FOCUS right to the end!
This is the message to matric pupils busy writing their exams from Wonga Ntshinga, senior faculty head of Programmes for ICT at The Independent Institute of Education, SA’s largest private higher education institution.
“It is an understandable mistake for grade 12 pupils to feel that they’ve already failed and don’t have much power to change things or improve on their overall performance with their remaining papers.”
Ntshinga’s advice to pupils
Keep the end goal in mind
Visualise your plans for next year, and match that dream with the performance you need to get there. That means not just the performance on, for instance, the five papers you have already completed, but also the two that are still to come.
Stick to your roster and pace
Keep up with a consistent effort on your remaining work in line with how you planned your approach at the start of the exams. Don’t be tempted to take unnecessary days off now, with the intention of cramming later.
Break down your projects into smaller tasks
Break up your remaining workload into smaller, easier to complete sections rather than attempting to sit down for hours at a time to study entire textbooks in one go.
Avoid panicky thoughts
Don’t let negative thoughts and emotional energy over your current writing experiences impact your future exams.
What’s done is done. You can’t change the past, only the future.
Even if you believe you have done well so far, don’t let your confidence sabotage your upcoming papers.
You need to keep the effort going and adjust your studies to focus on where your studies are weakest.
If things had not gone well, renewed and continued effort can mean the difference between having a range of study options or limited prospects.
Get some exercise and get out of your room for a while
Take a walk outside, give yourself a special treat during your scheduled downtime, do something new.
