Master of Exams

Apakah Anda termasuk orang yang khawatir tentang exam? Jika Anda menjawab "ya", maka post ini merupakan post yang cocok untuk Anda!

Berikut ini beberapa kiat jitu yang dapat membantu Anda untuk mendapatkan nilai bagus di dalam exam. Harap diperhatikan bahwa tidak semua yang Anda baca adalah benar =P

1. Belajar. Tentu saja ini adalah kiat yang sudah terbukti, dari tahun ke tahun, generasi ke generasi. Dengan belajar, kita dapat memberi "makanan" berupa wawasan baru untuk dikonsumsi oleh otak. Jika dengan belajar sedikit saja Anda sudah dapat mengerti semua poin dalam topik yang Anda pelajari, maka Anda merupakan orang yang sangat pintar. Jika Anda masih belum mengerti apa yang Anda pelajari bahkan setelah 512 kali mencoba untuk mengerti, tenang saja, ada jutaan orang di dunia ini yang bernasib sama seperti Anda.

2. Makan ikan. Anda tahu, bahwa asupan polimer asam amino (yang juga disebut dengan protein) secara berkecukupan dapat membantu kita untuk berpikir jernih? Ikan merupakan salah satu bahan pangan yang kaya akan protein, hampir setara dengan daging. Namun, karena kadar lemaknya yang lebih rendah, ikan lebih disarankan untuk dikonsumsi. Fakta bahwa ikan dapat berkontribusi dalam mencegah kegilaan dan hilang kewarasan ini juga dapat digunakan untuk mengalahkan true vegetarian (vegetarian yang benar-benar hanya mengonsumsi sayur-sayuran) dan mereka yang membenci sushi.

3. Istirahat yang cukup. Kita sering mendengar kasus di mana menjelang exam orang-orang belajar mati-matian sampai mengorbankan jam tidur mereka. Sebenarnya hal ini sangat tidak dianjurkan. Mengapa? Sebab dengan demikian, kita memaksa otak untuk bekerja keras. Apa yang akan terjadi jika otak kita dipaksa untuk bekerja sangat keras? Bayangkan saja sebuah komputer yang menyimpan memori di dalam drive C mereka hingga 90%. Mereka akan bekerja dengan sangat lambat dan tidak dapat mengeksekusi perintah-perintah yang kita berikan. Demikian pula dengan otak; kita akan terus merasa penat, seolah-olah tidak dapat menerima lagi apa yang kita pelajari. Untuk mencegah agar hal ini tidak sampai terjadi, kita perlu istirahat, terutama malam menjelang exam. Dengan demikian, pikiran dapat menjadi segar kembali. Namun, jika Anda malah oversleep dan bangun 1 menit sebelum exam (seperti salah seorang teman saya yang sekarang sudah lulus), tanggung sendiri risikonya.

4. Bersikaplah percaya diri. Metode ini berlaku paling baik pada universitas yang menggunakan normal distribution dalam menentukan skor akhir (seperti NTU). Dengan menunjukkan rasa percaya diri yang agak berlebih, Anda dapat mengintimidasi lawan exam Anda dan membuat mereka sedikit gugup, meskipun Anda tahu bahwa Anda tidak akan mendapatkan skor atau nilai yang lebih tinggi daripada mereka. Jangan tunjukkan bahwa Anda takut akan exam, melainkan pasanglah suatu attitude yang siap dan relaxed. Tunjukkan bahwa Anda tidak terlalu tense dalam persiapan exam ini. Pasang juga muka yakin saat memasuki exam hall. Jika Anda merasa bahwa tidak ada orang yang terintimidasi, berarti tampang Anda kurang mendukung.

5. Berusaha menjadi orang pertama yang keluar dari exam hall. Metode ini berlaku paling baik pada universitas yang menggunakan normal distribution. Lagi-lagi psikologi memainkan peran penting dalam metode ini. Dengan keluar terlebih dahulu, Anda dapat mengintimidasi lawan exam Anda lebih lanjut lagi. Pikiran mereka akan teralihkan dari kertas exam. Bonus yang Anda dapatkan: semua perhatian akan tertuju kepada Anda dan decakan-decakan kagum berkumandang bagaikan sangkakala di dalam exam hall. Perlu Anda ketahui juga bahwa metode ini sering digunakan oleh mereka yang benar-benar tidak mengerti harus menulis apa di lembar jawaban, sehingga mereka berpikir untuk menggambar abstrak di kertas jawaban dan segera meninggalkan exam hall.

