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Overcome Exam Stress- Easy Ways To Overcome Exam Stress

Posted by THE_INSPIRER UTP Tuesday, November 16, 2010 0 comments

Tests and exams, are a challenging part of life for children, parents and professionals alike. Now there are ways to overcome the Stresses of exams during this crucial time.
Let me share with you some secrets to help you overcome the Exam stress.
Some ways to help you attain even more success during this time of challenge
Have a clear sense of purpose with your exams. Set out exactly the mark that you working towards as opposed to just studying to “see what mark I get”. This alone gives you a clear sense of direction and puts your mind in a frame of achievement.
Manage Your Energy
During these crucial and challenging times you need to manage your energy levels more than anything. The more energy you have the more you can accomplish thus gaining you more time and more success.
Exercise will help boost your energy levels, clear your mind and relieve stress. Walking, cycling, swimming, indoor soccer and dancing are all effective ways of exercising.
Revision tips
Craete a timetable to monitor your progress. ALWAYS allocate adequate time for fun and relaxation as well.
While revising a subject, practise writing. This would give you an actual simulation of the examination itself. Plan your revision and complete it in time. This gives you a sense of achievement and builds your confidence.
Set realistic targets of what you can achieve in the time available.
Spend as much time on recall as on reading. Practise by writing answers as you would do in the exam. This will help you remember the important points when you answer each paper.
Practise writing answers under exam conditions. Take two hour tests, without a break in between, preferably at the same time as that of the exam. This will help your body clock adjust to the examination time and conditions.
Help yourself ace the exams
Time out
To prevent mental fatigue, take a short break as soon as you notice your mind is losing concentration. Stick to activities that do not break your study continuum during these breaks. Avoid television and loud music. You will then be able to come back to your revision refreshed.
It is important to relax. Your mind and body perform at their best only if you get adequate rest.
Maintain a regular sleep pattern
Regular eight hours of sleep is mandatory for the body to function well. Also, sleep at a regular time; don’t alter your sleeping cycle.
It is not important whether you study late or get up early, as long as you get into the habit of being most alert at the same time as that of the exam.
Stop working at least an hour before bedtime. You will find it helpful to do some light exercises, which is particularly effective in relieving stress.
Are you afraid to fail?
What to eat
Food rich in vitamins and proteins, such as green leafy salads and fresh fruits, are a must.
The nutrients will help your brain stay sharp. Avoid food with high fat content.
Don’t drink too much coffee, tea or fizzy drinks. Caffeine will keep you up and reduce the clarity of your thinking.
NO distractions
Keep all unimportant issues at bay.
Right now, your examinations is your only focus. Stay away from distractions that will cause loss of concentration or unwanted anxiety. Stick to activities that do not break your study continuum. Your friends and family must be made aware of not distracting you with things unrelated you your exams.
Are you studying intelligently?
The power of positive thinking
Spend time with people who have a positive effect. It will rub off on you.  Spend few moments daily reflecting on all the things that went RIGHT and all the good that come out of your studying.
Avoid negative thoughts, such as ‘Everyone else seems better organised, while I’m struggling.’ Challenge such thoughts with positive thinking; for example, ‘I have done well in exams before.’
Have a winning Attitude. You control your thoughts and your thoughts DO NOT control you.
Practise relaxation techniques
Practise deep breathing, meditation and yoga as forms of relaxation. They help your body relax and reduce stress. Alternately, take a brisk walk in fresh air after your day’s revision is over.
Make dua before you start studying. Dua will help you increase confidence and reduce your stress as well.
And yes, lots of luck with those exams.

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10 Tips for Improving Your Grades and Achieving Academic Success

Posted by THE_INSPIRER UTP Tuesday, November 9, 2010 0 comments

   
10 Tips for Improving Your  Grades and Achieving Academic Success
Here's a collection of 10 solid suggestions that any student can use to improve grades and academic performance. We'll review 10 great tips on how you can take your academic performance up one or more notches -- to feel better about yourself, to learn and grow more as a person, and, yes, to get better grades. Be careful about setting too lofty a goal to begin with -- you want a goal that is a stretch for you, but not so much of a stretch that it's impossible to reach.

(1) Understand Yourself. A big part of academic success is having the right mindset. You have to not only believe in yourself, but also know enough about yourself to know how to achieve that success. Take the time to examine your academic strengths and weaknesses and find ways to capitalize on your strengths while overcoming or minimizing your weaknesses. Finally, understand how you learn things best -- your learning style -- and try and find classes and study methods that best utilize the way you learn.

(2) Manage Your Courses. Many students struggle academically, not because they do not have the abilities, but because they simply do not actively manage their courses. You should be an expert on the syllabus of each of your courses, with a strong sense of every major assignment and test – including expectations, requirements, and due dates. If some of your professors are too vague on their syllabi, take the time to get the detailed information you need to better plan and execute all graded materials for your classes now.

(3) Read Actively. Yes, there is quite a bit of reading assigned in university. Still, part of your job as a student is to not only read all of it—but do so actively rather than passively. Active reading means doing more than just reading. For some people, it means underlining, highlighting, or annotating the materials. Others develop a list of keywords and summarize materials as they read. Still others continually quiz themselves and try to put the information in a different context that helps them better understand it and retain it. Understand the three R’s of memory: reception (attentive and observant), retention (review and recite), and recollection (organizing and visualizing).

(4) Utilize Every Class. Too obvious? This tip is not just about attending every class -- though attendance is the foundation of it. Not only must you attend every class session, but you should do so with a strategy to succeed. First, you should sit toward the front of the class; studies show that students who sit in one of the first few rows generally achieve better grades than students who sit toward the back. Second, you should get actively involved in the class. Of course, some classes are pure lecture format, but most allow -- and desire -- some level of student participation -- so get involved and speak up. Finally, if you're going to make the effort to attend class, do so with the primary goal of learning -- which means don't be distracted reading other materials, texting, surfing the Net on your laptop, or talking to the student next to you.

