Having trouble passing your test? Don’t feel too disheartened, in this post we’ll discuss how to pass an exam even if you don’t like the subject. I’m afraid there are no secrets, hard work is going to be essential if you wish to learn how to pass a test.
We all know that you can’t pass an exam by doing nothing but exactly how much do you need to do to pass it? This, of course, varies in accordance to your own level of commitment, how difficult the subject is as well as the teacher etc. However, there’s a simple way to systematize the process by dividing it into three categories:
1. Where Are You Now?
Start out by asking yourself how much you’ve studied. Do you feel that your satisfied with how much you’ve learned so far (I’m assuming there’s still time before the exam, otherwise better hurry!). Try to give a quantitative measure of how much progress you’ve made so far, for instance by assigning a number from 0-10 on how ready you are to face the exam.
If you’re unsure on how much you know, I’d recommend you to look for an old exam and then sit down and try to finish it without looking at the answers. When you’re done, count the number of points you scored and the percentage (points achieved divided by all points). The higher the percentage the better prepared you are.
2. Where Do You Want to Go?
The second step is quite obvious. Once you’ve decided where you stand you need to know where to go. Do you wish to achieve a higher grade or simply pass the exam? If all you want is to pass this particular test without caring for a higher grade, then studying for that outcome would make sense, right?
WRONG! You see, even if your intention is to simply pass the exam, you should never (and I mean never) study for that goal. If you aim that low, chances are that you may land even lower but if you were to aim a little bit higher than if you fall, you’ll still pass the exam!
There’s an old Swedish Proverb that says:
“Aim for the stars and you’ll hit the forrest”
3. How To Get There?
In order to pass the exam you need to master the essentials. Every subject has some fundamental concepts that have to be understood. Be sure to go through a) textbook & lecture notes b) past exams (a must!) and try to find the most important concepts. Start out by learning these, there’s no point in trying to understand the advanced topics if you haven’t mastered the basics.
Once you’ve done this you’re ready to move on to more advanced materials. If you only wish to pass the exam, I’d recommend you to try to memorize the easier ones and leaving the complicated ones. If your intention (as it perhaps should be…) is to receive a higher grade then be sure to go through the complicated ones as well, posing any questions you may to the teacher. I’d recommend collecting all the questions on a piece of paper so you won’t need to look for the teacher every time something new comes up.
As long as the exam isn’t due right now, you have time to study. Of course, it’s always better to study a little everyday during a long time span than it is to study a lot during a shorter time span. Try your best to study a little everyday, it’s so much easier to do that than is to carry the burden of knowing that the test is tomorrow and that you’re unprepared. Recall the o’l proverb that says;
“If you don’t have time to do it right you must have time to do it over.”
I’m pretty sure that neither I nor you want to redo the exam. We have to what we have to do, period. Don’t go looking for excuses, enough with the laziness. Organize your studies with a personal study planner and then follow it as strictly as possible. It’s way to easy to get distracted by TV, movies or the like.
This doesn’t mean you should study from morning to evening without doing anything else, it simply means you should learn to PRIORITIZE. This is what medicine nomenclature refer to as triage. List things in order of their importance and finally, what ever you do, don’t procrastinate!
Start now.
About the author
Webmaster of www.study-habits.com & author of The Study Guide PRO, Abderisak Adam shares study tips, techniques and guides to the student community. As a student of civil engineering at Chalmers University of Technology he focuses on matters relating to engineering, mathematics and physics.
His chef d'oeuvre, The Study Guide PRO, can be purchased as a digital copy.
Awesome!
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i am student of mca. i fail in one exam. now i don’t want to study .whenever i start my study i feel sleepy . i feedup my student please tell me how to make interest in study
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admin Reply:
June 1st, 2010 at 2:34 am
Everyone fails at one time or the other, the important thing is not to give up because of one failure. All serious students persevere, the stick to their studies even though it may be difficult and time consuming because the KNOW what their goals are. Do you know what your goals are?
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ive read alot of those shets only way to get great grades is how comited you are like do you wanna lose all youre friends for grade ?
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admin Reply:
June 1st, 2010 at 2:32 am
I don’t think that’s the case. You can be a successful student without losing touch with your friends. It’s a matter of principles, when your with your friends your with your friends and when your studying, you are studying (and NOT chatting with your friends).