6. Singkirkan orang yang lebih pintar dari Anda. Metode ini berlaku paling baik pada universitas yang menggunakan normal distribution. Cukup self-explanatory, metode ini memerlukan sedikit keberanian untuk berbuat dosa. Jika Anda tahu orang-orang yang sudah pasti mendapat hasil yang lebih baik dari Anda, cobalah untuk mencegah mereka mengambil exam. Anda dapat merusak jam weker mereka, mengikat mereka di tempat tidur, memasukkan obat tidur dalam minuman mereka, meracuni mereka, dan lain-lain. Dengan menyingkirkan mereka yang berpotensi mendapat nilai lebih bagus, nilai Anda akan menjadi salah satu dari beberapa nilai tertinggi di kelas, dan Anda dapat dengan mudah mendapatkan di atas B+. Sekali lagi, metode ini bukan untuk orang yang berhati baik, karena penyalahgunaannya dapat menjadikan Anda seorang pembunuh.

7. Menyontek. Metode ini seolah-olah merupakan nemesis dari metode nomor 1, belajar. Namun, sama seperti belajar, metode ini sudah teruji dari masa ke masa. Bedanya hanyalah metode ini lebih mengandalkan keberuntungan dan keahlian mencontek Anda, dan tentu saja melibatkan ketidakjujuran. Tanpa perlu dijelaskan, saya tahu bahwa kita semua tahu cara menyontek. Namun, jika Anda ketahuan menyontek dan dikeluarkan dari universitas, berarti Anda harus memperbaiki keahlian Anda dan melatih kekurangannya. Hal itu juga dapat disebabkan oleh kekurangberuntungan Anda karena pada saat itu pengawas kebetulan memergoki Anda, atau memang karena Anda cukup bodoh sekaligus berani untuk menyontek secara frontal di depan pengawas.

Masih banyak lagi metode yang dapat Anda gunakan untuk mendapatkan nilai bagus dalam exam, tetapi untuk sementara akan saya hentikan di sini dulu karena belum tentu Anda dapat menjalani semua metode yang saya berikan tadi, entah karena Anda adalah seorang true vegetarian, terlalu kiasu sampai lupa tidur, orang yang jujur, atau apa pun.

Selamat mencoba dan semoga berhasil!

Materials Science and Art Exhibition

Phew... it was very tiring... I just got home...

Yesterday (note the date-line above) I did my materials science paper. It comprised only one part, all by Prof. Philip Cheang. I didn't know how to describe it; was it a battle? Or was it a turmoil of mind?

The questions were supposed not to be difficult. Almost every points in the paper were covered in the lecture notes. Yet... since the lecture notes themselves weren't very lucid, I got trouble studying. I decided to study from the textbook... and found that it was way easier and more comprehensible. Well, since I skipped ALL lectures about phase diagram, and the notes from that part couldn't be anymore convoluted than they already were, I got no choice but to self-study from the book. And hey, it wasn't that hard.

BUT... there were unexpected questions. One, describe—with sketch—the mechanism of propagation of microscopic striations. Two, discuss the change of the profile on solidus line if a metal alloy is to be cooled from the liquidus line to the solidus line. Just what on earth were those questions? The former was still ok, but the latter... Maria said that if you hadn't attended the lecture on phase diagram, you wouldn't be able to answer it. I guess it held true.

Anyway... after the exam, I ate ayam penyet, just to kill some time, at Broadway Foodcourt. It was nice... one serving of it only costs $3, and also quite satiating. I must say, it's a good alternative if you can't go out to Bukit Batok, Orchard, whatever. And what's more, it can save you a considerable amount of money... hahaha...

Afterwards, responding to Cumi's (Dennice's) invitation the day before to enjoy an art exhibition and have dinner, I went down to ADM (school of art, design, and media), his school.

I was a bit late, but the dinner hadn't started yet, so I was given a small tour by Cumi to observe the magnificent exhibits. Not long, Tommy and Charlie came to join. We took wine. It was delicious, but... Tommy couldn't stand it, so he gave me ALL his wine (he still got half a glass of it), which made me very dizzy. I had to dump it, darn... it was ok though, after all they gave the wine for free... =P

We then watched a movie screening boasting the skills of animation students. The screening itself was splendid, but took too long. Tommy repeatedly complained and said how he longs for food. So, to keep him (and me) contented, we rushed for food as soon as the screening was over.

There were all sorts of food, ranging from sushi to pasta. Too bad for us, the sushi had been swept clean when we were still watching the animation screening! Aaaahh... so we had to try something else. Didn't matter though; there was abundant food.