(5) Take Great Notes. It's not enough to attend and be actively involved in every class -- you need to also listen carefully and take detailed notes. Obviously you need to listen to take great notes, but there's more to listening than just taking notes. Many professors provide pretty strong clues about the most important elements within a lecture -- even going as far as to say something about a topic's importance for the next test. The best students pick up on these clues. In terms of note-taking, there are any number of systems (Cornell, outlining, mapping, charting, and sentence methods), so the crucial step for you is to find the one system -- including one you develop for yourself – that works for you.

(6) Study Daily and Differently. Every single study of academic success shows that students who commit some time every day to studying – reading, writing, reviewing, etc. -- perform at a much higher level than those who study in larger chunks, and much better than those who cram. Studying daily builds and increases your knowledge base for the long-term -- assuming you are studying actively rather than passively. Active studying means practicing involving behaviors, such as creating outlines, developing flash cards, participating in study groups, rewriting notes, etc. When possible, take practice quizzes and tests to prepare for the actual examinations.

(7) Know Your Professor. Put another way; make sure your professor knows you. It's amazing how many students choose to be anonymous in the classroom. There's nothing wrong with that strategy -- and in some massive lectures halls of thousands of students, it might be your only choice. You don't have to become best buddies with your professor -- and we are not advocating the “kiss-up” strategy either. This tip is about you moving beyond being an anonymous name or number to being an actual person -- whom the professor recognizes. We suggest visiting the professor during his/her office hours. The benefits of this strategy are enormous because you'll get the help you need as well as often getting some insider information -- and there's even something termed the “halo effect,” which deals with the concept that a professor grades more leniently when s/he grades an assignment of a student s/he knows (and respects).

(8) Obtain the Help You Need. Don't wait -- find the help you need as early as possible in the course, long before you begin worrying about whether the course is even salvageable or not. Your first line of help, of course, is your professor and/or graduate assistants. Next up are campus tutoring centers (most colleges have writing, math, and foreign language labs), where you can obtain expert advice and assistance from other students. You can also find your own personal tutors, as many graduate students offer tutoring on the side. If your problem is less academic and more related to other issues, visit your school's academic support center -- in which you'll find assistance for learning disabilities and other guidance. Finally, for more informal help, don't forget to turn to your classmates for assistance.

(9) Improve Your Writing. Writing is the cornerstone of academic -- and career -- success. You most certainly should strive to improve both your writing and your vocabulary while in college. Becoming a strong writer with the ability to clearly express your ideas and arguments will have amazing payoffs in courses that have a writing component -- whether a research paper, term project, or essay exams. Plus, working to improve your writing also strengthens your critical thinking abilities as well as your listening, reading, and speaking skills -- and helps to build your self-confidence. Developing better writing skills will make you feel -- and sound -- smarter, and lead you to greater professional success.

(10) Get Involved on Campus. This advice might seem counter to some of the other tips in this article, but studies show that students who have some involvement in campus activities actually are better at managing their time and balancing multiple demands for their time. In fact, don't just get involved but strive for a leadership positions -- doing so will force you to work harder, plus it will look good to grad schools and employers when they review your resume. But before you happily join a bunch of clubs and organizations, please note that your involvement should be moderate. Be involved, but not over-extended. As soon as your social life starts interfering with your school work, cut back so that it does not affect your goal of better academic success.

Final thoughts’ becoming a better student is a process; it won't happen overnight. But if you are personally committed to improving your grades and follow these tips, you will be well on your way to a journey of greater academic success.
(Dr. Randall S. Hansen, CEO of EmpoweringSites.com,)
   

Published by the Counseling and Development Unit, SSSD UTP(Issue 6)
Prepared by: Hj Abdul Jalil Abdullah

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Preparing yourself is the secret to a successful interview

Posted by THE_INSPIRER UTP 0 comments


Preparing yourself for interview involves reviewing your curriculum vitae & cover letter, doing research on the company and the positions and anticipating questions from the recruiters. By doing some research will allow you to explain why you are a good match for the position. Know your work history and achievement very well too will help to convince recruiters to take you in their organization..
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Quick Tips
  • Know the exact place and time for interview and the interviewer’s name/designation if possible.

  • Do some research on company over the internet etc

  • Learn about the job, google search is best place for you to start off.

  • Think about the Company’s products and services

  • Network with your contacts for further information

  • Consider issues the Company may face and how they relate to your job

  • Visualise what if would be like to work in the Company

  • Revise the fact and figures on your current and previous employment

  • Consider your personal image

  • Visualise and rehearse the interview

  • Be ready to lead the interview if necessary

  • Get ready question to ask the interviewers.


    • Right Behaviour
    · During interview, be prepared to listen. Focus on what the interviewer is saying and not on what you are about to say next.
    · Be an active listener. Pay attention to non verbal cues such as facial expressions to pick up underlying messages.
    · Pacing and mirroring are ways to ensure that the interview goes well. Let the interviewer set the pace and respond in kind. If they are bright and friendly, so you are.
    Be clear
  • Answer questios in a clear and concise manner. Use examples to clarify what you mean

  • Interviewers will often ask you questions about challenges you think you may face in the positions you are interviewing for, or have faced in previous job.

  • Prime yourself by reflecting on situations in your past work experience using examples to show how you handled the situations and describing the outcomes.


    • A useful structure for your answers is as follows :
  • Situation – a brief descriptions of the context

  • Tactics – the possible options you considered

  • Action – What you did and why

  • Results – what you achieved

    • Answering questions systematically enables you to demonstrates your achievement lucidly

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