Examination Techniques

The English language has its roots in languages like Greek and Latin. An understanding of the common root words will help us make educated guesses about the meaning of new words and substantially strengthen our vocabulary. Given below is a list of commonly used root words, their meaning and some examples of words formed using these root words. ROOT MEANING EXAMPLE  WORDS Ambi Both Ambidextrous – Use both hands well Ambiguity – Double meaning, can be interpreted in more than one way Aqua Water Aquarium – Artificial environment for water plants and animals Aquatic – Plant or animal living in water Art Skill Artistic – Natural skill in art Artisan – Skilled manual work Auto Self Automatic – Working by itself Autonomous – Having self-government Bi Two, Twice Biannual – Occurring twice in a year Bigamy – Being married twice Bio Life Biology – Study of living things Biohazard – Risk to living things C

Allow yourself a little nervous tension but, equally, ensure an underlying feeling of quiet confidence. Read the instructions and questions carefully. Make sure you know how many questions you need to do. Highlight key words to determine exactly what each question is asking for. Allocate your time to ensurethat you will completethe examination. Move on as soon as the allotted time is up for each question. Read each question carefully before answering, highlight key words and identify all component parts. Plan your answer and refer to the plan regularly as you write. Avoid post-mortems. Learn from the whole experience.

Stay positive and in control. Use your time wisely and don’t be too hard on yourself. Each time a negative thought enters your head about the exam, replace it with a positive one. Stay in control of the situation, don’t let the situation control you. Exams are not a problem for those who have approached the course with the right attitude and techniques. Active revision and summarising notes eases the final workload and helps your memory. Plan your revision carefully and maintain at least some contact with carefully selected course colleagues. Your aim must be to arrive at the exam in as good a physical and mental state as possible. So don’t tire yourself out with work and don’t wear yourself out with the wrong type of lifestyle. Aim to arrive at the exam calm, collected, refreshed and cautiously optimistic.

“Throughout life people will make you mad, disrespect you and treat you bad. Let God deal with the things they do, cause hate in your heart will consume you too.” That’s how it is for everyone of us. “Throughout life”, meaning life doesn’t stop for any of us.  And along with that, the 7 billion people on this planet are all here to stay, and some of them are bound to make you feel less-than-stellar, one time or another. So don’t get too affected by them or even allow them to bring you down. Just let it go, and move on with life. Let God, or well if you don’t believe in God, let the universe deal with them on its own. Will Smith

Exam is one heck of a time to discover you haven’t covered the syllabus!  So remember to: Get a copy of the syllabus. Ask the tutor if he/she expects to cover everything. Monitor your progress throughout the course to see whether you’re covering everything. If not, try to establish the level of risk. Ensure you read appropriate course materials yourself to cover the gap.