It's vital to concentrate on technique
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ABOUT TWO MONTHS remain before the majority of transport examinations take place. Some candidates live in a fool's paradise considering that May and early June is far, far away. Yet, now is the vital time to begin the final stages of systematic preparation.
Of course, the majority of candidates realize the need for sustained preparation over this final two-month period. Many work hard at this time with conscientiousness and enthusiasm, but they are often disheartened with an examination performance which does not match the preparatory effort put in. Not surprisingly candidates who have slogged hard over a long period lose heart and abandon the examination when the only reward for their efforts is a weak result.
What goes wrong? Perhaps too many candidates feel that hard work by itself will prove to be the panacea to cure all examination failures. They forget that effort must be directed into appropriate channels and in the case of this final two months the emphasis must be on technique.
Assuming that a course of study has been conscientiously followed from September onwards, the main facts and their interpretation should have been mastered by March. Attention should now focus on the approach to likely questions-a guide as to the type of questions expected can always be gained by requesting past question papers from the examination body concerned. Study various questions, dissecting them to see which facts and basic ideas should be emphasized and arranged into an order which will make a logical argument and reasonable conclusion. It is an exercise which is time consuming but gradually question analysis can be performed easily and methodically.
Even more important is practice in putting these question planning methods into reasonable English so that the justice of the arguments presented can be easily understood. This is usually the toughest hurdle of all. Spend time on constructing a plan with paragraphs clearly marked as representing fundamental divisions in the development of an argument. Avoid, like the plague, complex sentences containing innumerable clauses. Practise writing short, simple sentences with one basic fact or thought per sentence. With practice and more practice, writing will slowly become easier and quicker to accomplish. Finally, practise writing against the clock simulating examination conditions-this is essential training for the actual examination. Brilliant, trenchant writing is of little avail if only two questions have been completed in the allotted time of the examination instead of the five called for. It simply means that the paper can only be marked out of 40 instead of 100.
All very obvious ... but, on the evidence of so many examination scripts, some candidates appear never to have given any of these factors a moment's thought It may be that many begin this method of training with the best of intentions but the urge to go on amassing fresh information proves too much for them and the art of technique is forgotten. In marking scripts, I find a common feature is the desire of candidates to present some obscure fact which is not really relevant to the answer. They have to do this in a roundabout fashion using much time and many words, presumably with the object of impressing the examiner. Far from impressing the examiner, it only serves to irritate and does not gain any marks.
It may be thought a pity that transport examinations are so dependent on ability in written English and form of presentation. But the ability to express oneself cogently is just as important in any subject. As a tool in successful management it is an essential attribute-and, after all, this is what professional examinations in transport should be about.
Next week I shall look at ways of practical help for this two-month period of final preparation.