'I study a lot harder than them, but they still beat me. Why?' (1 Viewer)

[flashtrick]

We've all surely heard this phrase from a disgruntled friend before. Or maybe those words were uttered from your own mouth.
Whichever it may be, most students simply believe results directly correlate to the amount of study prior to an exam.

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In Year 11, I did Music 2. Since Year 5, I played piano and percussion/drums. I wasn't the most dedicated musician, though. My interest over the years would rise and fall. I was high-B range student for performance. I could practise as much as I wanted, but I could never really break into the A range.

On the other hand, there's my friend. He'd been playing the cello since he was in Year 2. He has a solid work ethic whereas mine is non-existent. He would always get 15/15. In Year 10 music, I remember he got a perfect mark despite the fact that he 'made up a lot of parts' because he forgot the notes.

Now, I just wanted to break into the A range for performance, let alone get 15/15. He had been playing his instrument rather religiously for nearly a decade in comparison to my casual 7 years. There was a time where I played piano much more than my friend played his cello, but the fact is, you cannot replace years of solid work with a few weeks/days of frantic practice.

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I hope that my story made my point and answered the question. Background knowledge and skill plays a vital role in exams.

To all you Maths or English failures trying boost your marks, don't be discouraged if you're putting in more effort than your peers and seeing lesser results. It takes times to build skills and learn things.

Fortunately, besides the more specialized subjects such as Music and Languages, it's possible to climb ranks and see results with consistent effort.


[I was also going to write about 'secondary study' in this post, but I'll leave it for another day. This topic also answers the question title: your lifestyle outside of study shapes your views and thinking patterns. For example, if you're creative outside of study (ie painting or making up games), that creativity will help you in your exams. Terrible example, but I'm too lazy now, haha.]

 

[strawberrye]

Repped-I completely agree with this-time and consistent effort are the keys to success Don't give up until the last possible second and you will always be a winner

And the most important thing:

COMPARE WITH YOURSELF, NOT WITH OTHERS. COMPETE WITH YOURSELF, NOT WITH OTHERS. CONTINUE TO PUT EFFORT IN ADVANCING TOWARDS YOUR DREAMS AND GOALS, NOT IN ADHERING TO OTHER PEOPLE'S EXPECTATIONS OF YOU

 

[tashe]

Also, keep in mind the idea of studying smart.

 

[rumbleroar]

This is actually so important - hope a lot of people read this thread and understand success is 99% perspiration and 1% genius (corny but true)

 

[Crobat]

Great thread - it's important to remember that studying longer does not guarantee you understand the material better than anyone else. It's more about learning than working when it comes down to it, but of course these two are interconnected anyway. However, you should never measure your personal success comparative to others unless that other is a role model, someone you aspire to, and not just a petty "I have to beat him/her" competition.

This is actually so important - hope a lot of people read this thread and understand success is 99% perspiration and 1% genius (corny but true)

Gratz on Mod!

 

[RivalryofTroll]

Getting higher marks in an exam comes down to multiple factors in my opinion.

1. Work that you put in (hardwork is indeed the number one factor).
2. Natural ability.
3. Luck - yes, this exists in my opinion. Sometimes, the hardest question could just CLICK and you get it out somehow. Sometimes, a fair bunch of the questions suit you. Maybe your favourite topics are appearing in the exam and your hated topics ain't appearing. Maybe you guessed the essay questions correctly. Maybe you've seen the hardest question or the last question somewhere before (in tutor or something).
4. On the day (if you're tired, you could screw up with tonnes of sillies. You could be feeling great and have the best exam day of your life)

 

[cadd1ct]

I also believe that movies and media play a very indirect and subconscious part in our understanding of work ethic and persistence.

You see flashes and a few clips of some determined guy playing the piano and a few seconds later wow he's now a musician playing infront of a concert full of people applauding after every piece. In real life it's probably comparable to 5-6 hours of daily practice for 10 -1 5 years before one gets to that level.
People make it sound so easy. Sometimes we take it for granted that people are good at what they do. But only those who have climbed the mountain know what it takes.

Sent from my HTC Desire HD

 

[snipez264]

Time to kill those distractions

 

[enoilgam]

Getting higher marks in an exam comes down to multiple factors in my opinion.

1. Work that you put in (hardwork is indeed the number one factor).
2. Natural ability.
3. Luck - yes, this exists in my opinion. Sometimes, the hardest question could just CLICK and you get it out somehow. Sometimes, a fair bunch of the questions suit you. Maybe your favourite topics are appearing in the exam and your hated topics ain't appearing. Maybe you guessed the essay questions correctly. Maybe you've seen the hardest question or the last question somewhere before (in tutor or something).
4. On the day (if you're tired, you could screw up with tonnes of sillies. You could be feeling great and have the best exam day of your life)

From personal experience and from what I've seen with my tutoring students, I definitely agree with this. Ultimately, you cant compare yourself with others because people can vary greatly in terms of ability and the other factors at play. Hard work is without question the most important factor, but some people just have much higher natural ability than others, or they perform much better on exams. It is true that 1% comes down to natural ability, but comparing two students who put in the same degree of effort, that 1% can make all the difference.