tips for gce o-level students (sg)
september has finally arrived and the dates for the upcoming gce o-level exams are getting closer. fear not, this fellow poly student will help you out on some tips when it comes to o-levels :D oh and btw im from express batch 2016 so yea know, if you want to know how my papers went, feel free to ask
1. practice makes perfect.
as much as how cliche this sounds, it exists for a reason. get your ten year series and prelim practice paper out, and start working! give yourself a time limit as well, depending on your paper and subject. force yourself to go to school on a weekend (if allowed) or arrange a time to go with your friends to a place to study. for me, my math teacher arranged to come back to school on saturday mornings or even go to the airport to have some coffee. i definitely love the ten year series as it gave me the excitement of doing math! you can’t really practice much for science and english, but what you can do is get a clear idea of the questions’ requirement. It’s most likely the same way the questions would be asked in your o-level exams, even though phrased differently.
2. consultations
consultations are like the best to be honest. I’m blessed that i have teachers that are willing to help me out. even though it might be hard to ask your teacher out for a one-to-one session, it’s gonna be very beneficial if you take their advice and tips to the heart and actually practicing what they say. always take the chance of teacher consultations when they offer to help, they mean well :) it’s a sign that they do want you to get a good result and they do care. consultations helped me so much. it ensured me that i don’t make the same mistakes all over again and gave me a sense of self-confidence when answering questions! always seize the opportunity!
3. know where you want to go
at this point of time, you should know which tertiary path you want to go to. JC or Polytechnic? going to ITE is not an option for you unless you really don’t care about your grades/life. sorry if this sounds harsh but this exam is basically gonna be your future. know what kind of path you want to go in. if you’re still unsure, have one JC and one Poly course in mind that have a difference of 2-4 points due to the different point system (L1R5 for JC and L1R4 for Poly) once you have the range in mind, work hard for it!
4. get organised
oh my gosh this is very important. you know those times when there are mandatory filing checks, welp they happen for a reason. as much as i hate filing my notes and worksheets, they are very helpful actually. now that prelims are over and you can get your files back (soon… hopefully), get out your notes and tests, and tuck the rest under the bed because those ain’t gonna help you anymore. from this point on, your notes are your number one tools to help you understand what you’re going to do on your paper, and surely you don’t ever want to lose them! for me, i got the simple plastic folders you can get in your school bookshop, and you just slide the notes according to their subjects. it’s a simple habit that you should get into right now, and it’s not heavy at all! i barely use my textbooks because they’re such a heavy burden tbh, carrying it all over school. notes > textbooks when it comes to practical use.
5. sleep sleep sleep!
this is the most important part. i actually regret burning the midnight oil during my prelim study period because i felt so dreadful and tired when it was exam day. when it comes to o-levels, i ensure to use every time that i have to practice during the day, take a break or skim through the notes at night, and sleep at 10-11pm latest. there was a case in my school in which someone actually collapsed in the bus because she had an insufficient sleeping schedule, and it was an o-level exam day. always take care of your health because it is way more important than getting a decent grade. so, take this as an “excuse” to sleep more in the night, but don’t forget to wake up early to start studying!
6. create an exam schedule
No, i do not mean to write down all the dates of when you’re next exam will be. i mean by having a timeline on what you will do during an exam. my math teacher printed out a schedule that is optional to follow, so click here to see an example of my exam schedule! i feel it is helpful in a way to manage my time during a test. once you’re done making an exam schedule, practice this when you do your ten-year series or any test actually. as long as you try to make a habit out of this, you will notice yourself doing the same thing during the exam! i recommend using canva.com when making your planner, it’s very aesthetic as well!
