SPM 2012 is coming~....

Woah~... I can't believe it's almost one year since I took SPM. Haha! XD I was kind of reluctant to post anything about SPM at first coz I thought:

"Please. It's not like anyone's gonna read them. I'm not a star student after all..."
 

Yup! That's exactly what I was thinking about. After a while of blog-walking and all, I noticed that a majority of the bloggers I followed and some that my friends followed were blogging about SPM, exam fever and such. I felt kinda bad for not AT LEAST sharing one or two things that I did before SPM. Although I wasn't and still not a star student, but I managed to get a result that was far beyond my expectation and normal results. So, without further ado, allow me to share a few things about what I did before SPM, during SPM and after SPM.

BEFORE SPM

Since SPM will be in  the next few days, here's what I did:

1) I TOTALLY de-stressed myself. Meaning to say that I did not do any heavy studying, such as burning the midnight oil, studying individually and completing exercises non-stop. I noticed that some people do this which is a big NO NO NO to our mental, spiritual and physical condition. Remember to get enough sleep, that is at least six hours and the most eight. This is coz when one lack of sleep, they tend to feel tired, exhausted even to the point that it causes physical stress to the body that may lead to a fever. Lack of sleep also promotes cold and flu as the body's immune system are weakened due to inadequate rest. This will eventually cause us to be mentally disturbed (I don't mean by going crazy or anything) and uneasy about the "approaching" SPM. Later on, our conscience will be filled with negative thoughts that will slowly poison our minds and eventually cause us to lose confidence. So, that means;

Heavy studying = BIG NO

 

2) Go through short notes and just do light revision instead. This will help you feel collected, calm and less stressed out, BUT still keep you supposedly "in tact" with your studies. Studying hard is not ALWAYS good, sometimes it's bad so stick to light ones ESPECIALLY when you're just a few days away from facing the real deal.

3) Let's say while going through your cute-mini-notes, you suddenly realized that:

"DAMN IT! I HAVEN'T MASTERED THIS TOPIC YET!!! GRRR!!!!! @#$#%$^u%"

Haha! Let me tell you, I had one of those days too, but DON'T WORRY! You can still master that particular topic. First off, the moment you realized that you are still not very clear about a certain concept, please follow these simple rules:

• RULE NUMBER 1: Relax. Chill~. Take a deep breath and be calm.
• RULE NUMBER 2: Set your alarm clock to wake up at 3 o'clock in the morning.
• RULE NUMBER 3: Continue doing your light revision.
• RULE NUMBER 4: Make sure you sleep early. If possible, get yourself in bed by 10.
• RULE NUMBER 5: Wake up, brush your teeth or shower if you have to and start studying your butt off on that topic you haven't completely understand yet. It's advisable to drink a cup of coffee or tea so that the caffein can get your brain running. And as for Muslims, please perform the hajat sunnat prayers (solat sunat hajat) for a calm, and "lesson-absorbing-mind".

You might go:

WHY THE HELL MUST I WAKE UP IN THE MIDDLE OF TE NIGHT TO STUDY?! WHAT KIND OF STUPID TIP IS THAT! PATHETIC!
 

Tsk tsk tsk. Let me explain. The brain is the organ which controls ALL of our sensory organs. I'm not sure whether you are aware or not, but we would always hear such inspiring stories of blind people who become teachers by learning through braille, people who got their hands decapitated that produce fine masterpieces by painting with their feet and many others that touches the heart. Notice how when one organ is "immobile" or "inactive" another one seem to shine? When we try to read braille by touch, we'll find it diffcult to read and understand despite memorizing the patterns which represent the letters they represent clearly. This is because, blind people who do not use their eyes for seeing, will get some other parts of their sensory organs (in this case, the sense of touch) enhanced due to the brain not having to use any of its "energy" to see, hence dispersing a fixed amount of energy to less sensory organ than normal. Meaning to say that, they have a much more sensitive sense of touch than us who fully utilizes all the sensory organs. This is the exact reason why it is as easy as pie for blind people to read braille by touch compare to us. What I mean to say is that, when we wake up at three in the morning to study, your surrounding will be much quieter as everyone is still asleep, hence your ears are "inactive" meaning that your brain will disperse its "energy" to the ears less compare to the rest. This will greatly benefit you, in terms that your eyes will be much more alert, your hands lighter than usual and your brain much more focused. Besides that, when you just woke up from a good quality sleep, you'll feel fresh and relax which is VERY ESSENTIAL in helping you to understand what you're studying. Studying at this kind of hour allows your brain to absorb lessons efectively, like that of a sponge. Hehe. ^^  Now do you understand why it's good and benificial to study at three o'clock in the morning? I know the explanation may have contained too much long sentences (negehehhee) but I bet you still could understand what I mean right? HAHAHA!!!

4) Lastly,

FORGIVE AND FORGET OTHERS' MISTAKES...
SEEK FOR FORGIVENESS FROM YOUR LOVED ONES, TUTORS AND FRIENDS...
 

Yes! This is VERY important, so don't forget to go and ask for forgiveness! God, helps to make things easier for people who seek forgiveness from Him and the people surrounding them.



DURING SPM

Ah yes. Even with all that knowledge already stuck in your brain and your confidence as that of a raging fire, worry still pangs your heart. *Sigh* As a result, you are studying till the last drop of blood. I TOTALLY do not agree with this when facing big exams like SPM. Trust me, this will only cause your confidence to evaporate ever so slowly which is BAD! My advice:

1) Read the Yaasin and ayatul-kursi for calmness. For non-Muslim, please pray for a heart that is calm and strong no matter what tidalwave that hits you during the exam.

2) Get a glance through your short notes. You never know what information that get stuck in your brain due to last minute studying.

3) During the last 30 minutes, go for a short toilet break. Relieve yourself, wash your face, etc.

4) For the last 20 minutes before the exam starts, STOP reading anything or touching any books that are related t the subject you're sitting for. By this time, get your things ready and stay cool and calm. Tawakal fully to God, meaning to say competely surrender eerything to God. You have been working hard for a solid 22 months, so God will know best what to reward you foryour hard work. Trust in God's judgement. Even if you don't get the result you wished for, don't lose faith in God because that means He has a bigger and better plan for you n the future, so keep striving!



AFTER SPM

FREEEEE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Hehe. ^^ My advice is that you forget about SPM completely and start planning for the future for a bit. Besides that, don't forget to study even if it's only for a tinsy-wittle-bit for a firm grasp on what you've studied in Form 4 and Form Five so that you don't have to struggle too much in the future. Most importantly, have fun spending your holidays! :)


PHEW!!! That was a lot! Ah yes. Then again, these tips may only be useful if you did work hard to cover all the topics of your subjects. If not, then I guess my ONE and ONLY advice, PUMP IT TO THE LIMIT! Only when SPM is day away from you, then stop studying like there's no tomorrow. Hehe. Anyway, good luck everyone! May your hard work be paid off and may God grants you your wishes! ^^


This is Erna signing off! Tut... Tut...