Tips to do well for your exams

These Study Tips are for any student who would like to stick to a good study regime. You don't have to be the TOP Brain to do that---anybody can do it by following these simple rules and tips. Its your call !!!



BE ORGANISED
•Make a homework/study timetable. Work on the important or urgent task first. Give equal time to your least liked subject. Leave until last the things you enjoy most and things that are least urgent. Highlight all the important task to be done.
•Vary your study. Spending too much time on one task will give you less time for something else which might be just as important.
•Use your study diary. Keep it handy all the time. It's a valuable tool to keep you organise yourself.
Organise your study timetables so that the most important stuff is given TOP attention time!! (e.g. PRIORITY - Top >>>Medium >>>Low)





FILE YOUR NOTES
Create an individual subject files at home. This could be a 2 ring binder. Preferably use one at each subject.

Place the subject name clearly on the outside. When you get home from school each day transfer all the notes and handouts you recieved that day into each of your subject folder.

Before filing, read through, make notes and organise what it is you need to study from them.

•Your subject file can be further divided into topics. This will make it easier to locate a particular topic when you need to study it later on.

SET A TARGET
•Carefuly check your timetable, make sure you have allowed a reasonable time for what you want to achieve. e.g. "Complete Math exercises 3 and 4 or start writing a draft for English essay." You need to clearly identify exactly what you have to do.
•Set yourself realistic targets. When you get them done, you will feel good about yourself. Each small achievement helps to build up your confidence.
Congratulate yourself each time you reach your target.

IDENTIFY
Identify exactly what it is you need to learn in some subjects. You might have to memorise a poem or a speech. In other subject you might have to write an extended response. So in order not to waste time, IDENTIFY the kind of learning or task that you need to do and work accordingly.

READ AND MAKE NOTES
•By using the notes from your subject or topic files, read and make notes - write comments, make brief summaries.
•Practice the writing of key ideas and facts from memory, you will learn better by doing this.
•Highlight important information, it makes it easy to relocate. It also allows you to create an outline of the material as you are reading. (Use highlighter that are not too bright, they have a tendency to be distracting)
•Write notes as neatly and as legibly as possible. If you compose neat notes, or at least legible ones, you can save valuable time by not having to rewrite them.
Note taking is probably one of the foremost components to being successful in acquiring productive study skills

CONCENTRATE ! ! !
•Don't daydream! Keep your mind on what you are doing.
•Remember to have a 10 minute hourly break, this will help you concentrate. The best way to do it is to stnd up and face away fromyour books, don't sit at your desk starring at your book- the physical act of standing up will help your thinking back to the job.




UNDERSTAND WHAT YOU ARE LEARNING
Understanding in the classroom involves listening to instructions, being attentive, involving yourself in discussions and asking questions.

Take an active role in your learning. This will improve your understanding of the subject and will help you recall too.

•Summarise things in your own words. When you are summarising, it should be short and to the point, capture key elements. Use diagrams, drawings, and flowcharts.
•When you don't understand something, don't be shy or afraid to ask your teacher for help.

REVISE ! REVISE ! REVISE!
It is normal for your brain to forget things, but this doesn't mean your not smart.

You should revise work very soon after you have learned it, once or every two or three study sessions, simply review older materials that you still need to remember.

Doing this regularly will save you having to re-study a topic in detail. Make sure your homework/study timetable includes plenty of revision time. The summaries and class notes you have made can be a great help in revision.

One simple trick to remember older information is to SIMPLY REVIEW.


Are doing a research for an assignment ?
•Study Skills - Six Research Strategy Secrets
The following checklist and questions are guide for students while they are doing their research for their assignments, it will help students to acquire and developed their skills in finding the right information not only during the students' high li

http://hubpages.com/hub/research-strategy-secrets

(http://hubpages.com/hub/how-to-study)

Tuition Enquiries

ANDY Tuition Enquiries












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Contact Information

• Email                        : andy_esm@yahoo.com.sg
• Contact no               : 97382683 (Pls SMS. Thanks)
• Subjects taught       : A/E Maths, Combined Science, Physics
• Levels taught           : Secondary 1-5, JC
• Preferred areas       : Seng Kang, Kovan, Hougang, Buangkok
• Please contact even if your area do not fall in the above.

