Matric exams – what should you NOT do?

When studying for the most important exam you’ve ever written, it is important to keep a positive outlook and be committed to doing your very best. But the pressure to perform may tempt you into thinking that it will be okay to cut a few corners. This is the last thing you want to do at a time when you need all your wits about you to be clear-headed and stay focused. So, what should you NOT do during the matric exams?

Don’t use social media

Unless you’re consulting a WhatsApp or Facebook study group during a study break, stay away from social media. Social media is addictive and the greatest distractor of our time. Go as far as giving your phone to your parents to keep temptation at bay during study sessions.

Don’t compare

The temptation may be nearly irresistible, but do not ask your friends how much studying they’ve done for a given subject. If they have studied five chapters and you’ve studied only two, you may start to panic and rush through chapters without retaining enough of the information. They may have studied five easy chapters while you’ve tackled the difficult ones first. Or if they’ve covered less ground than you, you may be lulled into a false sense of achievement and slacken off your pace.

Don’t procrastinate

Stick to your study roster. Don’t put off studying for a subject if you have days in between exams. If you leave everything to the last minute, you are likely to become panicked. If you have, say, three days in between exams, cover as much ground as you can during the first two days, using the third to revise the material or concentrate on areas you don’t know so well.

Don’t pull all-night cramming sessions

You may be sorely tempted study through the night if you’re not as well prepared as you’d like to be. But, resist the urge to cram. You may think you will be fine after pulling an all-nighter, but what you achieve in knowledge gained, you will lose in clarity of mind, emotional peace of mind and intellectual recall.

Don’t medicate

Stay away from any medication your body is not used to, such as tranquilisers to calm you down or stimulants to help you stay awake. The same goes for energy drinks and excessive cups of coffee. Stick to a healthy diet and get enough sleep to keep up your strength and a keen mind.   By Linda Cilliers