With some O-Level examinations for English, Maths, and Science beginning in the latter half of the year, it's only natural for students to feel overwhelmed as they start their exam preparations.
We spoke with Ms Lim Wan Ping, Academic Director of The Learning Lab's secondary school programmes, to gather her advice for students sitting for the national exams this year and how they can prepare for O levels in 3 months or less.
"O-Level students often feel stressed, burnt out, and exhausted months before the actual exam. As a teacher, I've seen students lose motivation and even regress in the months leading up to a major test."
However, this doesn't have to be the case if students adopt a few simple habits to centre themselves and remain calm! Try the following nine tips to stay clear-headed as you prepare for the O-Level exams.
Students who are not morning people might find it difficult to sit papers before lunchtime and it can really affect performance if you’re stumbling into the exam hall half asleep.
To mitigate this, begin adjusting your sleep schedule ahead of the O-Level exams, which start in July. Gradually shift bedtime hours to earlier hours, ensuring your body and mind is well-adjusted to the new routine before the O-Level exam day. This will enable you to be at your peak performance when the test commences.
You know what they say: failing to plan is planning to fail. Sticking to a well-planned O-Level study timetable helps with ensuring discipline and setting meaningful study goals. It also means you’ll enjoy taking breaks more.
For better retention, study each subject in rotation rather than sticking to one subject for a long period of time. Alternate between practising question types from different topics within the same subject. This can help you understand how different skills and contrasting concepts are applied across a variety of practice questions. For all you know, you might start noticing a different perspective when solving a question! This strategy could then maintain your interest and motivation throughout your O-Level preparation period.
Believe it or not, revising for your O-Level exams can become more enjoyable when you break down your study sessions into small, achievable goals and reward yourself for each milestone reached.
Why not treat yourself to that cup of bubble tea you've been craving after a focused study session, indulge in a short 30-minute nap to recharge your brain, or allow yourself a brief scroll through your Instagram feed? This way, you are less likely to burn out or grow fatigued while revising.
In the days leading up to the O-Level exam, avoid trying new things that might disrupt your preparation strategy and confidence. New food can cause an upset stomach, a brand new sleep schedule can affect alertness and trying difficult new questions a day or two before the exam can wreak havoc on confidence.
Focus instead on going over familiar techniques and maintaining a routine.
Have a series of steps, a formula or a structure you need to memorise for your O-Level exam?
Try looking through it before going to bed. Research shows that retention improves when students study concepts just before sleeping, particularly if it is new information.
Plus, a restful night’s sleep can reboot the brain in preparation for your exams. So, remember to stay away from backlit screens, such as phones and tablets, at least a couple of hours before bedtime. After all, these devices emit blue light, which reduces the quality of your sleep.
Many students like to revise by reading and re-reading their notes. While this rehearsal process is good for committing something to memory, an equally important step in preparing for your O-Levels is making sure one can access stored facts under exam conditions.
Practise active recall by simply recalling key ideas or solving questions without referring to your notes and books. You can use flashcards to test yourself or even come up with metaphors to help you retrieve content from your memory more easily.
Another fun way to study is to buddy up with a friend! Teaching and quizzing each other requires you to recall, organise and articulate the information, thereby helping you memorise and retrieve key words and concepts while having fun.
While sifting through entire chapters is crucial for comprehensive O-Level preparation, consider adopting a more streamlined approach as you conclude your study sessions. Create last-minute cheat sheets that compile all those complex formulas, critical definitions, and key concepts onto a single sheet per subject.
This strategy narrows your focus to the essentials, aiding in a more targeted, digestible, and efficient revision process. Plus, they're super easy to carry around, allowing for quick review sessions on the go, or, as the name implies, last-minute refreshers before the exam.
The O-Levels are a uniquely demanding undertaking for all students who pass through Singapore’s education system. To be able to navigate all the challenges that will come his or her way, your child needs to adopt a multi-pronged strategy that blends on-paper learning with soft skills.
Given the stakes, the timing of one’s study plan can make all the difference. If you're unsure when your child should start studying for O-Levels, you may begin preparing their study timetable.This is crucial for a comprehensive syllabus review and for cultivating the essential soft skills that complement academic knowledge.
At The Learning Lab, we emphasise a balanced approach to O-Level success, focusing on both content and adaptive skills. Our O-Level tuition programmes are designed to prepare your child not just for their upcoming exams but for a lifetime of learning.
Register your child at The Learning Lab today and secure his or her pathway to O-level success.
Discover firsthand tips and tricks from our students on how they successfully prepared for the O-Level.
The Learning Lab has a wealth of resources you can benefit from. Get more tips on how to pass, or better yet, ace your O-Level exams with our secondary students' guides to mastering English, Maths and Science below.
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