Lesson 30: Questions and Answers

This "Lesson" is different from the rest. It is a "Live Lesson", in the sense that it will continuously be updated to answer the questions you have.

Here is how it's going to work:

1. You post questions in the comments below. You don't need to limit yourself to questions relating to University applications. Ask Anything and Everything!

2. I'll pick the most interesting ones and write detailed answers here.

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Question 1: How to regain focus and concentration in exams while experiencing a blackout?

A blackout occurs when you suddenly forget information you've memorised. This can happen during exams. It happened to me during my Economics P4 paper and this resulted in me obtaining grade 2 instead of grade 1 in that paper. I could not recover from the blackout.

However, there are things you can try:

• Take a short break. Drink some water and take a few deep breaths. If you have some extra time, go for a quick toilet break. The key is to calm yourself down.

• Skip the question on which you experienced a blackout. Do other questions and come back to it in the end. Hopefully, you'll remember the things you forget.

• If nothing else works, pray! A friend of mine, also a State of Mauritius Laureate once told me that she experienced a blackout during an HSC exam. She prayed, prayed and prayed until eventually, everything came back to her.

Here are some additional resources you could look into:

• https://www.stuvia.com/knowledge-base/how-to-study-for-exams/what-to-do-with-a-blackout-during-an-exam-and-how-can-i-prevent-it

• https://theconversation.com/what-causes-mind-blanks-during-exams-67380

Question 2: What are some ways to avoid overconfidence or some form of negligence towards a subject when we have performed really well in the last semester(s)?

The answer to this question is simple. You always need to have a beginner's mindset. In your mind, you should treat the subject as if there is still room for a lot of improvement.

Here is something you could try: Find the hardest past papers/questions you can find for that particular subject and do them under strict exam conditions. Then, use the mark schemes or ask a teacher to mark your work. Be extremely strict with the marking. If you make mistakes, this will hopefully stop you from becoming overconfident. Keep doing the hardest questions you can find until you've made enough mistakes and your overconfidence is gone.

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What are you waiting for?

Post your questions in the comments below!

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