"During my university days, I had stayed with two of my friends in the same room with me. Coincidentally we were are all in the same faculty. There is this belief that those who don't leave their hostel to read in the main campus especially at night are laggard. Been in my first year then, I never wanted to be tagged " a laggard" as I knew what I stand for but also I didn't really want to go the main campus with them because I felt it is not my thing to read in the campus as I felt more comfortable reading in the room when all had gone to bed.
So on that fateful day, I reluctantly followed my peers to the campus after much Persuasion to read throughout the night. We left at about 9.32pm that fateful day and I was heavily kitted with my armoury of academic materials which included voluminous physics text book by Halliday and my engineering mathematics. I had hope that I would cover as much with motivation of my peers when we get to the campus.
On getting to the campus, a female friend to my room mate came to join us asking for clarification on key areas she couldn't understand, after putting her through for over one hour. We then faced our book to unravel the business of the day. I barely read for one hour when "the call of mother nature" descended heavily on me. I tried standing and walking around all to no avail. I convinced myself to rest my head for about 30 minutes to refresh my brain. And that was how I found myself sleeping the whole night there. I even used the voluminous physics as a pillow support! When I woke up around 5.00a.m , I was angry with myself and I knew I had wasted my time."
Everyone must understand we have different body chemistry as what works for the goose might not work for the gander. Know what works for you and the best time you can gain maximum productivity from your brain while study.
I hope to deliberate more on this in the part 2.
Spelling Deterioration in our Educational System Today
Have you wondered why the level of English language is going down in Nigeria. Even with high level exposure of students to improved facilities and modern ICT technologies in the educational sector.
I must say that even though the increased use of mobile devices has been commendable to assist in communication and perform other utilities in key areas , it has also done a lot of damage to the spelling philosophy and vocabulary of the students.
A common example is the social media which encourage people to write in an informal way and in short forms just to catch up with time in communicating with their peers on the other end. Spellings like "should" has been mutilated to "shud" or "shd", also "you" is commonly typed as "u" and so on. SMS has also be marked as one of tools that encourage mutilated spellings. People are often encouraged to either shorten their words so that they don't pay more by optimizing the space and reducing number of pages or they are in a hurry to send out such messages or just their culture of writing on mobile devices.
Due to the fact that majority of the students are more friendly to these devices than their books and study materials, they replicate these spelling pattern inadvertently in their normal school activities, thereby giving rise to a generation of students with poor mastery of their vocabulary.
Lessons Learnt: No matter, how slow you are in typing or writing, it is best you get it right from onset and then work on your speed later. Avoid shortening of words in both formal and informal communication , it can affect your communication skills without you knowing it.
I must say that even though the increased use of mobile devices has been commendable to assist in communication and perform other utilities in key areas , it has also done a lot of damage to the spelling philosophy and vocabulary of the students.
A common example is the social media which encourage people to write in an informal way and in short forms just to catch up with time in communicating with their peers on the other end. Spellings like "should" has been mutilated to "shud" or "shd", also "you" is commonly typed as "u" and so on. SMS has also be marked as one of tools that encourage mutilated spellings. People are often encouraged to either shorten their words so that they don't pay more by optimizing the space and reducing number of pages or they are in a hurry to send out such messages or just their culture of writing on mobile devices.
Due to the fact that majority of the students are more friendly to these devices than their books and study materials, they replicate these spelling pattern inadvertently in their normal school activities, thereby giving rise to a generation of students with poor mastery of their vocabulary.
Lessons Learnt: No matter, how slow you are in typing or writing, it is best you get it right from onset and then work on your speed later. Avoid shortening of words in both formal and informal communication , it can affect your communication skills without you knowing it.
6 Things You should consider to be a Full-baked Graduate
In the midst of dwindling fortunes for graduates in the labour market with unemployment on the rise on daily basis in the country. There is need to address the issue of lack of opportunities from the grassroots. One of the major reason why we are sent to school from the secondary level of education to the tertiary level is to be able to utilize the skills that were acquired from these institutions to harness and utilize optimally our God-given ideas and talents. However, there are certain things that need to be in place for these ideas to thrive even when coined by the brightest of minds. .
I am of the opinion that a full-baked graduate of an institution work in the capacity as an employee, employer and an entrepreneur as the situation might allow. Here are few things, new entrants or prospective students should consider doing while in school.
1. Participate
Being in a higher institution gives you the opportunity to meet with different set of people with diverse culture, characters and ideas. You can only tap from the ideas of others and liaise as appropriate when you build constructive relationship with people through participating in activities ranging from academic, social, sports and religious activities. It will be nice and productive to match your academic prowess with commensurate social ability. Joining and participating one or more clubs or society in school can help network and inter-relate with people from other departments, faculties, universities and background.
2. Learn other skills other than your Academic Workload
There is nothing wrong to learn something other than what you are studying in the institution. Leverage on every opportunity that you can lay your hands because you never know when the need might arise. Is it programming, welding, carpentry or tailoring? Don't be scared to get yourself acquainted to things that are not aligned in your course of study even if it means getting your hands dirty. The skills gotten could save you some day. So be open to learn new stuffs irrespective of their fields as long as you have the opportunity to learn them.
