This article is based on literature reviews and personal experiences. The author is a lecturer and a Registered Nurse who has appeared for many examinations in the UK, Canada, USA and Australia.

The most important thing about preparing for examinations is how desperately you want to do them and pass them. If you are not motivated to succeed no amount of learning and preparing will help. So, if you not motivated do not waste your time or other people’s time. Do not enroll, call it quit now because you have not wasted anything.

Failing examinations or withdrawing from them at the last minute will have consequences for the rest of your life. Further, there may be adverse academic performance consequences, a fail may be recorded in your academic record. This will hound you for the rest of your life. So, make up your mind before you enroll, be clear that you really want to do this.

Motivated people always succeed. They find ways to succeed even in very adverse circumstances. Unmotivated people look for excuses to fail. There are plenty to these too. So, the first step to success is to deciding to succeed. Once you have decided to succeed you will be able to make an action plan to succeed and you will succeed.

Studying for examinations is often seen as “difficult” because of the notion that examinations are difficult. Further, students feel that because the questions are unknown therefore the examiners have a large area to choose questions from. The truth is that even in large topics only certain topics are suitable for examination. Knowing the topic will help you narrow down the likely questions.

Predicting questions is one way of effectively preparing for the examination. It is true that you cannot predict with 100% accuracy but you will do really well even if you can predict with 50% accuracy. If you predicted 50% of the questions you have stacked up your chances of winning the examinations game.

Remember, what you are being taught is not always new subject matter all the time. You already know some of the background materials. So if a question which was not predicted shows up you should attempt it anyway and do your best. Give it your best shot. There is a good possibility that you will pick up about 50% or more marks.

Some students feel that the “teachers” expect the students to know “everything”. Teachers are human beings and they do not expect students to know everything because even teachers do not know everything. Honestly, now that I am a teacher, I realize more than ever before that I know very little. The reason for this is that I get asked lots of questions and when I research the answer I find that each answer raises more questions to be answered. As far as I am concerned it is only a myth that the teacher knows all the answers. So take heart, your efforts will be rewarded if you can demonstrate that you have put in the “effort”.

When answering a question you need to answer the question only, there is no need to know everything. References are useful but they are not everything. Marks are awarded for presentation, content, and relevance. Grammar and layout are also important and add to overall marks.

Do not be discouraged by large, complex, difficult to study subjects. Tackle these topics one at a time. Break the large topics into simpler ones and soon you will find that the task is achievable with reasonable ease. When you take this small task on for the first time make sure you do a good job of it. It will be very motivating to know that you have learned a difficult topic or part of a difficult topic. This is likely to get you fired up to take on the more difficult challenges.

Reward yourself when you have achieved a goal. After you have tackled a difficult topic feel free to reward yourself with something which you like. This can include a longer that usual break, a chocolate bar, a drink or simply a pat on your back. Make sure that the reward is in proportion to your achievement. Small achievements should be rewarded with small rewards. Passing a major examination deserves a big reward. Holidays and big gifts are appropriate rewards for end of degree programs etc. Rewards serve to reinforce acceptable behaviors.

Support and motivate others who are studying for examinations. Others include your colleagues, family members and friends. Positive comments are addictive. If you have motivated someone else you can one day hope to get that support maybe from someone else. In my lifetime I have been supported by my classmates my teachers, my parents and my church. A culture of support will have beneficial effects for all concerned.

When I was doing my undergraduate degree I learned a lot of things about myself. I would encourage you to know yourself. Knowing yourself includes knowing your habits, your learning style, and best learning times which produce optimal results for you. I learned that when the examinations were really near I was able to keep awake and learn “hell-of-a-lot”. This was probably because the fear of failing was phenomenal and I did push myself too far.

On one occasion I studied all night for an examination the next afternoon. I worked hard. Guess what, my judgment was wrong. I found that I could not recall many of the articles I had read. You’ve guessed it. I barely scraped through. I now realize the importance of an appropriate balance. Now I am older, wiser and smarter, I always have a good night’s sleep before an examination. My suggestion is you do the same.

One of the other things I learned while doing my undergraduate degree was to start preparing for the examinations real early e.g. soon after enrolling. I located and made a list of previous years questions. When these topics were discussed I paid particular attention to them. Many-a-times the questions were repeated. Now that I am a lecturer I am aware that many lecturers have favorite questions and tend to rotate them. I too tend to do this. The reasons for this behaviour are simple. The questions which an examiner can ask must be “important and have broad applications”.

Very few questions fit this general criterion. So the questions are repeated because there are only a limited number of options a lecturer has. So try and guess what the questions will be. You will be surprised at the number of correct predictions you can make. You must do an analysis of your course, the lecturer and the trends which are at work in your university.

A certain amount of anxiety is good. However, too much anxiety can be disabling and therefore counter productive. When this happens it is a good idea to learn relaxation exercises. Yoga, walking, watching TV, talking with friends or family can all help. Avoid talking with persons who are not likely to support you or are stressed out themselves. In extreme cases call your teacher.

