It was only after I left school that I finally worked out
how to maximise my results if I had a number of essays to write during an exam.
In this video I want to share this very simple discovery with you.
G’day. Welcome to Crystal Clear Mathematics where it IS easier than you think.
I’m your host, Graeme Henderson.
The more essays that you have to write during an exam, the better this method works.
I’ve had to sit for quite a few exams that required five essays
and this system has worked very well indeed.
If you have reading time before your exam,
use it to select the questions that you’re going to answer.
And, the moment that your exam starts, select a sheet of paper for each question
and write the question number at the top of each page.
If you have to write your essays in booklets, ask for spare paper so that you can do this.
Now, read each question in turn and, on the appropriate sheet of paper,
write down absolutely every fact and quotation and bit of information you can think of
that’s relevant to that question.
When you have finished this process for each of your essays,
five or ten or even fifteen minutes of your exam time might have elapsed
during which time the students around you have been working on their first essay —
but, you have four big advantages!
The first is that you no longer have to struggle to remember anything for any of your essays.
Your notes are all on paper and this means that your mind is free
to concentrate on each essay as you write it.
The second is that your subconscious mind is now fully acquainted with each essay
and, as we’ll see, that’s a very important fact.
Third, your stress levels are now vastly reduced and this means that you can think more clearly.
And fourth, even if you had to suddenly leave the exam room,
you still have the potential to earn good marks on all of your essays
simply on the basis of the notes that you have written.
Now place your papers in the order in which you’re going to write your essays,
from the easiest one on the top
to the one with which you’re least confident on the bottom.
As you answer each question, read the question carefully,
and then spend a minute with your summary sheet, circling various points, drawing arrows,
numbering certain sections
to plan out the order in which you’re going to make your points.
And then write your essay swiftly and with confidence.
The reason this system works so well is that, while you’re writing an essay,
your subconscious mind will be popping up ideas relevant for the remaining essays!
Simply pause your writing, find the relevant summary sheet
and jot down the note that came to mind, and then resume your essay.
I have sometimes found, by the time I’ve got to my last essay sheet,
that I’ve had three to five times as many points on it
as I had written down at the beginning of my exam time!
This system has worked well for me and I commend it to you.
This is Graeme Henderson, hoping that this suggestion
will help you survive your essay-based exams with less stress and even better results!
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Thank you.