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Nice Inspiration……
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i take my book to read i feel sleepy.then i will not able to concentrate in the class my thinking goes outside of the class .
please help me
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i learn a loooooot…. from this…
thank u google….. i love u google…. handsof to u…
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Scott Johnson Reply:
June 29th, 2010 at 1:26 pm
ME TOO
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THIS SITE TOTALLY ROCKS. I LEARNED SO MUCH THAT I TOOK MY F UP TO BE A D IN SPANISH CLASS. WORD UP AND PEACE OUT MY BURRITO LOVING HOMIES.
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this is fantastic. i am in south africa and i am writting my matric soon. i know i am very smart but i do not work at all, but i reading this article i am a changed person. i am going to ace the comming exams.
thank you
thank you
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admin Reply:
July 5th, 2010 at 3:12 am
Glad I could help!
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honestly.. i failed for 2 exams in teacher’s board. the fact that i not an education graduate, i just got some methods n teaching so i can take the said board. however im still determined to pass. Since my ultimate dream is to be a teacher. i know that i can teach and i know i have a big potential to be d best teacher around. i hope and pray that in due time i can make it. presently im working as the head of the marketing dept. im planning to enroll in a review center for me to more understand all the subject areas concern. to all folks there let us not give up. the best thing n life s to the interest to learned and the determination that we need to put into actions.
papasa din tayo.. at magiging ganap na guro.
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admin Reply:
July 6th, 2010 at 11:55 am
Keep on fighting man, just keep on fighting!
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Natasha Reply:
December 16th, 2010 at 3:08 am
Dear Admin,
i m doing BDS and i failed my 3 exams.I studied very hard but dont know what happened…now 40 days are given to me for repeat exam what shld i do?
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Abderisak Adam Reply:
December 20th, 2010 at 2:30 am
I responded to your comment, scroll down and you’ll see it!
When i go to study i get into sleepy & also school my attention going out of classroom
please help me !
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admin Reply:
July 23rd, 2010 at 7:14 am
If you get sleepy whenever you’re about to study that’s a sign that your uninterested in your studies. If you don’t want to get tired whens studying you need to become interested in what you’re studying.
Learn more about your subject, recall why you are studying it in the first place. Sometimes it’s too easy to get caught in details & technicalities and miss the greater picture. Where do you want to go with your studies, that is the question.
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To pass your exams, just know that you need to write what you know. Study is the only way out. What differs is how long must you study to grasp what you can pour out on paper during the exam.
Know yourself properly and study as much as you can when you are in the mood to study…
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thanks a lOt……
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Thnx google,i owez learn somethng new evryday..I hav an exam in october and i find info.tech system to be too bulky for me.As for the othr subjcts,am ok..i dnt knw what to do in info.tech.
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ya right i have learn so mush from the topic.i am from Bangladesh .I’ve a very important test exam after 2 days.please pray for me.i don’t wanna fail this exam in any subject.:-(
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Abderisak Adam Reply:
October 4th, 2010 at 7:17 am
Ofcourse!
How did it go?
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Hi…i am Ist year B.tech student..civil engineering…i am fear about how to study this…i dont know..hw i can pass.pls help me….
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Abderisak Adam Reply:
October 4th, 2010 at 7:11 am
Hello,
I remember how it was being a first year civil engineering student, like any engineering dicipline it wasn’t easy. You have to persevere and have patience. Although it may seem rather difficult at the moment once you’ve read through the materials and seen it over and over again it starts to feel like childs play!
Feel free to take a look at our subjects section for topics relating to engineering (such as math), I think it could be useful.
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viraji Reply:
April 20th, 2011 at 8:40 pm
i love ur programme alot u all help us alot..so arn’t there any option to contact u all more privately than this..because i’m in a big trouble with my education..
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Abderisak Adam Reply:
April 21st, 2011 at 5:58 am
I replied to your previous comment. If you want to contact me personally, you can use the form on the contact page.