And so... we finished eating. Tommy and Charlie went back, while Cumi and I stayed. We went around to see more exhibits. Cumi showed me the studios of ADM; they are used for painting class. He said that there's always a model for the painting session, either a man or a woman... and sometimes, if you are lucky enough to have a woman model, there are some chance that she would be nude... huaaa... *pining mode on*

After seeing all exhibits, we took a rest on the student lounge, went to the pond, and played with a Swiss ball taken from the pond. We even took a photo of ourselves... so twisted.

Cumi, playing Swiss ball. Posted without his permission =P

All of these were done just to wait for Astrini's birthday party, which dragged for almost 1 hour.

After a period of waiting, finally the party took place. It was so amusing; Astrini and Jimot performed a duet. They sang Fixing a Broken Heart, just like when they were auditioned for T-Spray musical. It's not common to see such things here, you know... so moments like those have to be enjoyed... =)

And so here I am, lethargic. I could have written more if I didn't have exam on Monday. Aaaahhh... organic chemistry sucks...

See you next post, hopefully on Monday. Lest I can't, I'll be sure to post after anatomy & physiology exam.

Engineering Physics

The battle was unexpectedly hard...

Again, the paper comprised 2 parts. Number 1 and 2 were the manifestation of Prof. Lee Kijoon's mind, while number 3 and 4 Prof. Björn Neu's.

Prof. Lee's part was conceptual, with a few calculation-type problems. Most of them are of a-little-bit-hard difficulty level (yet he assigned equal marks, 5 points, for each question), and I was really clueless at the beginning, "What should I do with this?" Well, at least I managed to answer all the questions, albeit some of them might have been only garbled scribblings. Only heaven knows. What's worse, I fell victim to a simple, stupid mistake... ok, I have written Xc = Xl, and derived 1/2πfC = 2πfL from there. I stupidly CANCEL the 2πf out... and I didn't realize it, not until the very last second... I managed to correct the value of capacitance by setting C = 1/[L(2πf)^2], but still didn't have enough time to calculate the capacitor reactance needed for impedance... so careless and stupid...

Prof. Neu's part was pretty much the focus of this paper. His mark-assignment was more brutal (e.g. there was one that weighed 10 marks) than that of Prof. Lee's; consequently there were far fewer questions. Although not as convoluted as the first part, of course, the problems were still difficult and, in fact, able to provoke bafflement. The questions themselves were not easy to perceive, and again, I was left partially perplexed. Again, I managed to answer all questions, but still... chances are what I wrote on the answer book was more of refuse. Aaahh...

Pretty frustrated, I left the exam hall. Although I knew that it was over and we couldn't seem to make any difference despite our reaction, I was still a little bit more than down.

We could only pray and wait for the results to be released, not forgetting to hope for the best...

Mathematics for Engineers B

A big battle for my first exam in semester 2...

The maths paper comprised 2 parts. The first 4 numbers were Prof. Wang Xin's crafts of art, while the last 4 numbers Prof. Xu Rong's.

Prof. Wang's part, albeit not very easy, was humane. The problem set was very similar to that of last year's. The most irritating fact was that his part was more of a game of plus / minus signs; that is, a small mistake in sign could be outright fatal. As for myself, I nearly calculated -∂F/∂y (note the minus sign) where F = 3x^2 - 8y^2 as -16y, while it should have been 16y. Sigh... I was lucky I spotted that sick little mistake before the time was up...

Prof. Xu's part... this was the nightmare of all candidates. She--a brainy, beautiful beast--is infamous for "unleashing" notorious, near-impossible-to-solve problems on the previous quiz (hence the nickname "beast"), and on this exam, that was no exception. She was made even more infamous for her dastardly Laplacian. The equation seemed so much to be lacking necessary boundary conditions... many couldn't solve the problem. I've heard some students complained how Prof. Xu ruthlessly attacked them with her upper-half plane Laplacian. I myself could only cover 2 of 4 from her part.

Yet... now it's no use to mourn on our mistakes. It's become a sunk cost. What we can do now is to expect yet another battle. Knowing that, we should prepare ourselves hard to confront the remaining exams.

At least, from now on, SCBE freshies can speak about maths in past tense.

Good luck everyone on your exam! GBU! ^.^

P.S.: For those taking Physics exam and wasn't sure about the outcome, cheer up! Many said that the paper was hellish, so chances are the standard will not be very high as well. You can still score an A+! =)