What To Do When You Can’t Afford A Review Center For Entrance Exams

5 min read

May 04, 2018

Entrance exams are one of the most challenging stages in every student’s life. This is especially true if you are hoping to enroll in some of the country’s leading schools where the competition and passing rates are high. Every year, there are parents who are willing to shell out quite a sum of money just to enroll their sons and daughters to a review center. However, not all families can afford this kind of help.

While it is true that review centers can help students prepare for their tests, it doesn’t mean that those who cannot attend review classes have a lesser chance of passing. All it takes is your determination to pass coupled with a well-planned preparation. Here are some reviewing tips you should check out:

Know the scope of the exam

Although the entrance test questions differ from school to school, there can still be similarities when it comes to the general components. Areas like English Proficiency, Mathematics, Science, Reading Comprehension, Logic, and Abstract Reasoning are some of the major exam components you will most likely encounter. Worth noting is that some schools may require specialized exams in some programs, especially in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics) areas.

 

Find free resources

While going into a review center may not be a feasible option for you, you can still learn through other resource materials available! You can get help from friends or batchmates to provide you with old review materials. There are also admission test reviewers you can find online or buy quality review materials at discounted prices in bookstores. Though you may not have the money, you can always use the internet to search for affordable references.

Plot out your review

One of the key advantages of attending a review class is that you can have a well-balanced review program. You can easily duplicate this approach when you’re studying at home by plotting your review schedule by topics. Spaced practices (Spaced Repetition technique) are found to be more effective than trying to learn everything in chunks. This is because the brain needs time to form synaptic connections about a new information before it is consolidated in the long-term memory.

Identify your weak spots

Studying a lesson is not always easy and it can feel a little bit overwhelming when you find it hard to understand a certain subject. But instead of breaking down, identifying your weak areas and addressing them head-on is the smarter move. For example, if you are having a hard time remembering a certain formula, you can write it down and pin this on your priority list, so you can ask for help, or spend an extra hour or two for that lesson. This will allow you to improve and identify your problems so that you can better prepare for them in the future.

Dedicate a space and time solely for reviewing

Having a dedicated room or area for reviewing your lessons is better than studying anywhere you want. Our brain’s productivity level peaks in the morning and decreases later in the day so it’s better to start your review early when your brain is most active. When you are in your study space, try to focus on learning, then have a break or go somewhere else when you get distracted. The important point is to condition your mind and body so that when you sit down, your brain begins to focus right away.

Never Cram

Properly scheduling your review sessions provides you with ample time to study and rest thus avoiding the need to cram. While it may seem noble to burn the midnight oil studying, prolonged days of sleeplessness can pose a long-term effect on your performance. Generally, you can learn best when you keep a consistent reviewing schedule.

Test yourself

Learning something doesn’t just work through reading and nothing else. You also need to challenge yourself and check your understanding. One good technique to know if you really understood what you studied is to study a topic once and then test yourself. You can come up with your own questions or use the chapter test found at the end of most books. Ask yourself as many questions as possible. The trick is to train your mind in thinking, retrieving, and providing information quickly.

Whether you attend a review center or not, your success will still fall largely on your determination to pass.

Ready to take an entrance exam? Visit Edukasyon.ph to discover thousands of schools for senior high and colleges all over the Philippines and know more about their admission requirements.

 

Written By:

Karl Nicole Nucum

Karl has been in the writing industry for more than five years now. She finished Bachelor of Arts in English Major in Broadcast Journalism. Aside from happily doing household chores, her most productive spare time includes reading tech articles and learning more about digital marketing.

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