From the first sentence you read at school to when you figured out how to use the washing machine, new learning for the brain is a primary function.

Your brain can behave like a sponge when it comes to absorbing new information. The longer you soak it in knowledge the more it will pick up, the longer you take it away from knowledge the faster it will drain.

Examinations technique is to absorb as much knowledge as possible and then squeeze it all out during your exam like you would squeeze a sponge from its water.

So how do we absorb this information : –

1. Exposure – If you had the book open in front of you then you would probably do better. It may take some time to read through the pages but you will relieve a lot of memory function. However the time taken to read and understand the question and then find the relevant material in the textbook will increase significantly which is no good in real life scenarios where you have to make split decisions.
2. Repetition – memorisation can be considered repeating something until it is hard wired into your brain. Where you can recall events from the back of your brain in an instant. Repetition involves reading, listening and being able to recite and write what you have understood.
3. Being able to see patterns and connections. Having memorised a piece of information is wonderful but being able to apply it in different scenarios is where the examiners decipher between high grade and average grade.
   • Some subjects are taught where we regurgitate a series of historical events and get marked for accuracy.
   • Other subjects test the brain like mathematics which requires that not only do you learn a principle but can apply it to different scenarios with different parameters. Sometimes it is not clear what principle the question requires you to use, but from repetition of previous papers  you can narrow down the expected questions.

For example law can be derived from a series of historical events that led to new deliberations what we describe after that event as the rule of law. A judge must be able to understand the case with which the aggravation occurred and the reasons for deliberation.

There are two grade of marks that can be awarded. The first is to understand the case i.e. scenario of the defendant and prosecutor. The second is to understand the verdict as a result from the scenario.

Understanding and learning the two combined will give you full  results. Learning or memorising either the scenario or the verdict independently will give you half the grade.

Religious scripture such the Quran often provide historical stories and subsequent verdicts to provide the backbone for the rule of law.

In summary :-

1. Look at past exam papers, and try understand the scope of the exam with relative accuracy – if you do not do this stage before revising you may create a larger task than what is required.
2. Once you have narrowed the material likely to be questioned. Remove distractions, focus on the repetition of necessary materials. Repetition and memorisation work with minimal distractions.
3. Try take some time occasionally to read up on what the relevance is to wider picture. If you are memorising about a molecular cell for example than read up some material on where the cell is found, the type of animal or plant etc. This should cover any random, miscellaneous questions that examiners often like to throw in
4. Create a timetable of when you are likely to cover a topic. It might take 1 hour – it might take 6 hours. Your presence during lectures and time taken to understand the material will govern this duration

Remember that the whole examination process is looking to separate those who are proficient from those that are not. This can be translated to those who are prepared from those who are not, and preparation requires seriousness and commitment. There are no superhuman powers that examiners are looking for, our DNA and brain capacity is identical from one another , however what exam results will show is the candidates that have shown preparedness in learning the prescribed material hence exercising a level of maturity in grasping new concepts.