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For many of us, preparing for exams is a chore. We don't like it and will usually choose the easiest method to achieve the best results. So, what are the tips and tricks we can use to conquer the exams?
1. Explain your answers to others: Approach friends and family who might be interested or at least open to learning more about the real estate market in Singapore. You can either ask them to pose their own questions or explain an answer to a question to them. Treat the process like a conversation. That will help clarify concepts in your head, and highlight any areas where you need more work.
Furthermore, doing so will help you gain recognition as an aspiring RES who they can approach in the future. Sow your seeds early!
2. Organize study groups with friends: Get together with classmates and friends for a study session. You may have questions that they have answers to, and vice versa. Make sure you stay focused on the topic for an agreed time. This also helps reduce the need to continually approach your RES trainer. Paiseh sia!
3. Take regular breaks: While you may think it's best to study for as many hours as possible. However, this may actually backfire. Imagine if you were training for the Sundown marathon, you wouldn't run 24 hours a day. Likewise, studies have shown that taking regular breaks really help in the long-term retention of knowledge.
4. Start your revision early: By giving yourself enough time to review everything that you have studied, you can ensure that you've understood a topic. Otherwise, you can at least ask for help if you are struggling. Last-minute cramming (holding the buddha's foot) is much less productive.
Ideally, review each subject as you go, and make sure you've understood concepts fully. This will make revision much easier. If you die die also have not enough time to revise or start early, you might need to rely on other's notes. At RES Tutor, we have condensed the RES syllabus into 16 Mind Maps. They were designed to save precious time and effort to cramming the whole textbook. These Mind Maps give you a bird's-eye view of the syllabus so you can easily draw links between chapters. Check out a free sample here!
5. Plan your exam day: Don't leave it to the day before to suddenly realize you don't know the exam venue, or what you're supposed to bring. Check all the rules and requirements, and plan your route and journey time. For the latest exam details, check out the RELC website here!
Work out how long it will take to get there and add on some extra time. You don't want to arrive having had to run to the venue because you lost your way. It's not worth being kan-cheong for!
6. Drink plenty of water: While studying for exams and even during an exam, it is important to keep yourself hydrated. Staying quenched is good for health and adds to your overall positive mood.
7. Vary your locations: Research has found that this can help to improve memory retention. It is suggested that the brain makes connections between the background and what you are studying. Having different connections makes concepts easier to remember. Examples of different study locations include your bedroom, the public library, a café, or someone else’s house.
8. Know your exam: For the RES exam, the format of both Paper 1 and Paper 2 is as follows:
Section A : 50 MCQs (50 marks)
Section B : 15 MCQs with reference to 1 or 2 Case Studies (30 marks)
Section C : 10 Fill-in-the-blank Short Answer Questions (20 marks)
Duration : 2 ½ hours per paper. More details of the exam format can be found here.
The above information is adapted from Top Universities and Skills You Need.
The above information is correct as on the date of listing. While every reasonable effort has been taken, errors may still arise. The author and publisher shall not be liable for any printing error, typo error or mistake.