Exams

[cipherdecoy]

Is anyone here in the midst of exam preparations and is dying from all the stress?

I come from a country where education, or so they call it, takes precedence over everything else to an extortionate degree. Everyone in my class received their report books a few days ago and because we did badly as a whole, we were bombarded with lectures by the teachers who're telling us to:

-study at least 8 hours a day during the June holidays
-cancel all appointments and outings with friends
-no going abroad for a holiday even if our parents ask us to

Just wondering if this is a common situation across the globe, or a sad indictment of the education system in my country.

Also, I've been told I read too much and should spend more time studying. But I find that I can't get as much out of studying than I can out of reading the books I read.

Oh wells, anyone? :sick:

[Trystan]

8 hours a day? Seriously? I could never do that. I usually do no more than 8 hours a week ffs. :goof:

When I was in school they always used to use scare tactics like: If you don't study you won't amount to anything, you'll end up as a bin man with no money . . . etc. It was pretty dumb really. I'm in college now though and the lecturers are far better than the teachers I had.

[sprinks]

I should be studying right now :D hehehe. Oh well, I'll be gone in a minute to carry on doing homework and study. Over here they're not quite so strict about it, they just tell us that we'll benefit greatly if we actually GO AND STUDY. If we don't, it's our problem and we'll end up in TAFE. Which isn't all that bad, they just want us to go to uni.

Well, I've got exams in about 3 weeks, so I'm going to go do some work now!! :)

[Scorpio Ascendant]

My biggest problem with exams was that "I had to" sit down, whether I like it or not, and study. I hated the fact that "I have to". Just thinking that "I have to" was enough to shatter my concentration. Don't even remind me. Now what I do is I study before the exams even the things we didn't get to yet, so I won't "have to" when the exam is coming. Our curricula were so time consuming, I felt as if I was wasting my time literally memorizing long poems, complicated math formulas and even religious texts. And, to top it off, there was no such thing as "ask the teacher he/she will help you," or "get a tutor." The teacher explains once and once only, and if you say you missed it, you miss points from your GPA for "not paying attention" to the teacher. Mostly, what we did was self-teaching when you come to think of it. But I had to pass with A's to keep my promise to myself for absolute success.

Your teachers are so unrealistic. Ask them, did they study for 8 freakin' hours daily themselves to come and tell you that "you have to"?

Unbelievable. And good luck.

[Big Al]

I live in America, and education is a pretty low priority in society. It works out pretty well for me, though.

[sofia82]

Oh, fortunately it is the first time i don't have any exam and i really feel good about it, although i study by myself not for exam and i sometimes read for 8 hours if i am ok and all other things too :D Don't worry so much this period will finish, too. Just do what you think is good for you and your future, maybe what your teachers said is good i don't know.

Do you know now i am not taking exam, but giving exam and it is a great thing after those years of just taking and taking exams with lots of stress.


My biggest problem with exams was that "I had to" sit down, whether I like it or not, and study. I hated the fact that "I have to". Just thinking that "I have to" was enough to shatter my concentration. Don't even remind me. Now what I do is I study before the exams even the things we didn't get to yet, so I won't "have to" when the exam is coming. Our curricula were so time consuming, I felt as if I was wasting my time literally memorizing long poems, complicated math formulas and even religious texts. And, to top it off, there was no such thing as "ask the teacher he/she will help you," or "get a tutor." The teacher explains once and once only, and if you say you missed it, you miss points from your GPA for "not paying attention" to the teacher. Mostly, what we did was self-teaching when you come to think of it. But I had to pass with A's to keep my promise to myself for absolute success.

Your teachers are so unrealistic. Ask them, did they study for 8 freakin' hours daily themselves to come and tell you that "you have to"?

Unbelievable. And good luck.

Oh it is the same in our country and the only way is self-teaching and i think all the time i wasted my time just going to the class ang mostly getting nothing from the teachers, although there were some that helped a lot.

[JBI]

I study 8 hours a day, and I'm on vacation from school for 4 more months. For me it isn't about exams, but is about knowledge, and subsequent wisdom. Maybe after developing that I'll be able to move onto exams with more confidence.

[cipherdecoy]

[QUOTE=Taima;575375]My biggest problem with exams was that "I had to" sit down, whether I like it or not, and study. I hated the fact that "I have to". Just thinking that "I have to" was enough to shatter my concentration. [QUOTE]

Yes, I absolutely agree. "You have to." is one phrase I've been hearing a lot from the teachers.

Alright, thanks all! Guess I'll just have to study now... :flare:

Ugh, forget about the hmtl error thing.

[kasie]

My exam days were a long, long time ago but can I just tell you a little story that might just put a different perspective on your present situation?

