Take a pub quiz question, such as the name of a well known actor. It’s just ‘on the tip of your tongue’ but you can’t think of the answer just now. You go on to talk about other things. A few hours later the answer just pops into your mind.
This is your fantastic brain working. Throughout all of your life you’ve squirreled away facts and information. Like any well run office it’s all stored in filing cabinets. The trick is to access the answer when it’s required.
Or is it? The biggest hurdle that a child faces during an exam is pressure. This can lead to real frustration as they can stall when faced with a difficult question – perhaps involving a formula that they just can’t quite remember.
The best course of action is to forget the question and move on. As the child then attempts other questions their brain goes to work. By the time they have completed other, perhaps easier questions, their brain will be working hard to find a solution.
Just relaxing, not worrying and letting your brain take the strain can give the child the correct solution later in the exam. It’s surprising how many times the required information just ‘pops up’ – usually accompanied by a faint smile of triumph.
The worst thing the child can do is to think hard and stop at the difficult question. Let your brain take the strain in learning to concentrate. Exam freezing is real problem and can be every child’s worst nightmare. Treat the exam as a whole paper, not just a question at a time. Always answer the easy first and then come back to the harder ones.
Good exam technique matters and so does trusting your brain.
What do you think? Do you have a good exam tip?
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