When you are studying difficult topics it is helpful to study for shorter periods, have frequent breaks, make notes, and sleep when tired. Studies show that sleep helps neurons establish connections. Knowledge and recall are essentially nerve connections. The more nerve connections and pathways you have the more knowledge you will have. Sleep helps to organize thought processes. NEVER participate in physically demanding activities after you have learned lots of new materials. If you do you are not likely to remember very much.

Reward yourself for small gains

To be successful one needs to know oneself. Goals which are set must be realistic and achievable. If you set very difficult goals, I am sure, they will be achievable if you are well motivated but be prepared to pay the economic and opportunity price. We all know our weaknesses and our strengths. You are, most probably within the normal range of people who is not too smart and not too stupid. Be prepared to study the areas which are not your favorite. You may be weak in one or more of these areas.

The situation will be compounded if you are weak in the areas and you dislike them. The chances are that you will have difficulty staying focussed. One hour will seem like one day. However, you have the ability to turn things around. I had the most amounts of problems with Obstetrics & Gynecology, and Paediatrics. My strengths were psychiatric nursing, medical and surgical. So be prepared to spend more time studying what you have ignored in the past. You will not pass if you are not motivated to succeed.

At the end of week one of study, your pace and confidence should be increasing. Of course there will be times when you will be feeling down, there will be times when you will be feeling artificially high. Whenever, you do well in the self assessed tests you will feel good. Use this energy to push your energy and motivation to new “highs”. If you do not do too well you may feel down. You need to kick yourself and remind yourself that you have passed many examinations before and you are not going let this happen now. This is called reminding your self of your successes. Most of us are successful most of the time.

No matter what you do, please disassociate yourself from “failures”. You do not want to hear them tell you what they want to tell you. Remember, if you associate with failures, you will be a failure. Let me tell you one other thing, if you are looking for a successful partner you need to hang out with successful people and you will find yourself a partner who is successful. If you hang out in bars etc. you will find yourself a good alcoholic. You can interpret what a “good alcoholic” is for yourself! Many successful businesses deals are made on the golf course. It is not helpful to know why one failed. It is more helpful to know how and why one passed.

Now, time is flying by. Some days are really good others are really bad. This is the norm. No need to loose sleep. Continue on your chosen path. Think of the benefits of passing the examination, better job, more income, being close to loved ones, getting the job which you really wanted all your life. All I wanted was a house and a Cadillac. So, get a mental picture of what you will gain from passing this and other examinations. Visualization is the greatest motivator of all, it worked wonders for me. It will make you work harder, stress will disappear and there will be bountiful amounts energy.

Read journals and magazines which advertise the type of jobs you would qualify for, the income you would earn and the place where you would like to live. Good holidays, more time off, a job you love, ? $100,000 per annum etc. These will be very strong motivators for you and all who are interested in furthering their goals.

Now, you are in the examination hall. You are very likely to be familiar with many of the questions. It is likely that there will be some questions which you have not seen before. In this situation, you must attempt all questions. Do the ones you are familiar (easy) with first. Then attempt the ones which you find difficult. Using this approach will help you pass but it is unlikely to help you get A+ grade.

Finally, when it comes to writing the examination try and mimic your study conditions. For example, if you usually have a cup of coffee before you study make sure you have a cup of coffee before your examination. You do not have any control over the examination hall. You have control over how you study. So, when you are studying, try and mimic examination conditions. Studies showed that students were able to recall more under similar circumstances. You too will be able to recall more under similar circumstances.

Passing examinations is a big deal. Society measures the candidates’ abilities by looking at their examination grades. So, passing exams is important, it will change your world. You may be able to say good-bye to poverty, unemployment and welfare etc. Say hello to doing a respectable, enjoyable and meaningful job. I call this type of thinking “visualization”. Visualize the future, your future; it will motivate you to succeed. I hope you did it before you enrolled but it is still not too late yet.

Remember, that it is you who wants to pass this exam. If you want the good things in life than you need to pay the price. The price is hard work now. Rewards always come later. Do not look for instant gratification. In the long run the rewards are going to keep coming year after year for two or three years of hard work. This is usually the case when you are doing an undergraduate degree.

Do not dream for the impossible. Many studies show 90% of employed people are not happy with their jobs. The chances are that you will not be happy with yours either. The flip side this is that educated people earn more than unskilled workers and that the difference is increasing. People who are employed are happier than those who are unemployed. The probability of finding a job which you like becomes higher if you are better educated and have done the right subjects etc. when you were at school.

Visually look at the result sheet. You have passed. A few more weeks and it will be over. You will be able to harvest the benefits of your hard work: a good job, a job you enjoy and a stimulating environment. You can make it happen. Will see you at graduation. Life is what you make it. Good Luck.