The next few weeks are going to be a whirlwind for South Africa’s matric class of 2019.
Sifiso Mnisi, the head of the humanities faculty programme at The Independent Institute of Education says, “You should now be revising as best as you can, to ensure you perform as well as possible when final assessment time rolls around.
“However all the preparation in the world will count for little if you are in a state of mental disarray, and don’t have a handle on doubts and anxieties that may creep in,” he says.
He identified three times when panic sets in: in the weeks before the exams, the day of the exam and in the exam room.
Mnisi gives the following tips:
– Weeks before the exams:
The upcoming exams are a culmination of 12 years of hard work. When you start getting worried, remember that the best antidote to anxiety is action.
Don’t forget how much work you have already put in.
“Use your time productively, ensure you get enough exercise and sleep, and push all other thoughts aside.”
– On the day of the exam:
“The key here is to stay the course and stick to what has worked for you until now.”
Don’t get distracted by your friends revising a certain subject in a certain way.
The opposite is also true: if you did well on one paper, do not sit back and relax.
– In the exam hall
“If you feel yourself starting to breathe rapidly, become light-headed or as if you are out of your depth and can’t do the exam, recognise what is going on and take back control.
Read through the paper and start on those questions that you are able to answer, then go back to the ones that are more challenging.
Mnisi says the final exams are not only a test of knowledge, but also of whether you can handle the pressure.
“Keep the big picture in mind.
“Regardless of what happens, whether you perform above expectations or not as well as expected, there are countless roads that lead to success,” Mnisi concludes.
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