Preparation is nothing if you have nothing you’re preparing for because the essence of taking exams is to achieve a desired result. That’s why it’s very important to begin exam preparation with your desired result firmly held in mind and clearly written where you’d always see it.
Without a clear goal, you will lack the focus, motivation and discipline to prepare effectively. So preparation doesn’t start when you start studying, but when you have a written goal that’s worth studying for. Always begin with the end in mind—and keep that end in mind! The nature of your goal will reflect in the way you plan and prepare.
So What Should You Do?
1. Never prepare abstractly! Always prepare towards a definite or specific goal. Have a desired result and consciously work towards it. If you aim for nothing, you’ll always perform less than your best.
2. Write your goal down several times where you’ll always see it; it’s not enough to just have it in mind—it should be written. For goals written will get you inspired, but those not written will make you tired.
3. Don’t set goals that you can normally achieve without much effort. Goals are best when they require a little more effort on your part to achieve them. The most important thing about having goals is having goals; goals that will stretch you a bit by demanding more from you.
A Practical Instance
Some time ago, I asked someone preparing for the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) in Nigeria, “What are you aiming for?” He replied, “My guy, I just dey read o! Make I just pass this UTME take enter school na’im be the main thing.”
Despite my efforts, he was reluctant to aim for anything in particular; he just wanted to pass or maybe he thought it wasn’t necessary. Well, do you think he passed? Nope, he didn’t! He got much less than 200 which was the pass mark.
I thought this was really sad because almost everyone I know who passed that exam aimed for something—either a specific score or a range of scores—which they consciously or unconsciously wrote down and prepared towards. Even though most didn’t get exactly what they aimed for, but at least they weren’t too far from their goals—and they passed!
Moreover, even if he had passed, it would still be less than his best. The real virtue of having goals is not merely in meeting those goals, but in what you become as you try to meet them. Preparing towards specific goals offers such priceless benefits that preparation without goals is simply pointless.
Without a clear goal, you will lack the focus, motivation and discipline to prepare effectively. So preparation doesn’t start when you start studying, but when you have a written goal that’s worth studying for. Always begin with the end in mind—and keep that end in mind! The nature of your goal will reflect in the way you plan and prepare.
So What Should You Do?
1. Never prepare abstractly! Always prepare towards a definite or specific goal. Have a desired result and consciously work towards it. If you aim for nothing, you’ll always perform less than your best.
2. Write your goal down several times where you’ll always see it; it’s not enough to just have it in mind—it should be written. For goals written will get you inspired, but those not written will make you tired.
3. Don’t set goals that you can normally achieve without much effort. Goals are best when they require a little more effort on your part to achieve them. The most important thing about having goals is having goals; goals that will stretch you a bit by demanding more from you.
A Practical Instance
Some time ago, I asked someone preparing for the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) in Nigeria, “What are you aiming for?” He replied, “My guy, I just dey read o! Make I just pass this UTME take enter school na’im be the main thing.”
Despite my efforts, he was reluctant to aim for anything in particular; he just wanted to pass or maybe he thought it wasn’t necessary. Well, do you think he passed? Nope, he didn’t! He got much less than 200 which was the pass mark.
I thought this was really sad because almost everyone I know who passed that exam aimed for something—either a specific score or a range of scores—which they consciously or unconsciously wrote down and prepared towards. Even though most didn’t get exactly what they aimed for, but at least they weren’t too far from their goals—and they passed!
Moreover, even if he had passed, it would still be less than his best. The real virtue of having goals is not merely in meeting those goals, but in what you become as you try to meet them. Preparing towards specific goals offers such priceless benefits that preparation without goals is simply pointless.
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