It's PSLE season and the late nights, eye bags and Chicken Essence craziness begin. And that's just us parents trying to keep up with our kids.
Kids need more than Chicken Essence to help them ace those exams. And parents need to take a few necessary steps to ensure the exams are a pleasant experience and not an overwhelming experience.
The uncertainty that exams bring are as is too much for children. They certainly do not need additional stress from parents.
So mums and dads, you can take some effort and help you kid work towards their goals while maintaining a positive attitude towards studies.
Here are some useful last minute PSLE study tips for you to share with your kid that are sure to help them achieve high scores.
How To Prepare For PSLE?
These super PSLE study tips are brought to you by John Yeo, who has over 10 ten years of experience as a P6 Maths coach and specialises in helping P6 students achieve grade A from grade F within a short time.
1. Practice past years’ exam questions
Search for past year exam papers and practice answering the questions. Take note of the type of questions that come up very frequently over the years and familiarise yourself with these.
While this isn't one of the last minute PSLE study tips, it's still a really good way of guessing what questions might be asked at the exam. Don't forget to mark down the questions that you have trouble solving and consult your tutors.
“Get assessment books with different sets of simulated PSLE exam papers. Spread out the practice schedule. Complete one to two mock papers a week to maintain the momentum until the big day” -- John Yeo, P6 Math coach.
2. How to prepare for PSLE 101? Note down important key points
When studying for a subject, highlight all the keywords and important points in your textbooks. Make notes at the sides of the page to understand a sentence better.
3. How to prepare for PSLE? Study smart
It’s a waste of time if you study a whole bunch of topics in your syllabus (and forget about them after). Remember to only focus on the topics that will come up in the PSLE exams.
4. Use your notes as your bedtime stories
Every night before you sleep, take out your notes and test yourself on the topics you’ve learnt for the day. Pick a question, ask yourself that question and answer it with your book closed.
5. Request for extra classes
If it’s possible, call up a teacher and request for tuition classes during the holidays. They are always more than willing to tutor and dish out priceless tips when you are interested in the subjects they teach.
6. Be the teacher
Sit your friends down and teach them everything you've learnt, chapter by chapter. They should be holding notes or referring to their textbooks to make sure their explanations are correct.
Switch roles with your friends. They might teach you something in return that you might not be aware of. This is a fun process!
7. Hold the red-ink pen
Get the same exercise workbooks with your friends and practice all the chapters. After completing a chapter, exchange books with your friends and mark them, referring to the answer sheets provided.
This is a good method for you to solve your problems in answering some of the questions.
8. Understanding science subjects
Science is easy and fun to learn when it’s done right. This subject requires you to understand, not memorise, the various chapters in the syllabus.
Memorising won't help you when it comes to solving a subjective question or writing an essay during the examination.
9. Solving math equations
The only way to score in mathematics is by practising solving the equations regularly. Take about one hour every day to practice math questions in your syllabus.
Don’t be afraid to ask your tutors to teach you anything you are unsure of and most importantly, take notes.
10. One week before the big day
One week before your examinations, revise through everything you’ve been studying for the past week. It’s easier to remember everything while your memory is still fresh.
Good luck!
How To Support Your Child During Exams?
1. Redo the questions
Make them redo the questions that they are unsure of and make sure they get it right this time. Getting it right the second time around will definitely boost their confidence.
2. Choose the right questions
Help them focus on the questions that are related to the topics they are weak in. For example, if they are weak in Algebra, select the questions carefully and make them practice continuously. This is to strengthen their foundation.
3. Communicate with your kids
Most parents focus too much on the academic performance of their children. Don’t forget to focus on their welfare as well. Get them to share their thoughts and feelings with you.
This will lighten their stress level and show them that you support them as a parent. A healthy mind and body will enable a child to do exceptionally well.
4. Study companion
Getting an experienced tutor to coach your children is the best way for them to improve in their studies. Nothing beats an experienced tutor who has knowledge in child psychology as they can help your kids better academically, mentally and they will be emotionally prepared for the big day.
Visit: www.p6astarmaths.com for more information.
Here are some more great tips from Mr Benjamin Yang of Epigami Tutors:
1. Last minute exam preparations are generally difficult and only serve to further confuse the student.
However, if the student has learnt special memory techniques and has done the preparatory work of memorization they can easily go through their notes effectively them again.
2. For those students who have not learnt these memory techniques, it might be easier to have a quick scan through of the material they have to jolt their memory of the topic.
However, the way they do it matters, i.e., if they are an auditory learner, it's better to scan through recordings of previous classes and for visual learners, it's more effective to scan through diagrams and pictures tied to the concepts they are learning etc.
For more information on Epigami, click here.
Parents, share your child's last-minute PSLE study tips with us by leaving a comment.
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10 Ways To Help Your Child Study Effectively Before Exams
PSLE Maths Prep: Tough Examination Questions From Over the Years To Challenge Your Child