Test-paper.info

Finishing tests and exams on time

Sat, 01 May 2010 15:08:57 -0500

Though there are many reasons why some children rarely score or even pass tests and exams, not being able to finish the papers on time remains one of the hardest for parents to accept. Instead of wishing in vain for the schools to extend the time limits, here are some time management and question tackling tips you can impart to your little ones to help them speed up.

TIMED PRACTICE SESSIONS AND RECTIFICATION

Have your kids practise on mock papers at home. Time them like they would be at school and during these sessions, observe how they approach the papers. Study how they read passages and answer questions, and see if they manifest time-wasting habits such as trying to over-beautify their writing. Also spot if they manifest daydreaming tendencies or an urge to over-answer simple questions. After you have identified their bad habits, correct and guide them along the way till they gradually increase their pace.

LOSING FOCUS AND GETTING IT BACK

It is easy to lose focus especially when one has to read at length. Hence, to make sure they avoid losing precious time to ineffective reading, teach your kids to place a ruler under the particular passage line that they are at, or use a pen cap to glide across the words as they read.

As for those who are inclined to dozing off, place medicated oil in their pencil cases so that whenever they feel sleepy, they can stay alert by dabbing small drops of the oil on their temples.

SCAN, ANSWER OR MOVE ON

Here, your kids scan through the papers and at first attempt to only answer questions that they can know at once, without pondering too long. Every time they come across questions that they are unable to apply this read-and-answer-straightaway technique, get them to circle the numbers of these questions, so that they can easily spot and tackle them, after they have gotten the easier one out of the way.

This technique helps to build confidence gradually as the candidate feels good from being able to answer questions, without feeling demoralised yet from the tougher questions. It also reduces test anxiety and guilt from having spent too much time on tougher questions.

Some might argue that this is a sloppy way to deal with papers, but when your kids are finally able to answer all the questions that they actually know from the time saved, you would think otherwise. However, advise your kids to only use this technique if they are certain that they will take the effort at the end to religiously scrutinise their answers again.

POINT-FORM ANSWERS

Tell your children to only try this as a last resort if they are only left with the last few minutes, but a whole lot of unanswered questions on writing-intensive papers. At this point of time, rather than construct proper sentences as answers, it may be better to answer in points. This definitely will not earn them full marks, but they might still get some points here and there, rather than submitting blank answer sheets.

GET RESTED FOR MAXIMUM SPEED

Sometimes the very reason they fail to finish within the time limits is because they had tackled the paper in a very tired state devoid of full concentration, and recall abilities. Stop the last night revision cramming and shoo them off to bed early for a good night’s rest. Do the maths. It’s better to go to the exams with a 100% ability to deliver an 80% knowledge, rather than going in with a 55% ability to deliver a 95% knowledge.

Lastly, remind your children that no matter how rushed they are, it is most important to take time to read all questions and instructions carefully and entirely. This comes first and foremost, as there are no sillier mistakes than attempting to answer based on a wrongly read question.

Beating Exam Stress

Sat, 03 Apr 2010 21:26:32 -0500

How you can help your children to get through, without crumbling under the pressure.

Sure enough, we have all heard before how stress can actually drive people out of procrastination and inertia, and into achieving results. But, did you know that this claim only works if the pressure remains at a moderate amount?

During the exams, it is easy for stress levels in children to escalate and spiral out of control as they might not know how to burn it off, except during play which they are going to get less of. Soon enough, you will find your kids suffering from weakened immune systems, panic attacks or even depression. What is the use of good results when your children end up jeopardising their health?

Below are some methods you can take note of, to lighten their load during this trying period.

STOP TRANSFERRING THE STRESS
Parents can unwittingly aggravate the stress of their children by pressurising them to do well. Not only does this add on to their burden, it mars their actual potential. It is good to just encourage and give your children support without putting them behind mental bars.

GET THEM MOVING
Set aside time for them to exercise or engage in short periods of physical activities. Though you may think that it would eat up precious revision time, exercising actually helps them counter stress, get energised and feel ready for the challenge ahead.

SLEEP IT OFF
Discourage them from burning the midnight oil. Ensure that revision does not reduce their hours of sleep. Growing children need more than eight hours of sleep, and ideally ten for them to function at their best.

Sleeping allows the brain to process the day’s memories and hence, helps them internalise what they have learnt. With a lack of sleep, not only does it impede their concentration and growth, it results in increased production of stress hormones.

GIVE THEM A BREAK
You could help your children get a good start to the exams by planning a revision timetable for them. However, be careful not to create a back-to-back three-hour intensive study schedule that will further depress them. Be generous. Throw in plenty of short breaks for relaxing TV-watching, gaming or skating.

