If you are focused, exams aren’t so tough

With November drawing near, it is tension time for students as exams are around the corner.Some students read regularly from the beginning of the academic year while others choose to browse through their books and notes when examination dates are declared. In spite of this, things have a way of surprising you, for example, a pupil reading regularly- staying up late at night - may not score well, while the other ‘last minute reader’ may score better than expected. It seems unfair but then again, you have to put a lot of effort in concentration. How focused are you? Is your attention fully on the pages you are reading?Thinking you are studying when you are hardly focused on what you are reading is what will make you fail. It is important to focus single-mindedly on the subject. You could have a book open in front of you, but the gossiping friends around you are a sky-scraping distraction. It does not matter how long you keep that book open, if your mind is elsewhere, you will not register anything. Some students claim that listening to music while studying helps them concentrate so they study with earphones firmly plugged into their ears. In my experience, this is nothing but another disturbance. If you do not focus single-mindedly on your work, you cannot perform to your true potential.Some individuals, knowing well that they have to sit for an exam shortly, chose to procrastinate. There are solutions to all these problems. It is important to avoid all non-essential activities to save time for studies. Set a timetable, dividing the available hours for reading different subjects. Do simple exercises on a daily basis – they help to sharpen the mind and improve concentration. Try reading aloud as if you were explaining the subject to somebody else. After reading the text, write it down in your own words. Make sure you stick to a well balanced diet to stay physically fit. Sufficient sleep will keep your mind alert, so enough with the gadgets and internet.There is really no need to panic because of a forthcoming examination. Just improve your quality of study and stay focused. The writer is a 17 year old teenager