How to Use Your Preliminary Exams to Develop a Successful Strategy for the Matric Finals

The Prelims, held in August and September, were a learning experience and a time for most Matric students to find out how best to prepare for their Matric finals. Preliminary exams provide you with an excellent opportunity to practice writing exams under pressure, and you can learn a lot from them.

This post shares some insights and thoughts about the study process involved in preparing for exams. And as you prepare for your Matric finals, we invite you to reflect on how your experience with writing Prelims can guide your preparation and hopefully improve your performance.

Categorise the Types of Errors You Made

Every year, the internet is full of examples of common exam mistakes. Some are amusing, while others are more serious. While having a general idea of what you shouldn't do in exams is a great start, self-identifying the mistakes you may have made in your Preliminary exams can help you avoid repeating them in your Matric final exams. 

To facilitate the process of self-identifying errors, here are a few types:

Time-Management Errors

For any exam, you need to review and study the right material, key concepts, and ideas relevant to the subject. As you reflect on your Prelims, it is important to evaluate your time-management skills. Why? The quality of your exam preparation depends on how well you plan your time and whether you have a study strategy. For this reason, cramming before an exam is not encouraged or helpful, as it can affect your ability to answer exam questions clearly and correctly. To make the most of your time, update old notes, outlines and summaries, and make sure they are usable for Matric finals. Creating a study plan can also help you prioritise and schedule more time for difficult subjects.

Exam-Taking Errors

Exam results are greatly influenced by your exam-taking skills. Perhaps you could have avoided some mistakes if you had read the contents of the exam more carefully. Here are some questions you should ask yourself: Did I read the instructions carefully? Was I confused by the wording of the questions? Did I misinterpret any information? Did I spend too long on one question and as a result, didn't have enough time for other questions? 

Your answers to these questions will enable you to develop a more effective exam-taking strategy to ensure ultimate success in your Matric finals. 

Panicking 

The very thought of sitting an exam can be nerve-wracking for most, especially if you find you can’t answer any questions. Have you panicked about specific questions in your Prelims? As a rule of thumb, you should always try to write something down, even if you do not have a complete answer. Remember that you will not get any marks if you have not written anything down on your answer sheet.  

Over-generalising (especially for English exams) 

Although writing is not everyone's forte, students in Matric write a few papers that involve longer answers with more detail. In other words, there is no way around it. You need to practise writing longer answers that show that you have understood a topic and can work around it.  When you go through your questions from the Prelims, make a note of which keywords appear in each question and compare them with your answers. This way you can find out what information the question asks for and write question-specific answers that show understanding, reasoning and analysis.

‘Two heads are better than one’

It has been said that ‘two heads are better than one’, yet people often say that they can perform best when working alone. It's easy to accept this argument because not every approach or idea is successful for every individual. However, in the domain of learning, there are many benefits associated with working with others. According to education experts, learning in a group promotes the development of skills that are important for processing information, evaluating problems and solving them.

Some might wonder how this works. Group learning involves the exchange of ideas and perspectives, which allows you to compare, contrast and expand your knowledge. Through this engagement, what people share can change previous opinions and views or bring any gaps and weaknesses in them to light. For this reason, engaging in pair or group learning may be beneficial.

Take Advantage of the Expertise of a Professional

Friends and family members are often the first people who come to mind when we consider who might be a suitable partner for collaborative learning. Working with someone with whom you are less familiar or whom you do not know can be a challenge at first. However, consider how a professional who is knowledgeable in a subject you may find difficult could offer you additional support in preparing for your Matric finals. You may also be able to get the extra points you need to bag a distinction with the help of an expert.

Let’s unpack what an ideal ‘partner in learning’ looks like: 

Supportive

It will be helpful to have someone to give you one-to-one time and space, as this has been shown to help build and strengthen self-confidence and self-esteem. Time and space for individual development are crucial in encouraging these developments as it allows you to see your progress and gain confidence in your abilities. With the help of a professional, learning can be more fun and engaging as they can tailor teaching methods to your specific learning needs.

Rewarding 

People seem to prefer engaging in interactions that involve a reward or outcome. Such interactions are valuable when you notice positive changes or feel a sense of comfort. Now imagine someone who is excellent in the subject you are studying but can teach it in a simple, easy-to-understand and memorable way. 

Open 

There are two ways to look at this. On the one hand, your partner must be willing to talk to you transparently about your academic performance, strengths and the areas where you need to improve. An ideal partner will give you objective and helpful feedback that includes a solution.

On the other hand, it can be unnerving for some people to open up when they do not understand a concept, idea or equation. As a result, people generally remain silent and don't seek clarity. One important thing to always remember is that silence stops you from gaining understanding, and the only way to change this is to speak up. Therefore, the ideal partner would be someone with whom you can talk openly about your learning challenges and whom you trust to help you overcome them.

Service 

It's important to find someone who has the knowledge and resources to help you succeed and who is committed to your success. Sometimes all it takes is one-to-one support, at your own pace and in a space where you can ask as many questions as you like. The idea of service in learning is to support you every step of the way.

Where Can You Get Help?

Looking for the right support to match your specific academic needs, within your parent's budget, can be tricky and time-consuming. Luckily, at Teach Me 2, we have exceptional online Tutors who are both knowledgeable and able to teach all National Senior Certificate subjects at an affordable price. We offer one-to-one tutoring to improve learning and exam writing skills. We are confident that we can help you achieve better results in your Matric final exams.

Click here to find a tutor