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Tips on how to make it through finals!

29 October 2019 | Story Xolisa Mnukwa

Exam read more — Once you have done all your exam preparation, it is imperative to make sure that you curb your stress levels as much as possible on the day that you have to write. The calmer you are, the better the outcome!

Final exam season has arrived at the University of the Free State (UFS), and we would like to share a few quick and easy tips you can follow to ensure that you make it through successfully!
Here’s how you can beat exams:

Step 1: Make sure that you prepare well beforehand to give yourself enough time to study. Prepare a study schedule that fits your way of studying, and do not leave anything for the last minute. It is probably easier to thrive on last-minute studying, but often this way of partial study is not the best approach for exam prep. Prioritise your studying based on how many exams you have, how many pages you have to learn, and the days you have left to study.

Step 2: Study and practise your work using previous exam papers. This will help you see and understand the format and formulation of possible questions, and can aid you in knowing what to expect, and help you practise and estimate how much time you should spend on answering each question.

Step 3: Eat healthy and use your study/friend groups as a stimulant. Make sure to stock up and energise yourself with a lot of water and nutritional study snacks to extend your concentration and commitment to studying. Avoid overeating and consuming rich, fatty foods that will make you feel tired and sleepy. Likewise, studying in groups can also help you get the answers you need and finish tasks faster. You may have questions that your friends have the answers to, as long as you effectively plan how much time you spend deliberating on a question.

Last but not least, make sure that you give yourself regulated study breaks between various chapters or topics, and let your brain take it all in!

Please find the official end-of-year exam timetable here.

News Archive

Renowned Sign Language expert heads UFS department

2009-11-27

Mr Philemon Akach

The Department of Afro-asiatic Studies, Sign Language and Language Practice in the Faculty of the Humanities at the University of the Free State recently appointed Mr Philemon Akach as its new chairperson.

Mr Akach, hitherto a senior lecturer in the department, succeeds Prof Annelie Lotriet who left the university earlier this year after having been elected to serve in the national parliament by the Democratic Alliance.

“To head the entire department has never crossed my mind because I think I am discipline oriented,” he said.

He said the confidence that his colleagues have in him gives him the impetus to succeed. “It gives me the opportunity to rethink my position within the department and the university at large,” he said.

However, his Sign Language students will be glad to know that he will not be lost to them as the result of this new responsibility.

“I cannot neglect Sign Language,” he stressed. “I have to teach because the academic side of Sign Language has to be maintained within the university, as well as nationally and internationally. I just have to divide my time between the administration of Sign Language and the teaching and research application in my discipline (Sign Language).”

To ease the load that comes with his new responsibility and the added pressure of being the only Sign Language lecturer, he said they have contracted former students to teach some courses in Sign Language.

“We have to keep in place the disciplines that keep this department’s name going,” he said.

A major challenge facing his department, according to Mr Akach, is getting more students enrolled in the disciplines offered by the department.

“To get students we need to convince them that we are the best, and that is not just a challenge for me but for the department and the lecturers in the department teaching those disciplines.”

He said he will strive for excellence in the department as part of the overall vision of the university.

“We need to get research output while not neglecting the teaching part. It is research that brings in new knowledge and it is through research that scholars expose themselves to the outside world, and by doing that they actually put the name of this university on the international map,” he said.

Mr Akach will serve in this position for the next three years.

Media release
Issued by: Mangaliso Radebe
Assistant Director: Media Liaison
Tel: 051 401 2828
Cell: 078 460 3320
E-mail: radebemt.stg@ufs.ac.za
26 November 2009

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