Cool Under Pressure

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Very few students enjoy taking test. Yet functioning well under pressure is crucial to your future success. Try thinking of the pressure of testing as practice for the work world’s own explosive situation. You could someday find yourself meeting tight deadlines, speaking with irate customers, welding a scalpel or handing dangerous chemicals.

The best way to curtail pressure to even eliminate it is to prepare. Apply the motto “Be prepared” holds true first time and every time. Prepare for that test, and you won’t worry about it. In fact, it will be your chance to shine, to reveal the hard work you have put into preparing for the test. You will be rewarded for the effort you have thrust into your studies. Preparation removes fear. When you are prepared, you will not fear. Preparation helps you maintain your cool under pressure. Preparation generates energy and enthusiasm; therefore prepare and coolness under pressure is sure to abound.

Exam Day: Survival Tips

Test-Taking

Part 3

Identify key words.

This helps you focus on the main idea of challenging questions.

Rephrase difficult questions.

To understand questions better, rewrite them in your own words. Be careful not to change the meaning.

Organize your thoughts before you write.

Take time to organize your responses to short-answer and essay questions. You'll reduce the time you need to revise.

Write neatly.

Be sure you don't lose points on answers the teacher can't read.

Use all the time your given.

If you finish early, don't leave. Use the extra time to proofread and review your answers.

Exam Day: Survival Tips

Test-Taking
Part 2

During the Test

Read the Directions.

It's important that you follow the instructions exactly. For example, some questions may have more than one correct answer.

Answer easy questions first.

Doing this can jog your memory about useful facts. You may also come across information that can help you with other questions.

Answer every question.

Unless there is a penalty for wrong answers, try to answer every question: you may be able to get partial credit for those you begin but don't complete correctly.

Ask questions.

If a question isn't clear, talk to your teacher. If that's not possible, explain in the margin.

Reading

5 Tips for Success

Tip 5

Tips 5: Keep a List of Question

When you feel confused about something you're reading, write down any question you have. Sometimes your questions are answered as you read further. If not, don't be afraid to ask for help. Remember, teachers create assignments; they've read the texts and are familiar with them. When you have specific questions, your can provide answers that will help you understand the material. Learning is rooted in questions developed and asked by the learner.

Asking questions to yourself, to the teacher, and to others, is a great learning method. When you cease to ask questions, you cease to exist to a great extent. Read actively by silently asking questions as you read. Questioning immerses you into the material you are reading and therefore will expand your mental capacities more than almost anything else.

The philosopher Sir Francis Bacon said, “Knowledge is power.” Improving your reading comprehension is the key to gaining important knowledge and making the most of your education. So pick up a book…and a pen.

Reading

5 Tips for Success

Tips 3-4

Tip 3: Do Research

Literary critics have written vast numbers of analytical and critical pieces on countless on countless books. If you're having trouble understanding a particular text, do some research and see what knowledgeable sources have to say about it. In addition to increasing your comprehension, you'll be showing initiative, something that teachers always like to see. Always use legitimate and scholarly studies, not condensed study guides. Going the extra mile in your research elevates your achievement 10 fold.

Tip 4: Use a Dictionary 

Make sure you have access to a dictionary when you're reading. You can often figure the meaning of an unfamiliar word by using context clues, but sometimes you can't. Rather than simply skipping over words you don't know take time to look them up. The results are well worth the effort. Your comprehension will increase greatly, and you'll build your vocabulary at the same time.

Reading

5 Tips for Success

Reading and writing go hand in hand. The better you understand a text, the more likely you are to successfully to communicate your thoughts about it in writing. So it's important to develop strong skills in both areas. With that in mind, here's how to improve your reading comprehension.

Tips 1-2

Tip 1: Annotate

Be an active reading. Instead of passively reading a text, take notes about important story elements, key factual information and significant ideas in the text.

Tip 2: Note the Author's Writing Style

Every author writes with a purpose, using deliberate methods to successfully relate specific information to the audience. When you're reading, look for patterns in the author's writing. For example, you may notice repetition of key words, phrases, or symbols - or the use of a distinct sentence structure.read

5 Tips for Staying Motivating

Tip 3-5

3. Set Attainable Goals

If you're have trouble writing a 25-page paper for class because it seems like such a big job, don't focus on the final number. Break down and consider each section of your paper individually.

4. Find a Social Support Network

Create a group of people around you who would want to help you succeed  Mentors can be teachers or family friends who can give you guidance and help you develop new skills. Counselors can help you with planning your courses and starting to explore college. You can also reach out to friends and peers who can motivate you by listening and sharing ideas.

5. Acknowledge Your Accomplishment

Give yourself a quick reward when you complete an assignment or task. Take a walk, send an email, get a snack. Then move on to the neck project.

5 Tips for Staying Motivated

Tips 1-2

To succeed in high school and collage, you have to do your best at all times. But sometime it's hard to stay motivated, even when you really work you're doing. Here are five way to stay on the right track.

1. Focus on High-Impact Activities

 The key to success in school is staying focused on your work. Make a list to get an overall picture of your workload before you start to tackle any of it. Then, make a plan. Although it’s tempting to do the simplest assignments in the order of the importance. The rearrange your time and devote more energy toward those that have the greatest impact on your course work and grades. For example, even though all homework assignments are important, studying for a midterm exam takes priority over writing a paragraph for English class. As you complete each task, think of it as another step on your way to college success.

2. Create New Challenges

Changing your approach can help you stay interested in what you are doing. If you've been given an assignment similar to one you've done in the past, think about it in a different way. If you wrote an essay for a creative writing assignment last year, try a poem this time. For book reports, pick a history book instead of another biography.