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Tuition Rates:

Package 1: Home tuition (One to one)

Secondary 1: new rates (pls enquire)
Secondary 2: new rates (pls enquire)
Secondary 3: new rates (pls enquire)
Secondary4/5 : new rates (pls enquire)

Advantages
- No travelling needed. Andy will conduct the lesson at your home or preferred location
- Total attention will be given to you for 2 hours
- Good for students who are shy/uncomfortable to ask questions when in group
- Free notes will be given 



Package 2: Group tuition (max:5) . Special Rates for group request (Form a group and contact me)

Secondary 1/2 : $150/4 lesson
Secondary 3/4/5 : $170/4 lesson

Advantages:
- Cheaper and more affordable for students who have financial constraint or tight budget
- Can discuss and share information in group
- Free notes will be given
- Can arrange with friends and form a discussion group




Pacakge 3: Per lesson Basis Tuition (One to one)

Secondary 1/2 : $50/hour
Secondary3/4/5: $60/hour

- Minimum 2 hours per session
- Subject to availability
- Good for students who need some help before test or exams but cannot commit long term



Please email to andy_esm@yahoo.com.sg or call/sms 97382683 for more information

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Other subjects/Levels: Pls refer to :
 

EdustarAsia Tuition Services (www.edustarasia.com.sg) - EdustarAsia Tuition Services is one of the leading tuition agency in Singapore. They have a database of 15000 experience tutors (school teachers, lecturers, graduates, undergraduates). I know the agency owner personally. Do quote my name when you request for tutors to enjoy special discounted rates!!!

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Exam Tips

(An article i found which is especially useful for students tackling their exams now)

Tests and exams are a regular part of the school environment. It is important that exams be kept in proportion - they are important, but not the end of the world. Some things can be done to make exams a more valuable, worthwhile and less threatening experience for students.

1. Have all necessary material with you
   You can't borrow items such as pens, pencils, rulers or special equipment while in an examination.
   
2. Have a relaxing night before your exams
   Have an early night, and try to have a healthy breakfast.
   
3. Read the entire paper.
   Where you have choices, decide which ones you plan to answer.
   
4. Plan your time.
   Spend some time drafting a plan for the questions you choose to answer.
   
5. Jot down ideas as they come to you.
   While you are answering one question, information about another may suddenly occur to you. Jot it down somewhere because when you come to that question perhaps an hour later, you may have forgotten it.
   
6. Don't leave any questions unanswered.
   If you are short of time, use note form. Remember, you can only be marked on the answers you give.
   
7. Never leave the room early.
   If you have time at the end, go over your work, add information (eg in the margin). You can't return if you suddenly remember a fact after you have left.
   
8. Do not spend too long on multiple choice questions.
   With multiple choice questions it is best to cover the answers and work out your own before looking at the choices on paper. If you can't answer the question come back to it later - have a guess.
   
9. Never omit an entire question.
   No matter how well you answer other questions, you must leave time for all questions - a perfect answer can still only earn a certain number of marks. If you write nothing, you can't receive any marks and you have lost all your marks for a particular question. Write something - it may at least give you a few points.
   
10. Maintain a stable energy level.
    Eating foods such as chocolate bars before an exam might give you an energy boost to begin with but your blood sugar levels will drop within an hour and your energy will plunge dramatically, making it hard for you to concentrate.

(http://www.schools.nsw.edu.au/gotoschool/highschool/examtips.php)

Treasure your happiness

As we grow up, we learn that even the one person that wasn't supposed to ever let you down probably will. You will have your heart broken probably more than once and it's harder every time. You'll break hearts too, so remember how it felt when yours was broken. You'll fight with your best friend. You'll blame a new love for things an old one did. You'll cry because time is passing too fast, and you'll eventually lose someone you love. So take pictures, pictures and more pictures, laugh and laugh and laugh out loud, and love like you've never been hurt because every sixty seconds you spend upset is a minute of happiness
you'll never get back.

Owner of ExamSupermart - Andy Chan

Attention all: 

2011 tuition classes have started! Please register asap as the classes are filling up fast  !!!

ExamSupermart's owner, Andy, graduated from the National University of Singapore in 2006. He has been a tutor for over a decade and specializes in teaching Secondary Maths and Physics. Through the years, Andy has taught numerous students from different schools, streams and hence has gained vast teaching experience and knowledge, which he wishes to share with all the students through ExamSupermart.

