the quality of something: to put to the test.
3.
a particular process or method for trying or assessing.
4.
a set of questions, problems, or the like, used as a meansof evaluating the abilities, aptitudes, skills, or performanceof an individual or group; examination.
5.
Psychology . a set of standardized questions, problems, ortasks designed to elicit responses for use in measuring thetraits, capacities, or achievements of an individual.


So, all the very best to all the very special Matrics out there! You do your very best and let God do the rest.

xoxo
Leigh



Location: La Lucia, Umhlanga, South Africa

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