Abderisak Adam
Webmaster of Study Habits | Become a Premium Member Today
Author of Study Guide PRO & How To Concentrate Before It’s Too Late (Available to Premium Members)
when the exams are closer ,i get feared and confusion occurs suddenly all matters i studied gets uncontinuety
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wah what a way too pass any test..c0ol =)
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this mounth is my exam and want to past everyone of my exam.i’ve seen your website and i know this the one.i’m very nervouse of what test result will be next year.my suggestion that with your help i can past any of my test.so please help me.
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Abderisak Adam Reply:
December 20th, 2010 at 3:03 am
I’m sorry I missed responding to this comment. I hope your exam went well!
Abderisak Adam – Author of The Study Guide PRO
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viraji Reply:
April 20th, 2011 at 8:36 pm
i’m going to do my exam next year…it only decide my future..what should i do to pass my exam with a est result…one of my habbits is pospning my studies to another day…and also what should i want to know is.. will the students who engage in love pass exams..can they do there studies well..let me know how should i start studying..
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Abderisak Adam Reply:
April 21st, 2011 at 5:47 am
First of all, don’t put all of your hopes and dreams on one single exam, even if it’s really important. You need to understand that
a) there are always other opportunities and b) if you REALLY want to succeed in getting good marks you need to start planning right NOW.
Formulate your plan today, it should cover all the necessary steps required to take you from where you are today to where you want to be tomorrow. If this exam is as important as you say it is, you need to treat it accordingly. Make a list of all the things that you find difficult and start going through them, one by one until you’ve mastered them all. It’s going to take time, it’s going to be difficult but it has to be done! You are doing this for the long run, always remind yourself of that.
Abderisak Adam
Webmaster of Study Habits | Become a Premium Member Today
Author of Study Guide PRO & How To Concentrate Before It’s Too Late (Available to Premium Members)
Admin help in passing my exams……:)
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Abderisak Adam Reply:
December 20th, 2010 at 2:31 am
Hello there Natasha, I responded to your comment below.
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i have failed 3 of them:’(
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Abderisak Adam Reply:
December 20th, 2010 at 2:19 am
No need to lose hope. There are always more opportunities for exams, right?
Derive a lesson from this, why did you fail these exams and what can you do in the future to ensure it won’t happen again. Always evaluate each test result, this won’t ensure that you won’t commit the exact same mistakes the next time but at least you’ll know your weaknesses. Knowing thy enemy always comes first.
Make sure that next time you’ll have an adequate amount of time to study for each exam. If you’re not planning to succeed you are planning to fail. There’s often nothing difficult about these exams, usually a question about how much time you’re willing to put to pass them.
You said you had 40 days, that’s a lot of time to prepare for the coming exams. Start out by (right now) construct a brief study plan mapping out how much time you’ll spend daily in order to pass these exams. Remember NOT to wait until the last week to begin. Begin now while you have a head start. Also, make sure you focus extra much on the things you had troubles understanding the previous time, always consult on of your teachers if you’re unsure about a particular topic. Make a list of such questions (i.e things you need to understand better) and go through them, one by one, either with your teacher or someone else who’s in a position to help you out.
Best of wishes!
Abderisak Adam – Author of The Study Guide PRO
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Perhaps it depends on WHAT you wish to study more than the actual studying itself? Albeit, even when you are studying something that you find interesting there almost always be parts that you find either boring or difficult to understand. These bumps are just a part of what it means to be a student.
Take care Aakash
Abderisak Adam – Author of The Study Guide PRO
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I’ve learned something from your article.
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Hi that posting up there is a good one.. I dont know if anyone else liked it or not but i have learned a lot and yes i will make sure that i procrastinate myself and my studies
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I’m the student of f.s.e 2nd year……i have a problem in chemistry ,,,,i don’t understand how to study it….and pass the exam…..can you please give me any guess papers or anything else by which I’ll pass the chemistry exam held in 2011 Lahore board Pakistan… please tell m…..please ….
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i don feel like studying and i don know why. everytime i try to study, i just study for few minutes and fall asleep.pls help. i really want to study and do good in my studies.
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Abderisak Adam Reply:
April 21st, 2011 at 6:27 am
What times do you study?
Studying during the night or late afternoon is difficult. I recommend you go to bed early and then start studying very early, possibly even before you start school. This way, you’ll be ready and prepared before you ‘go out to battle’.