Particulars:

Name : Andy Chan
Age : 30
Nationality : Singaporean
Ethnicity : Chinese
Email : andy_examsupermart@yahoo.com.sg
Language : English, Chinese
Subjects Taught : A/E Mathematics, Physics, Chemistry


Academic Background/Achievements:

Primary (Chongfu Primary)
=> Top 5% of the national cohort
=> Distinctions for 4 subjects
=> Entered into special stream

Secondary {The Chinese High School (changed to Hwa Chong Instituition in recent years)}
=> One of the top 3 Secondary schools in Singapore
=> Awarded 9 Distinctions in O'levels

Junior College (Hwa Chong JC)
=> "A" for Maths, Physics and Chemistry

Tertiary: National University of Singapore
=> Second Upper Honors in B.Eng. (Electrical Engineering)


Awards and Participations:

Academic
• Engineering Accreditation Board Programme, 2005
• American High School Mathematics Competition
• NEW Australian Schools Science Competitions
• Australian Mathematics Competition (Intermediate Division), 1996 – Certificate of Credit

Sports
• Flash Inter-School Track and Field Championship (Secondary)
• National Schools Volleyball Championships (JC), 1999
• Member of the most outstanding ECA award (TRACK AND FIELD) 1998


Owner’s thoughts:

"ExamSupermart is set up with the intention of providing an informative, easy-access website to help all students overcome the difficulties they faced in their school work.

Personally I don't believe in weak or poor or even hopeless students. This is crap! I know that most students who don't score well is because they never put in enough effort or they do not get the help and the proper guidance they need.

Hence, with all my years of tackling exams, tests and my vast experience gained from 10 years of tutoring, I have come up with a series of methods to help weaker/lazy/unmotivated students overcome their fear and difficulties in exams. I believe with the proper guidance, and patience and the correct teaching methods, together with the effort from the students, ALL students CAN not only pass, but score well!!!!!!

So trust me, if I can do it, so can you!!!!!"

~ Andy

Why NH3's solubility decreases when temperature increases

The variation of solubility for a gas with temperature can be determined by examining the graphic on the left.

As the temperature increases, the solubility of a gas decrease as shown by the downward trend in the graph .

More gas is present in a solution with a lower temperature compared to a solution with a higher temperature.

The reason for this gas solubility relationship with temperature is very similar to the reason that vapor pressure increases with temperature. Increased temperature causes an increase in kinetic energy. The higher kinetic energy causes more motion in molecules which break intermolecular bonds and escape from solution.

(http://www.elmhurst.edu/~chm/vchembook/174temppres.html)

Study smart

Here's another article i found on web which is very educational :

Building an Understanding

Learning is a process similar to building a house. You aren’t fed the complete picture. Limitations on communication prevent the instantaneous transmission of knowledge. Instead you listen to lectures, read textbooks and take painstaking notes to try and comprehend a subject.

You are fed building supplies, bricks, mortar and glass. It is up to you to assemble the building. Unfortunately, most learning strategies fall into two basic types:

1. Memorization - Instead of building anything you simply stare at each brick for several minutes trying to record its position.
2. Formulas - This is the equivalent to being blind, fumbling around a new house. You can’t see the building itself but you learn to come up with simple rules to avoid walking into walls.

There is nothing particularly wrong with either of these strategies, assuming they aren’t your entire strategy. The human brain isn’t a computer so it can’t memorize infinite sums of knowledge without some form of structure. And formulas no longer work if the questions they are designed to solve change scope.

Learning Holistically

The alternative strategy is to focus on actually using the information you have to build something. This involves linking concepts together and compressing information so it fits in the bigger picture. Here are some ideas to get started:

