The Last Word

By Matthew Kinley | Posted: Monday September 16, 2019

Well boys, this coming week we will all step into the ring with every high schoolers arch rival, exams.

We’ve all been training throughout the year for this moment. However, I am going to give you an old timers last minute tips to make sure everyone can at least go the distance. It doesn't matter if you’ve gotten yourself mentally ripped or if you’re still feeling a bit podgy in the brain department, listen up! These can be a game changer.

My first tip is to take the time to read the question. Once you get that pen in hand it might be tempting to start scribbling straight away. However, make sure you take the time to properly read what’s written down. It is vital that you pick up on the wording and understand exactly what it's asking you to answer. Nothing feels worse than not only wasting time but brain power on a useless response.

My second tip is to time manage. I know I just said, "take your time reading the question," however this doesn't mean staring at it blankly for 20 minutes. If it doesn’t click right away cut your losses and move on. You never know something might jog your memory later on in the exam and you might just be able to come back to it and pull it off.

My third and final tip is to write something. This is the best one in my opinion because it loosely combines everything we have covered. You’ve read the question perfectly, nothing clicked. You’ve moved on hoping for the miracle brain jog, nothing clicked. Now you are left with that last resort. The hail mary. The old make it up on the spot. Believe it or not, this can sometimes work. If you write words that kinda sound right you might just be able to scrape a few marks here and there. These all add up and can put a big fat smile on your face and get your teachers off your back when you find out you've scraped in by 1 mark.

So this upcoming week might be the last thing some of us, if not all of us want to do. But remember the tips, grit your teeth and give them your best. To end with a quote I'm actually predicting to hear in the future, “Thank God for those three tips I heard last assembly."

Cheers.