By Hu Wo (Cuckoo’s Song)
How are you doing, little Teresa? I hope you are in the best of health like me. It has been two years or so since we last met each other. Sincerely, I am constantly yearning for you despite the fact that I can go and see you in no condition. Sorry for that. By the way, there are not so many days left until the matriculation examination, you know. I think your heart is constantly pounding with exam nerves as near as the examination is drawing. Don’t worry. I will herein give you some exam tips which enable you to do well in your examination.
Test anxiety is a student nature. Any student has more or less text anxiety, believe me. That is, you are not the only one to feel this emotion. The best way to overcome test anxiety is just having studied enough, to say nothing of studying at all. Overall, the study would be better, of course. I strongly believe you will have studied all your subjects to an adequate extent. But you may sometimes forget your well-taken lessons due to either retroactive and proactive inhibitions or even text anxiety. Not to worry — you can revise them as many times as you should. It will not have escaped your notice that it is normally difficult to get distinctions in Myanmar and English as they are both languages which should be well learned through practice in advance only. Never underestimate any of your subjects involving these two languages, whether you have mastered them or not. Try to remain calm. May you be ready for your final examination at all times.
I know you usually skip your breakfast. Not having breakfast is a bad habit, actually. Before sitting for an exam, you must have breakfast, which makes you feel a pretty full stomach and cannot nauseate you. You are able to eat Mont-hin-ga, fried rice, coffee and cake, or something like that. On exam days, you have to avoid eating too much oily food, sticky rice, spicy food, salad, and some drinks, mainly because they are most likely to cause you an upset stomach. In particular, you need to have food and drink that will not keep you hungry during exam time. It would also be best if you answered the call of nature before doing an exam. Otherwise, that will certainly prevent you from taking an exam.
Before you start answering your questions, first check your answer sheets to see whether or not they are coloured and torn. If the papers are so, swap them by asking exam invigilators. Then, write your roll number correctly and clearly, only once! If you write it wrong, ask for help from the proctor in your room. Please read the whole question paper or at least skim it. Work out your estimated time for answering as soon as possible on the basis of the time allocated to examinees. You had better begin answering the question number so that you could do your best. Luckily or unluckily, don’t waste too much time in the question examining your half-studied subject matter. It is better if your handwriting is neat and clear in your exam. In spite of that, it is not beautiful. As my final tip to you, check your answers again and again till the allowed time is up if you have got ample time from your answering. After your exams, please stay calm. Don’t make peer checking between the exams at all. That is responsible for nothing but your undesirable worries.
Good luck with your final examination. I hope you pass your exams with flying colours. Sleep well and enough every day.