1. Metaphor - Metaphors can allow you to quickly organize information by comparing a complex idea to a simple one. When you find relationships between information, come up with analogies to increase your understanding. Compare neurons with waves on a string. Make metaphors comparing parts of a brain with sections of your computer.
2. Use All Your Senses - Abstract ideas are difficult to memorize because they are far removed from our senses. Shift them closer by coming up with vivid pictures, feelings and images that relate information together. When I learned how to do a determinant of a matrix, I remembered the pattern by visualizing my hands moving through the numbers, one adding and one subtracting.
3. Teach It - Find someone who doesn’t understand the topic and teach it to them. This exercise forces you to organize. Spending five minutes explaining a concept can save you an hour of combined studying for the same effect.
4. Leave No Islands - When you read through a textbook, every piece of information should connect with something else you have learned. Fast learners do this automatically, but if you leave islands of information, you won’t be able to reach them during a test.
5. Test Your Mobility - A good way to know you haven’t linked enough is that you can’t move between concepts. Open up a word document and start explaining the subject you are working with. If you can’t jump between sections, referencing one idea to help explain another, you won’t be able to think through the connections during a test.
6. Find Patterns - Look for patterns in information. Information becomes easier to organize if you can identify broader patterns that are similar across different topics. The way a neuron fires has similarities to “if” statements in programming languages.
7. Build a Large Foundation - Reading lots and having a general understanding of many topics gives you a lot more flexibility in finding patterns and metaphors in new topics. The more you already know, the easier it is to learn.
8. Don’t Force - I don’t spend much time studying before exams. Forcing information during the last few days is incredibly inefficient. Instead try to slowly interlink ideas as they come to you so studying becomes a quick recap rather than a first attempt at learning.
9. Build Models - Models are simple concepts that aren’t true by themselves, but are useful for describing abstract ideas. Crystallizing one particular mental image or experience can create a model you can reference when trying to understand. When I was trying to tackle the concept of subspaces, I visualized a blue background with a red plane going through it. This isn’t an entirely accurate representation of what a subspace is, but it created a workable image for future ideas.
10. Learning is in Your Head - Having beautiful notes and a perfectly highlighted textbook doesn’t matter if you don’t understand the information in it. Your only goal is to understand the information so it will stick with you for assignments, tests and life. Don’t be afraid to get messy when scrawling out ideas on paper and connecting them in your head. Use notes and books as a medium for learning rather than an end result.

(http://www.lifehack.org/articles/lifestyle/10-tips-to-study-smart-and-save-time.html)

11 Habits of Highly Effective Students

1. Study. A good rule of thumb for college students is "2 hours of study for every 1 hour in class." This may be even greater as you prepare for an exam or work on a paper. Be aware of your personal best time to study and try and stick to a schedule. Find a place to study where you won't be interrupted. Discover the library!

2. Get the right tools. Make sure you have all the right "student tools" to be successful: textbooks, binders or folders to keep you organized, paper for notes, a computer or access to campus computers, a calculator, pens and pencils, etc. You can't be a good student if you haven't got the right tools.

3. Keep up. Keep up with your reading and assignments. Class lectures will be more understandable if you've kept up with your reading. Once you begin to procrastinate and get behind, it is very, very difficult to catch up. Reading all the chapters for the first time the night before the exam rarely works.

4. Attend class. Once you get in the habit of not attending class, it is hard to get back on track. Make a habit of never missing class.

5. Consider a study group. Some students learn really well this way. If you give this a try, keep the group small (2 to 5 people max). Make sure it doesn't turn into a social event. To see if you really understand a concept, try and teach the idea to a member of your study group.

6. Prepare wisely for exams. Most exams you'll have in college will demand that you're thoroughly familiar with the vocabulary of that discipline. Not only should you know the vocabulary inside and out, but you should understand the subtle differences in meaning between two similar words or concepts.

7. Watch your syllabi. Make sure you not only hang on to each syllabus from all your classes, but also make sure you refer to them throughout the semester. When are the exams and what chapters will they cover? What other assignments are required and when are they due?

8. Communicate with your professors. New students are often intimidated by professors and are often reticent to visit with them. Communicate with your professors about issues that need attention; don't wait until the end of the semester when the situation has become out of hand.

9. Relax and balance your life. Take advantage of many the social activities we have on campus (e.g., clubs, athletic events, dances, etc.), but don't overdo it! Don't let your entire four-year experience at SUU turn into one long social event.

10. Take care of yourself. You know the routine: exercise daily, eat right and get 7 to 8 hours of shuteye each night. Also, make sure you use your "support network" (e.g., parents, roommates, friends, ecclesiastical leaders, etc.) for moral support.

11. Work on your career. Spend plenty of time thinking about your career, as opposed to wandering through the next four years and then getting serious about it. Periodically set aside some time to reflect on your choice of major and where you’re headed with it. Ask yourself: Why did I select the major I did? Can I see myself living with this career choice in the working world every day? Will it make me happy? Do I have some natural abilities or talents that will help me be successful in my major field? Will my choice of major enable me to provide the kind of living with which I’ll be satisfied? How much more education will I need beyond a bachelor’s degree in my chosen field? Does my career choice “fit” with some of my other lifestyle choices? Have I seriously considered other majors?


(www.suu.edu/faculty/powell/pdf/effective.pdf)