3. Have an Apt Time Management Skills
It is well documented that what your experience over a long period of time defines a good part of who you are really. When time management is started early enough in one's life, it affects how the person perform and organize the tasks that are assigned to him/her. This simply means allocating time and prioritizing your schedules from the most important to the least important, it will give you an ample idea of your daily, weekly and monthly targets. In so doing, you can always keep track of your progress and retrace back when you are not performing optimally on important areas. It also gives you a balance in your academic and social life. With good time management, you can still address your academic workload, church or mosque engagements, club/societal meetings, sport activities and still graduate with flying colours. It is about how meticulous you are with your time.
4. Grades Still Count
Although there have been cases where grades can not be defended due to inability of the students to work hard for them and had been aided by corrupted lecturing personnel to acquire such grades. The place of grades cannot be over-emphasized as it serves as a means of benchmark in assessment for the future and recruitment process. For example, in Nigeria most companies would want to employ graduates with a minimum requirement of second class upper(2.1) and this would be the baseline of shortlisting candidates. This does not necessarily mean that all 2.1 or first class candidates are better than the ones with a lower grade because every individual has its own unique skill, character and level of competence but there has to be a way for recruiters to filter candidates in the heat of high outlay of graduates from university on daily basis and this gives them an escape route most times.
5. Be Ready to Open Earn from School
In school, most students are quite comfortable with the stipends that are sent by their parents, guardian or benefactor. Take a holiday job, learn a skill and try something new during holidays other than your academics that could lead to earn extra cash legally rather than sitting at home playing video games and watching TV. I can remember writing a project report for someone in a nearby institution while in school and was paid for it. I gained the knowledge during the research and still got paid. You can do something to help your parents even while in school. Just be open to explore opportunities.
6. Lead
Show good examples, be constructive in your arguments, be articulate in your speech and show tenacity to get works done and naturally you would have done well enough to be eligible to lead a group. Be ready to lead even when it is not position-tied. Let your actions, words, charisma and body language depict that of a born leader. Don't be afraid to lead school association including intra and inter-institution associations like the student union, departmental societies, clubs and national associations. By leading at that stage, you gain more guile, experience and courage to lead a larger conglomerate in the future. So take the lead and take responsibility.
I am of the opinion that a full-baked graduate of an institution work in the capacity as an employee, employer and an entrepreneur as the situation might allow. Here are few things, new entrants or prospective students should consider doing while in school.
1. Participate
Being in a higher institution gives you the opportunity to meet with different set of people with diverse culture, characters and ideas. You can only tap from the ideas of others and liaise as appropriate when you build constructive relationship with people through participating in activities ranging from academic, social, sports and religious activities. It will be nice and productive to match your academic prowess with commensurate social ability. Joining and participating one or more clubs or society in school can help network and inter-relate with people from other departments, faculties, universities and background.
2. Learn other skills other than your Academic Workload
There is nothing wrong to learn something other than what you are studying in the institution. Leverage on every opportunity that you can lay your hands because you never know when the need might arise. Is it programming, welding, carpentry or tailoring? Don't be scared to get yourself acquainted to things that are not aligned in your course of study even if it means getting your hands dirty. The skills gotten could save you some day. So be open to learn new stuffs irrespective of their fields as long as you have the opportunity to learn them.
3. Have an Apt Time Management Skills
It is well documented that what your experience over a long period of time defines a good part of who you are really. When time management is started early enough in one's life, it affects how the person perform and organize the tasks that are assigned to him/her. This simply means allocating time and prioritizing your schedules from the most important to the least important, it will give you an ample idea of your daily, weekly and monthly targets. In so doing, you can always keep track of your progress and retrace back when you are not performing optimally on important areas. It also gives you a balance in your academic and social life. With good time management, you can still address your academic workload, church or mosque engagements, club/societal meetings, sport activities and still graduate with flying colours. It is about how meticulous you are with your time.
4. Grades Still Count
Although there have been cases where grades can not be defended due to inability of the students to work hard for them and had been aided by corrupted lecturing personnel to acquire such grades. The place of grades cannot be over-emphasized as it serves as a means of benchmark in assessment for the future and recruitment process. For example, in Nigeria most companies would want to employ graduates with a minimum requirement of second class upper(2.1) and this would be the baseline of shortlisting candidates. This does not necessarily mean that all 2.1 or first class candidates are better than the ones with a lower grade because every individual has its own unique skill, character and level of competence but there has to be a way for recruiters to filter candidates in the heat of high outlay of graduates from university on daily basis and this gives them an escape route most times.
5. Be Ready to Open Earn from School
In school, most students are quite comfortable with the stipends that are sent by their parents, guardian or benefactor. Take a holiday job, learn a skill and try something new during holidays other than your academics that could lead to earn extra cash legally rather than sitting at home playing video games and watching TV. I can remember writing a project report for someone in a nearby institution while in school and was paid for it. I gained the knowledge during the research and still got paid. You can do something to help your parents even while in school. Just be open to explore opportunities.