SAY NO TO THE CAFFEINE SHORTCUT
Get them off caffeine. Caffeine, a stimulant, may provide instant concentration, but its energising effect is short-lived and leads to palpitation, irritability and anxiety which altogether escalate stress. Not to mention, results in stained teeth.

RESULTS MAY NOT BE EVERYTHING
As much as you would like your precious ones to perform academically, and carve out a career in respected fields like medicine, architecture and such, other lines that are not based entirely on one’s academic prowess, such as design and sports, are equally respected.

Should you sense that your kids are breaking under the pressure, you could assure them that exams are not a matter of life-and-death; and that although they should do their best, they might have other venues for them to turn to in the future.

Getting Your Children to Read for Good

Tue, 23 Mar 2010 04:29:26 -0500

These days, with the evolution of technology, children have a wealth of options for entertainment in the form of games, the internet and so on. But, as a parent, you know that nothing can quite match the enrichment reading gives. Furthermore, it is the basis for learning and doing well in school.

Hence, you find yourself anxious when your kids favour other leisure forms, or worst, shun books at all costs. Forcing them to read with nagging sessions will only fuel their dislike for it. The following are some simple and less draining ways to inculcate the habit of reading in them.

BOOK ALLOWANCE

Just like pocket money, set aside an allowance for their book purchases once every month. Give them the liberty to pick up titles on their own, as long as they are not too violent or inappropriate.

MAKE VISITING THE LIBRARY OR BOOKSHOP A REGULAR AFFAIR

Just like tuition, have a fix day of the week set aside for visiting libraries or bookshops, regardless of whether there are any books to borrow or buy.

SERIES

Expose them to book series or prolific authors with numerous published titles under their names. Once your children become fans, they will automatically be requesting for more of these books. Be prepared to pay!

READING NEED NOT STRICTLY BE BOOKS

Magazines and comics add spice to their reading diet. In addition, their topics vary and serve to extend their knowledge within a single reading.

KIDS SEE, KIDS DO

Start being a role model. You cannot possibly convince them to read, if you do not do it yourself.

READING UP ON HOBBIES AND INTERESTS

Get them books or any publications on their hobbies or interests, and they should naturally be reading them in no time.

THEIR OWN FUN LIBRARY

Designate a corner of their bedroom for their very own library that they could run to, whenever they feel like it. Make the place as fun as you can with cute stickers, posters, beanbags or even a tent with a lamp. The trick to drawing them in, is to make it a place, they will love hanging out at.

ENCOURAGE RE-READING

Just because your kids have finished certain books, does not mean it is time to throw them away. Keep read books at an accessible spot or at their room libraries. Your young ones might like them so much that they do not mind re-reading the same books over and over again.

TOILET READING

Have books placed in the toilet. As weird as it seems, you will be amazed at how much more receptive they will be to reading in there, due to the lack of distractions.

PACK A BOOK

Commuting and travelling are great times for reading. Try to pack a book or two into their bags as they will most likely read just to pass the time.

Ease them into these suggested tips with patience. Further pressure will only strengthen their phobia for reading. Do make sure that they do not strain their eyes by letting them read in an optimally lighted area, and remind them to take regular vision breaks.

However, if you find that your children are still resistant toward reading, you could be facing a more serious problem than just reluctance alone. Dyslexia could most likely be the enemy. This common inborn condition greatly hampers one’s ability to read and comprehend texts normally, thus creating a great amount of pressure and phobia in its sufferers. Should you suspect that it is the case, contact a medical professional for help as soon as you can, as it can be significantly alleviated upon early detection.

Test-paper.info got a new look!

Sun, 25 Jan 2009 09:48:08 -0600

Ahead in 2009

Test-paper-info got a new look! Tell us how you like our new look. We like to hear from you! Drop us a comment in our forums or simply feedback to admin@test-paper.info. In addition to the new look, we also upgrade our site system with new and exciting features!

With the new system, we have also introduced a brand new user login system. This new system will eliminate the auto logout issue that occurs with the old site. Along with the new user system, our new forum also enable posting of attachments so that our fellow members can easily include more graphic explanations to online discussion. Hopefully this will allow our members to build an online community and support collaboration across the Internet.

Better site navigation is also introduced so that our members can access the desired resources faster and easier. Do let us know what are the new features that you would like to see on the site. We love to hear feedbacks from all our members and our site is what it is today because of feedbacks and comments from the existing members.

With respect to the site resources, we are in the midst of preparing and tidying up the 2008 examination papers for downloads. So stay tune for the upcoming updates in the next few months! If you have any papers to contribute, feel free to send it to us. We accept assessment papers from all schools, as long as it conforms to the Singapore Ministry of Education's Syllabus. Let's get into the sharing spirit and send us your child's papers!