Examination week is one of the most crucial weeks as far as a business degree goes. Every MBA degree goes through this tumultuous time where in you are spending 20 hour days trying to read up cases, notes, and collate all the information you would have carried around through the past 6-8 weeks of class time. Here are some things that I follow and thought should share.
First off, some premise - I have rarely had an intensive exam week in my life. The reason I chose to write about this was because of the tension and stress I saw in my friends and class as the week progressed. I do not claim that this is an overarching solution for everyone, however, I have noticed that people of the same mentality as me have had good exams weeks in their lives.
So here are a few tips to get that high performer in you to shine through the week.
1. Interpret the meaning of the outcomes and embrace the possibilities
Find out the best case, and the worst case and what it means to your graduate school academics and knowledge. I cannot overemphasize this point. It's pertinent that you understand what the score means to you in the following contexts
1. Your grade in the class and your GPA overall
2. Your knowledge of the subject and how it features into your career
3. Your relationship with the professor and how that features in your life
With various grading systems, it's important to keep this in mind before you decide to give it your-all for the finals / mid-terms.
First off, some premise - I have rarely had an intensive exam week in my life. The reason I chose to write about this was because of the tension and stress I saw in my friends and class as the week progressed. I do not claim that this is an overarching solution for everyone, however, I have noticed that people of the same mentality as me have had good exams weeks in their lives.
So here are a few tips to get that high performer in you to shine through the week.
1. Interpret the meaning of the outcomes and embrace the possibilities
Find out the best case, and the worst case and what it means to your graduate school academics and knowledge. I cannot overemphasize this point. It's pertinent that you understand what the score means to you in the following contexts
1. Your grade in the class and your GPA overall
2. Your knowledge of the subject and how it features into your career
3. Your relationship with the professor and how that features in your life
With various grading systems, it's important to keep this in mind before you decide to give it your-all for the finals / mid-terms.
2. Get enough sleep
I have seen and heard people pulling all nighters and 36 hour studying sessions prior to an exam. For your own good, please do not do that. While it's certainly required of you if you have NO clue of what the exam is about and your objective is just to pass the exam, by all means go ahead. However, without enough sleep and a clear head, you are certainly not going to give your best for an exam. So, please - organize your study schedule that you _do not_ miss out on an important tool in your exam kit!
3. Follow your natural instinct
I try and follow this to the maximum extent possible. Most often you end up not liking what you study and do a shoddy job because you do not feel like studying. Instead, follow your natural instinct. When you feel like studying, do, and when you don't, don't. You end up wasting lesser amount of time and ideally are more productive.
The next few tips and some scoring tips that I have used that have really helped me get a good score in my exams. I was the valedictorian of my undergraduate degree and these practices really helped me get some decent scores.
4. Understand the whole picture
Understanding the whole picture helps you put the problem to be solved under perspective. While it certainly depends on the testing style, most graduate exams (at least) are developed to test if the student has a good grasp of what was being taught, how it features into their life and what can they gain out of what was being taught.
5. Enjoy the process
You are paying dear money to be taught by the best of the Professors. Enjoy the testing process - it gives you a clear idea of where you stand in terms of your ROI.
Some general tips include keeping a positive outlook. No one can boost your spirits better than you. Furthermore, your positive energy also shows in your work that you write during the exams.
There are some other tips covered here Treating the Post-Exam Trauma. Enjoy and share your comments, thoughts and tips on how you thrive the exam week.
Next week, it's how to ace a career week.
I have seen and heard people pulling all nighters and 36 hour studying sessions prior to an exam. For your own good, please do not do that. While it's certainly required of you if you have NO clue of what the exam is about and your objective is just to pass the exam, by all means go ahead. However, without enough sleep and a clear head, you are certainly not going to give your best for an exam. So, please - organize your study schedule that you _do not_ miss out on an important tool in your exam kit!
3. Follow your natural instinct
I try and follow this to the maximum extent possible. Most often you end up not liking what you study and do a shoddy job because you do not feel like studying. Instead, follow your natural instinct. When you feel like studying, do, and when you don't, don't. You end up wasting lesser amount of time and ideally are more productive.
The next few tips and some scoring tips that I have used that have really helped me get a good score in my exams. I was the valedictorian of my undergraduate degree and these practices really helped me get some decent scores.
4. Understand the whole pictureUnderstanding the whole picture helps you put the problem to be solved under perspective. While it certainly depends on the testing style, most graduate exams (at least) are developed to test if the student has a good grasp of what was being taught, how it features into their life and what can they gain out of what was being taught.
5. Enjoy the process
You are paying dear money to be taught by the best of the Professors. Enjoy the testing process - it gives you a clear idea of where you stand in terms of your ROI.
Some general tips include keeping a positive outlook. No one can boost your spirits better than you. Furthermore, your positive energy also shows in your work that you write during the exams.
There are some other tips covered here Treating the Post-Exam Trauma. Enjoy and share your comments, thoughts and tips on how you thrive the exam week.
Next week, it's how to ace a career week.
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