Are you sitting down and wondering how to pass the WAEC examination in one sitting?
Passing WAEC exams is not as difficult as it may seem to many people. There are tips and strategies in place which you can follow to get excellent results, even in one sitting.
Passing WAEC exams excellently is very important because some higher institutions of learning will not give you your desired course if your results are not good.
Table of Content:
- Why Many Students Fail WAEC
- What is WAEC
- 9 Tips to Help You Prepare And Pass WAEC in One Sitting
- WAEC FAQ
Top 9 Tips To Help You Pass WAEC
- Prepare Well
- Review Past Exam Questions
- Study with memory aids
- Ask for help on anything you don’t understand
- Attend extra lessons and be attentive
- Practice your timing
- Learn to adhere to the instruction
- Register in reliable exam centers
- Have a positive mindset
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Why Many Students Fail WAEC and What You Should Know
In 2020, according to the WAEC statistics, only 65% out of the total 1.5million people took the examination.
While this is a great improvement over the previous year’s result, it still goes without saying that a lot of students failed their exams.
There are many reasons why students fail WAEC and that is why in this post, we will be sharing the top tips that can help you pass your WAEC examination at one sitting even if this is the first time you are writing the exam.
What is WAEC?
West African Examinations Council or popularly known as WAEC, is West Africa’s first examining board established by law to determine the examinations required in the public interest of the English-speaking West African countries, to conduct the examinations, and to award certificates comparable to those of equivalent examining authorities internationally.
You can read more about the history of WAEC here.
How to Pass WAEC 2024 Examination in One Sitting
1) Brace Yourself Well For Your Exams:
Since you have WAEC exams coming up, it is important you start to anticipate, plan, practice, warm up, and make arrangements early. A popular saying goes thus: “If you fail to plan, you will be planning to fail”.
Being well prepared will help you boost your success levels and maximize the results you want to achieve. Say NO to ‘cramming’ and distribute your learning periods over time. Don’t forget to take breaks between study and sleep well too.
Eat foods that can help your brain, especially with retention. Make sure you eat a balanced diet because it will increase your performance too.
Many students think they can listen to music and read too, but this method does not work for everyone. Practice just as you seek to perform on your exam day.
Use recommended textbooks too. There is a list of recommended WAEC syllabus you should follow.
2) Review Past Exam Questions:
One of the best ways to prepare for your WAEC exams is to review and work on past exam questions on all your registered subjects.
The practice will provide general ideas and insights as to how questions are set in WAEC examinations and likely questions you should expect.
They can also help you to easily guess the important topics of a particular subject because there are some topics WAEC will tend to prefer more than others for in-depth testing of candidates. Practice can also help reduce exam tension since you will be familiar with exam patterns already.
3) Pray:
No matter what kind of religion you practice, it is better you pray for guidance during your exams. Pray before you study, pray during the study, and pray just before you start writing your exams too.
Sometimes, our own power might just be too little to help us no matter how prepared or widely-read we are, we would still need help with a retentive memory, confidence, inspiration to give the right answers, and overcoming our weaknesses.
Prayers can produce miracles, but remember prayer without work is dead.
4) Study With Memory Aids:
Memory aids are tricks that come in handy when studying. A memory aid is any kind of resource that supports students in recalling information on anything they have learned about. It is even more helpful for students who are forgetful or have short-term memory deficits.
Memory aids can include songs, acronyms, acrostics, formulas, diagrams, and rhymes. There are people who remember definitions and lists using songs or acronyms that make it easy for them. You can do the same too.
5) Ask For Help On Anything You Do Not Understand:
As students prepare for exams, many are fond of refusing to seek help when they apparently need it. Whether it is pride, ego, or a ‘know it all’ attitude, it does not help in the long run.
Ask for help from your teachers or friends who know better. No student is an island and learning never ends.
6) Be Attentive During Classes And Lessons:
It is very important to pay attention during classes, especially those taking place just before your WAEC exams, whether they are online or offline.
It is not everything you can write in your notes and read or revise later on. Thus, you need to avoid distractions like gossip with friends and classmates, rest well before classes, and stay focused.
7) PRACTICE YOUR TIMING:
Taking cognizance of your time and speed is very necessary. Thankfully, the time allowed for each exam paper is written on the past questions which you practice.
It is also important to finish before your time is up, as this would give you ample time to go over your answer booklets, check for mistakes and correct accordingly.
8) Learn To Read And Adhere To Instructions:
Many students have failed woefully during WAEC exams, not because they do not answer question excellently, but because they do not comply with instructions. In their haste, some students do not bother to read instructions at all.
A question says you should define a concept in ‘not more than 10 words’, but you are scribbling over 50 words already. Your theory section states that you should answer 4 questions out of 6, but you answered the whole 6. Wow! Learn to read and comply with the instruction, even as simple as ‘do not write on margins’.
9) Work On Your Handwriting:
Just like the preceding point, many have failed woefully because of their handwriting too, and they still keep repeating the same mistakes during every WAEC examinations they re-sit without knowing the root cause of their problems.
Some students’ handwritings are not clear at all and one would be left to wonder if examiners are expected to use binoculars when marking their scripts. Not all examiners have the patience to read through badly handwritten answers.
Work on your handwriting even if you have to start taking handwriting classes again or get a writing book to practice
10) Join Study Groups:
Some students cannot study alone except in groups of others, and that is fine. You and your friends or classmates can come together to form a study group or you can join one already existing.
Everyone should practice questions together, bring ideas to the table, read and solve questions together during the study, and teach one another. Your study group mates will readily inspire you when you need one.
11) Register In A Certified And Reliable Examination Centre:
Just as your preparation is taking place in all areas, it will not be complete without the appropriate examination centre.
Some students have performed well in their exams but have had their results canceled because of their examination centre, which was riddled with examination malpractice or other irregularities. It is usually advisable to register in a school rather than a ‘special centre’.
12) Have A Positive Mindset:
Last but not the least; you should have a positive mindset towards your exam success. If your mind is filled with negativity and you have made up your mind that you cannot pass your WAEC exams no matter how hard you try or the efforts you put in, you may not be able to.
The mind has a great ripple effect on the outcome of what we seek to achieve.
If you put all you have learned to mind, it is certain that you would do well in your examinations. I wish you all the best.
Learn more about the difference between WAEC and NECO
How to pass WAEC: Frequently Asked Questions
There are lots of recommended textbooks that you can use to study for WAEC depending on your course. However, WAEC has a list of the syllabus for each of the subjects. That should be your starting guide.
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