Do you remember those tweets that have been circulating all over social media ‘draping’ us CAPE students? Well I was greeted by another one today, “Hey friends, friendly reminder that exams start in May. May is today. Time is up. Goodbye.”

With my mouth dropped and shirt crumpled from the drape, I started to panic as I know some of you are doing too, but there’s no need to worry. We all have one thing in common and that is we want to pass these upcoming CAPE exams; it is doable however it requires a lot of work. You’re now going to have to put in extra hours of studying, day and night and start practising with those past papers! 

Keep it positive

One thing you must ensure to do is to remain optimistic. Discard any negative thoughts you may have, because failing is not an option; you can do anything you put your mind to, and you need to start believing this. You may feel unprepared due to a number of circumstances, and continue to dwell on the fact that things did not go the way you planned. Thinking about it won’t change anything, so in the words of Taylor Swift I say, “SHAKE IT OFF!” Tap into that part of you that speaks nothing but positivity, stay there, and get ready to work.

Log out

Before you can start doing some serious studying, you need to get rid of all the distractions. That’s no more Netflix, Instagram, Twitter or WhatsApp – THIS IS NOT A DRILL! This is CRUNCH TIME! I advise that you also complete all outstanding School Based Assessments (SBAs) so that you can focus solely on reading and retaining information.

Wake up

If you are one of those TEENs who studies for 10 minutes then take a 20 minute break, you’re going to have to change your study pattern to be as productive as possible. This one may seem very hard, and trust me it is for me, but you need to start getting out of bed early to start your daily activities, so that studying can also start early and more ground can be covered for each subject.

Fuel your brain

Remember that having a healthy breakfast and exercising are important; fit these into your schedule so that you can be at your best when studying.  It is inevitable that you will feel as if you can’t go on anymore and that your body is failing you, but that’s okay – take a break when you absolutely need one. You can’t ‘shell’ the exams if you’re not functioning properly. Recuperate and start again.

Practise! Practise! Practise!

After doing your reading, it is best that you immediately start working past papers and subjecting yourselves to exam conditions. If you still feel a little unsure of where you are in each of your subjects, there are Marathon classes available that work wonders! Make the effort to attend those classes, and try your best to grasp all the information given.

teenAGE wishes you all the best. We’re all CAPEable!

With practice and a positive mindset, you’ll be able to ace those exams with flying colours –

–Isheba Cornwall