My parents did not have the chance to study - they both went to elementary school and left at fourteen to start work, my dad as an apprentice carpenter, my mum as a shop assistant. They were both bright people and wanted more but this was the Welsh Valleys in the Depression and they were lucky to have jobs. Both of them read and studied as they could, my dad went to night school for years, my mum wanted to be a nurse but it didn't happen. They worked hard and did well in their jobs, my mum became a manageress while still in her teens and my dad was never out of work, even if he did have to leave home and travel to wherever work could be found. When I came along, I was told from a very young age that I could choose whatever career I wanted, but a career it had to be, not just a job, and I was to aim at the highest qualification I could achieve in my chosen career - they would support me while I did so. While I was at University, I was told not to expect to be left any money when they died, I was having my inheritance in advance - this was a joke, but like many jokes there was an element of truth behind it and I was aware even then that they were making considerable sacrifices to keep me in full time education. I realised I had a terrific debt to them, one that I could never repay in monetary terms. On the day I graduated, my dad took my degree from me and gazed at it almost with tears in his eyes. 'They can't ever take that away from you, kid,' he said - and I knew I had achieved the very thing he wanted for his daughter, something that could never be taken away from her. I have never ceased to be grateful for that opportunity.





Sermon over! :D

[Pensive]

-study at least 8 hours a day during the June holidays
-cancel all appointments and outings with friends
-no going abroad for a holiday even if our parents ask us to

I can relate to that, but your teachers have beaten mine here who ask us to study for six hours a day. Eight hours for O Level exams (you mentioned somewhere you are taking them, right?)sound a way too much....but I would rather choose studying for eight hours than entering the kitchen for three hours. :p

[farnoosh]

in our country its like yours...we have to study 11 hours plus the school
but we never giveup our vacation or going out and you dont let it go ok?
because if you do you are going to have trouble with reading and homeworks

[EricP]

I may be slightly strange, but I really miss my university days and all of the pressures of writing essays and researching various subjects. I still read a lot, but I only read what I like. This may sound enviable, but I think that being required to read new authors and books that I would never pick up willingly helped to broaden my horizons. Many of my favorite authors now were introduced to me by my professors. What I miss most, though, is the discussions and arguments with my classmates about what we were reading and writing about. Also, I rarely write anymore, besides taking notes over what I'm reading. Now, only one of my friends likes to read books of substance and discuss them, but he doesn't get the opportunity to read as much as he used to because of his busy family life.

Luckily, I'll be returning to the university I did my undergraduate work at in the Fall, but this time as a professor. I can't wait to slide back into the structured world of academics again...although I'll probably start missing all of my time I now spend reading for pleasure! Oh well.

[kasie]

Perhaps I too am slightly strange then, EricP, because I felt the same way! That's why I was so pleased to find this forum - comments on books without the strange looks from people around you!

[Dori]

I live in America, and education is a pretty low priority in society. It works out pretty well for me, though.

Yeah, it is. I study only during school hours and I pull off straight A's.

I have two exams today which I haven't studied for: English and Math. :D Two essays and a bunch of math problems shouldn't be that hard (not anything like that chemistry test I took two days ago! :lol:).

[Virgil]

My exam days were a long, long time ago but can I just tell you a little story that might just put a different perspective on your present situation?

My parents did not have the chance to study - they both went to elementary school and left at fourteen to start work, my dad as an apprentice carpenter, my mum as a shop assistant. They were both bright people and wanted more but this was the Welsh Valleys in the Depression and they were lucky to have jobs. Both of them read and studied as they could, my dad went to night school for years, my mum wanted to be a nurse but it didn't happen. They worked hard and did well in their jobs, my mum became a manageress while still in her teens and my dad was never out of work, even if he did have to leave home and travel to wherever work could be found. When I came along, I was told from a very young age that I could choose whatever career I wanted, but a career it had to be, not just a job, and I was to aim at the highest qualification I could achieve in my chosen career - they would support me while I did so. While I was at University, I was told not to expect to be left any money when they died, I was having my inheritance in advance - this was a joke, but like many jokes there was an element of truth behind it and I was aware even then that they were making considerable sacrifices to keep me in full time education. I realised I had a terrific debt to them, one that I could never repay in monetary terms. On the day I graduated, my dad took my degree from me and gazed at it almost with tears in his eyes. 'They can't ever take that away from you, kid,' he said - and I knew I had achieved the very thing he wanted for his daughter, something that could never be taken away from her. I have never ceased to be grateful for that opportunity.





Sermon over! :D

Oh my God, Kasie, that story brought tears to my eyes. I completely understand both your parents and your debt to them. And I don't really mean the financial debt.

[Amundsen]

What is your country??? Where do you come from???