!

"#$%&' )#%*+,-
l can'L emphaslse enough how lmporLanL problem solvlng ls. lL ls Lhe gaLeway Lo exLra marks.
LeL's lmaglne LhaL you have done loLs of revlslon and you're confldenL LhaL you know Lhe sub[ecL maLerlal
well. 1he problem ls LhaL even wlLh greaL sub[ecL knowledge, lL sLlll does noL guaranLee a good grade.
l have even meL sLudenLs who fall exams desplLe havlng good sub[ecL knowledge. 1hls ls normally down
Lo lack of flexlblllLy ln Lhelr approach resulLlng ln poor problem solvlng skllls. 1hey Lend Lo learn facLs very
well buL are Lhrown ouL of Lhelr sLrlde very easlly ln exams.
lL really comes down Lo mlndseL and LhaL's where problem solvlng beglns.

!"#$%&' .#%*+,- '+,/.&0
lmaglne LhaL you are faced wlLh a quesLlon ln an exam LhaL you don'L even recognlse whaL Lhey are
Lalklng abouL. ?ou are noL even sure whaL Loplc lL ls! Pow on earLh are you supposed Lo answer LhaL? lf
LhaL's whaL runs Lhrough your head, Lhen you need help wlLh Lhls.
1he blggesL Lhlng LhaL you can do Lo lmprove your problem solvlng ls Lo calm down. lf you panlc Lhen lL's
game over. ?ou need Lo puL down your pen and sLarL Lo LreaL lL as a puzzle.
1ell yourself LhaL lL's a free" quesLlon where you would normally geL zero marks anyway. 1here ls
noLhlng Lo lose, so no pressure. Any marks LhaL you now geL are a bonus.
nexL Lell yourself LhaL you uC know Lhe answer. Somewhere ln your mlnd you know lL. lL's based on your
noLes and lL's [usL Lhe way Lhey have worded lL LhaL's Lhe problem. lL's up Lo you now Lo solve Lhe
problem.
1hls reallsaLlon llLerally Lransformed my exam performance. LveryLhlng LhaL Lhey ask you ls sLralghL from
your noLes ln some form. 1hey [usL dress lL up a blL so lL's dlfflculL Lo recognlse Lhe real quesLlon. roblem
solvlng ls really [usL learnlng Lo ldenLlfy Lhe real baslc fundamenLal quesLlon.
CeL lnLo Lhe hablL of asklng whaL are Lhey really asklng you? uo Lhls for every quesLlon you do from now
on. SomeLlmes lL ls obvlous buL someLlmes lL lsn'L.
uL your pen down and have a good Lhlnk. 1here are always clues ln Lhe quesLlon or ln Lhe prevlous parL
or nexL parL LhaL guldes you ln Lhe rlghL dlrecLlon. As long as you sLop, calm down and reallse LhaL all
quesLlons are based on someLhlng LhaL you PAvL done, you wlll lmprove aL Lhls.
?ou also have Lo be flexlble and reallse LhaL you may noL geL lL rlghL lmmedlaLely. 1he maln Lhlng Lo
remember ls LhaL lL doesn'L maLLer how long lL Lakes or how messy lL geLs on Lhe page. lf you Lhlnk LhaL
you have Lo know every answer lnsLanLly or you can'L do lL, Lhen you wlll sLruggle ln every exam.
1"2+, )0#"'+,-
When you ldenLlfy whaL Lhe quesLlon ls really asklng you, lL Lhen comes down Lo Lrlal and error or braln
sLormlng. 1hls means LhaL you may come up wlLh more Lhan one answer LhaL ls posslbly correcL. ln facL,
you should alm Lo examlne all posslblllLles and Lhen declde whlch one ls mosL llkely Lo be correcL.
?ou need Lo adopL a loglcal approach and examlne all posslblllLles. 8ule ouL Lhe answers LhaL are noL
correcL one by one. 1ry Lo show why someLhlng can'L be Lhe rlghL answer.
Say Lhlngs llke lf l do Lhls or do LhaL.Lhen Lhls happens", whaL lf l change Lhls". ?ou are Lrylng Lo
home" ln on Lhe answer. Lven lf you are sLlll noL 100 sure, lL doesn'L maLLer. 1he answer LhaL ls mosL"
rlghL ls whaL you are Lrylng Lo geL Lo and remember LhaL every mark you galn ls now a bonus.

345
Cne Lhlng l have noLlced wlLh some sLudenLs ls LhaL Lhey become rellanL upon books, noLes or even
LuLors (lf Lhey have one). 1hese are all greaL resources buL when Lhe exam comes Lhey won'L be Lhere.
?ou musL be self-rellanL.
l have seen sLudenLs Lry Lo answer homework quesLlons and lf Lhey can'L do lL aL flrsL glance Lhey
lmmedlaLely go Lo a book or ask Lhelr LuLor. lL's a form of panlcklng and lndlcaLes LhaL Lhls ls whaL Lhey
wlll do ln exams Loo.
lor example, Lhey don'L know Lhe answer so Lhey Lhen go Lo Lhelr noLes. A mlld form of panlc has hlL
Lhem, Lhey geL Lhe answer and Lhey relax agaln. 1hey Lhlnk, greaL l know how Lo do Lhls one now, lf lL
comes up ln Lhe exam Lhen l'll be flne. 8uL Lhey won'L. 1hey have no ldea whaL Lhey have [usL done.
Change Lhe quesLlon round a blL and Lhey'll be sLralghL back lnLo Lhelr noLes.
lL's Lhe same when people Lry Lo do every pasL paper quesLlon under Lhe sun. 1hey do Lhem as fasL as
posslble Lo geL ln as many as posslble as Lhey Lhlnk LhaL wlll prepare Lhem for anyLhlng. lL won'L. Agaln
Lhe quesLlon [usL needs Lo be reworded, Lurned around, ask Lhem Lo work ouL someLhlng else and Lhey
can'L adapL. lL all really comes down Lo self-bellef. 1hey don'L LrusL Lhemselves Lo be able Lo work ouL
answers so Lhey Lry Lo learn Lhem all. 8uL quesLlons are unllmlLed, you can'L know Lhem all.
So flrsLly, you need Lo work on your mlndseL and noL Lo panlc. 1hen you need Lo sLarL Lo Lry quesLlons by
yourself, [usL llke ln an exam. lf afLer a whlle you can'L do lL, Lhen flne, go Lo your noLes. 8uL you need Lo
geL lnLo Lhls hablL Lo geL Lhe problem solvlng muscles worklng.