6. Lead
Show good examples, be constructive in your arguments, be articulate in your speech and show tenacity to get works done and naturally you would have done well enough to be eligible to lead a group. Be ready to lead even when it is not position-tied. Let your actions, words, charisma and body language depict that of a born leader. Don't be afraid to lead school association including intra and inter-institution associations like the student union, departmental societies, clubs and national associations. By leading at that stage, you gain more guile, experience and courage to lead a larger conglomerate in the future. So take the lead and take responsibility.
6 Important Tips to Guarantee Success in a Computer Based Test
The trend of computer based testing has been come very prominent in Nigeria in the last five years and this has been so, in response to moving Nigeria along with global technological trends in education and other facets of the economy. To many people, computer based testing (CBT) has been a bit pill they have to compulsorily swallow as it has become the only route to advancement in some academic and professional assessment process.
This article presents five things you should do to increase your efficiency and success rate in a computer based test.
1. Have a good mastery of basic computer operations beforehand
It is necessary you'd be familiar with basic computer operations before your assessment date. This could include basic functionalities like using the mouse, typing and been conversant with the keyboard and monitor. This could help reduce any form of exam tension that could emanate from unfamiliarity with the computer.
2. Ensure you practice on computers as well as on paper
In as much as practice of similar test form could be very vital, it is paramount, that practice should be done using the computer under some time constraints as well to help the user to be acquainted with the interface or a similar interface ahead of time. Studying with your computer side by side with your books is very pertinent.
3. Get enough rest before the test
Writing a computer based test requires a lot of computation knowledge using the sensitive parts of your body. It includes your eyes and your brain. So it is best advised that you get enough sleep before the exam day. Candidates must not read through out the night before the exams as it could lead to diminishing returns as the exams pans out. If they do, it has been shown that although they could have gotten more that night due to the amount of man hours they inputted, yet their computational ability will petersout as time wears on, thereby reducing efficiency and increasing stress.
4. Obey every test instructions (both offline & Online)
Every test instruction that is stated before the test is to help you completed the test without any hiccups. Trying to exempt yourself from any instructions given can only put in danger of submission problems or examination tension. Candidates should be open to verbal instructions as well as the written ones. Atimes people tend to read amiss from the computer or misinterprete the one that is written or instructions could also be omitted from the original script hence prompting a verbal one.
5. Ignore the countdown timer for a while but don't forget it
The countdown time is to ensure that candidates write their test under examination conditions. Focusing on the timer in the beginning of your assessment will only built up pressure in your body during the assessment. It is best you focus on the questions you are given and attempt the ones you can as soon as possible while bearing in mind of the time slotted for the assessment. This way you can calmly answer the questions you know accurately and efficiently.
6. Pray
There are times when you get things so right and nothing seems to be working in your favor, thats where prayer comes in. In my personal experience, there had been exams where I did all the aforementioned with adequate preparation and end up with a computer in the hall that was just lethargic and can't just submit even when my time has finished. This is where your spirituality takes control of your physical. Pray before and after your test.
Apt CBT Practice Software For Jambites
One of the greatest problem with most students when writing their UTME is the lack of exposure of the Computer Based Test (CBT) methods recently deployed by JAMB for their examinations. Even the bright students, usually fidget and run short of ideas when been exposed to the CBT conditions for the first time because they are faced with the difficult task of mastering the interface real time, manage the time (with the inherent pressure from the countdown timer) and still answer all the questions in their system. Now, this is a lot for the student to handle simultaneously. This challenges can be reduced by giving the student the privilege of practising with a standard CBT software(TestDriller UTME 2017) recommended for JAMB so as to reduce the tension and workload for the student in the examination hall.
These and many more are what the TestDriller UTME provides for the students. TestDriller UTME Software contains the following features:
- A standard CBT interface with bank of past questions for most UTME subjects for the past 16 years. This could be seen in the PRACTICE EXAM section, where the student can write exams in three modes (Practice, Study & Mock Mode).It also gives you the leverage to student by topics of interest. You can also write exams on multiple subject at a time using the same interface while navigating through them.
-An educational game session called VOCABO. VOCABO is a synonym/antonym game that helps the study to relax while learning extensively with adequate mastery of words thereby increasing their vocabulary at their leisure
-A standalone package called MATHSOLVER that helps the students to solve mathematical questions with step-by-step explanations.
- A robust ENGLISH KIT that contains 9 sections which includes standard dictionary, over 200 common errors in English Language with explanation from A-Z, Phrasal Verbs and Explanations A-Z, Figures of Speech and Explanations from A-Z, idomatic Expressions A-Z and so on.
- An intelligent guide on how to efficiently solve mathematical problems at a lesser time and higher speed through the MATHS TIPS section with over 100 outline covered
- A comprehensive package on CBT in the "COLLECTIONS" section with all you need to know about CBT covered. This includes the Dos and Donts of CBT, features of CBT, Advantages of CBT over Paper Based Test and things to do during a computer based test (CBT). It also covered some success quotes and success poems to keep you motivated
- Finally, the TestDriller UTME contains the recommended text for JAMB in Literature for 2016 which is "THE LAST DAYS AT FORCADOS" and even questions and explanations for each chapter.
So what are you waiting for? Contact us.
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