Back in the 90’s, I used to have a friend who literally wrote and failed JAMB 9 (nine) times, and believe me it was not funny then. I mean it got to a point where JAMB officials took good notice of him (as a regular customer) and they started sending him
seasonal greeting cards every Xmas (believe it or
leave it!).
Writing 6 mentalities to have before writing JAMB
exams is something of great interest to me. In my
15 years of partaking in various examinations, I
have come to realize that there is a big difference
between your state of mind and your IQ. Your
intelligence becomes very useful when you are in a stable state of mind, but when the human mind goes gaga, and there is no external hard disk or back up around the examination room…
Firstly before dreaming of becoming a student of any tertiary institution in Nigeria is to have a good self esteem. Do not judge me wrongly here.
I am not going to tell you to read until we discover another source of electricity from your brains.
I already assume your parents, uncles, aunties and even your oga’s and madams ‘at the top’ have lectured (or should I say bored you) on that already.
I am just here to fix your brain to fit into an examination environment. So what is self esteem? Mind you it is not about dressing like P-Square or Wiz-Kid, or looking prettier than Omotola. It is all about how you see your self (very important!).
It might amaze you that majority of people who think that they cannot pass an examination actually end up not passing that exam. If you stand in front of a mirror and tell your self that you are ugly, then JAMB paper will have the courage to tell you worse( believe me). So from today, as you study for your up coming examinations, start whispering sweet things to your self, network with sound minded people who also share your goals and belief.
Number 2 : Never get intimidated by what other are studying or reading. Very funny right? My first experience as a JAMB candidate was very intimidating. I once entered a JAMB class thinking I have read enough only to discover that I was still a learner. The questions two girls were throwing at on another made me wonder if it was the same JAMB I was about to write. If not for God, I was already imagining the type of bike that would be very suitable for my new found okada
business in my imagination world.
In practice, be a master of the few you have studied, learn them very well and if you want to add to your knowledge, feel free to join other study groups
you might find, be part of them and never feel intimidated. After all you might discover that you know more than them.
Number 3 : Do not think negative about others. Girls this one mostly applies to you people. Just like self esteem, what you think of others greatly affects you directly or indirectly, sub-consciously
or even consciously. You might not know this, but all the time you spend gossiping, jealousy and holding grudges against your friend, makes your friend even better than you. This state of mind makes your studying process more difficult
and painful. So free up your mind before you pick up a book today and most importantly do not keep malice with friends.
Number 4 : Overcome Fear! Just like intimidation, fear has a way of getting back at us. No matter what you read, that fear in you will always tell you that you will fail. Let me break it down for you like this: F-False, E-Evidence, A-Appearing, R- Real. False Evidence Appearing Real. Overcoming examination fears can be achieved through studying with more confident students for that particular examination. Studying with close
friends may also help overcome fear over time.
Number 5 : Choose a strategy! A strategy is a means you want to use and achieve your goals. Since your goal is to pass JAMB and get admission into a university or polytechnic, you have to decide on a good strategy to adopt. If
you are a good listener, you might try listening more often from your friends in group discussions. Like-wise, if you are a slow learner, you might as well try reading and attempting past questions to allow it stick faster to your brains.
Choosing a strategy you are comfortable with will not only make you pass exams, but it will boost confidence and reduce fear in you. So which examination strategy are adopting for you March exams?
Number 6 : Bring in the God factor. If you have read to this point and you do not have a place in your heart for God, I rather suggest you walk round your area and look for a hug-able transformer, so that we will understand what M.I meant in his song ‘beef’. So in essence, fear and
love God. Pray before you study and before your exams, and every other success factor will be easier for you to apply.
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