Abderisak Adam
Webmaster of Study Habits | Become a Premium Member Today
Author of Study Guide PRO & How To Concentrate Before It’s Too Late (Available to Premium Members)
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plz gv m reply…….my papers are near……please please tell me….???????
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Hi admin,
I am a Gambian getting ready for my igcse exams in may/June but the problem is that i have not been studying and right now i feel that is too late to start studying and i have no hope………..the worst of all my dad really things that am going to pass the exams and i really don’t want to disappoint him………..so please help
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please tell m how I’ll pass in chemistry papers of 1st and 2nd year held in Lahore board 2011…….please reply as soon as possible because my papers are to much near……please please replay m….
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my problm is little different m pursuing my enggineering FE nd gt backs nd unfortunately evn got year drop .. i attempeted again fr those papres studyin niht nd day i dunt knw bt the reasult is same again my exams r approaching only 23 days r left … plz help me wat to do ????
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oh god…..!!!! why you not replaying me…please give me any suggestions ..about my questions …..please ans me….
:/
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Abderisak Adam Reply:
May 1st, 2011 at 9:35 am
Adeel,
I’m sorry for the late reply. I receive a lot of questions and I can’t always cover them all.
I don’t know this particular exam of yours so I can’t speak about it in particular. The first thing I would do if I was you would be to get as much material possible that relates directly to this exam. Ask your teachers, past students and others who may have a dummy exam that you can take. You then need to make a list of all the things that will be covered on the exam and go through them, one by one. There’s a huge list of websites on the internet covering every issue on chemistry that you can think of. I would also browse through the available video tutorials on chemistry as well.
There’s a chemistry section on this site which unfortunately isn’t that big but it’s a good place to start.
What ever you do, don’t put it off. You need a strong foundation in both problem solving AND theory. Don’t put all your baskets on one thing. Make sure you make a list of all the formulas, bonds and equations that you need to memorize and START MEMORIZING THEM!
Finally, there’s an Indian proverb that says;
“It is easier to cover our feet with sandals than to cover the earth with carpets.” Prepare yourself and don’t expect too much from other people, including myself.
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thank you so much for your advice…..
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i just hate maths and i want to kill the person who had created this subject
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i need help…….
im from final year ec branch….i dont know how to get involve in my subjects…i can pass my subjects…but how to get knowledge from it….pls help…22 days left of my b.e life…i want to know wat engineering is….
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Please help,I am from London, England in my secondary school we have three assessments every 2 months or more and i really need help to revise for every subject(i have tried every advice on google, my school’s website and from my siblings and i find it very hard to cope with tests on every subject because i flopped my tests more than 5 times) and it makes it feel as if i’m dum and stupid.
Please Help And Reply Anytime Soon,
Natman074
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help im just bored my maths and i got a test coming up pls help
pls reply
btw luv the article
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oh thanks alot for your advice i got a very low level 4 i was waiting 4 almost 1-2 months now still nothing. Oh yeah now im going to a lower sets 4 dummmies now thank you, my hopes are gone now.
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it’s good because it helps one succed in life i love this
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my class 11th halfyearly exmas are startin frm 20th of oct n 1st paper is of physics n m nervous dat tooo xtra wala well after readin dis thora sa confidence badh gaya bt still i would request u if u cld give sme more suggestions…….~(m frm pcm stream)
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It is brilliant!
But u have to write a bit short!!!!
Nothing is too difficult! But the exams r going very fast that is why everything become sooo……… difficult!
I need some help!
Please help me !
I don’t won’t to fail I want to pass with class first please send a helpful advise in my mail ID!!!
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this is a powerfull one to me .i will do it ..thnx a lot
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Hi,
i am a standard grade student in scotland and i failed my biology exam (its the first one and just a topic test about plants), i decided to take all three sciences as i want to pursue a medical career. i am having second thoughts on this decision and i don’t know what i can do to concentrate more whilst studying and make it more fun.
thank you
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iam fail my last exam both maths and chemistry how be pass next exam iam reading very instersting so i can not to be pass and i get 09/20 maths and chemistry i get mark20/11 how be dlevp my marks help me plz
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thak yu lots u helped me alooottt
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