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Dr Sikhanyiso Duke Ndlovu
TO many students, examinations bring anxiety due to uncertainty of the nature of the exams – will they be easy or difficult?
When examinations are taken some students come out smiling others come out sad. When exam results come, some students dance with joy if they have passed, others become devastated if they have failed.
1. The first important position is studying and revising to prepare for exams

2. There is need for small group discussions in order to pass that examination among students

3. Mock examinations using past exam papers are important for success in exams. There is nothing like good luck for passing examinations. The student must have studied and prepared well to pass the examination.
Study Habits

It is important to divide the time between work, play and rest. The cellphones, tweeting, WhatsApp and Facebook should be minimal as they take away the mind from study and examinations preparation. These do not give the mind rest and focus. The student should eat good meals and sleep well. They should not try to solve problems they cannot solve during the sleeping hours.

The learners should make studying enjoyable. The learners should be psychologically prepared for study – The mind must be made ready for study – all possible mind disturbing problems and intrusion should be eliminated.

Taking the Examination
Students must come early for examinations. Rushing into the exam room puffing is not good. When exam papers are placed on the desks for the students, they should first read all questions and then select which questions to start with. They should start with easier questions instead of starting with the difficult ones which may take more time thus losing to gain marks on easier questions first.

Understanding the Examination Questions
It is important for the students to read and understand the context of the question and what the examiner wants.

Nature of the Examination
An examination question may be a cognitive one that is requiring answers of recall like history or geography. Cognitive also refers to comprehension, like reading a passage to understand the main idea and related ideas so as to make a correct response and interpretation. In Sociology the student may be asked to describe, explain or analyse certain sociological phenomena in society. The answers must be dome well and diligently.

The Psychomotor Domain
The psychomotor domain refers to practical activities to answer practical questions. This is not done in isolation of the cognitive domain because the learner must be intelligent enough to understand the subject and comprehend the practical activities required before undertaking the practical solution activities.

The cognitive and psychomotor are involved in engineering, physics, chemistry, medical operations, agriculture, physical education and many more. The student must read and understand the examination question well before embarking on the required practical answers.

The Effective Domain
The effective domain means the student should develop interest in the subject. The learner should not be passive and take the subject without love and affection for it. Like the subject and you will do well. The intellectual convolutions will just fall in place logically culminating in passing with distinctions.

Dr Sikhanyiso Duke Ndlovu is the Zanu-PF National Secretary for Education in the Politburo, Founder/Chief Executive, ZDECO Group of Colleges, Curriculum Research and Evaluation Specialist