Becoming)an)IB)

Student)Miracle)
!
The$science$behind$improving$students’$grades$by$2$
levels$in$1$month$

Developed!by!HKExcel0!IB!Specialist!
Helped!over!100!students!improve!by!2!or!more!levels!in!2014!
!
!
Some!of!HKExcel’s!student!miracles!so!far!

Angus!Yam,!KGV!14’! Nixon!Poon,!VSA!14’!
Improved!from!3!to!6! Improved!from!3!to!5!
for!Econ!HL! for!Math!SL!
(In!2!months)! (In!5!months)!

Sean!Au,!CDNIS!14’! CharloIe!Tse,!CSS!14’!
Improved!from!3!to!6! Improved!from!3!to!5!
for!Econ!HL! for!Econ!HL!
!(In!3!months)! (In!5!months)!

JusOn!Tang,!VSA!14’! Ivan!Leung,!VSA!14’!
Improved!from!3!to!5! Improved!from!4!to!7!
for!Business!HL! for!Business!HL!
(In!1!month)! (In!1!month)!
Table!of!contents!

Sec9on)1;)Cul9va9ng)the)right)mindset)
Chapter!1:!Make!a!real!decision!
!
Chapter!2:!Believe!in!your!potenOal!
!
Chapter!3:!Set!goals!and!follow!through!
!
Chapter!4:!Always!focus!on!the!outcome!
!
Chapter!5:!Don’t!let!stress!eat!you!
!
Chapter!6:!Schedule!realisOcally!and!follow!through!
!
Sec9on)2;)Study)skills)for)specific)topics)
Chapter!7:!Math!and!science!study!skills!
!
Chapter!8:!Economic!study!skills!
!
Chapter!9:!Biology!study!skills!
!
Chapter!10:!English!study!skills!
))
“Where there is a will, there is a way”

2
 Introduction to Becoming a Student Miracle
How it all started
In the 2014 final exams, HKExcel Education produced
many “student miracles”, which refer to students who
have achieved unprecedented improvements by 2 or
more levels in the rigorous IB Diploma.
Behind HKExcel’s success in producing student
miracles is a set of principles for student’s learning.
HKExcel has tremendous confidence and ability in
helping students improve because we know exactly
what it requires for students to excel.
How would it help you?
The best way to achieve something you want is to
model after someone who has already successfully
achieved the same goal. By reading this book, you will
learn about the attitude, mindset and approach
attributed to top students. We believe the various
omegas are what set the top students apart. If you are
able to understand each omega and apply it to your
studies, we firmly believe that you too can become a
top student.
!
 Part 1:
Omegas for the Right
Mindset

Attitude defines altitude. Having the

right attitude is the first step to achieving
any kind of success.

4
Omega 1: Make a real choice

“Until a person can say deeply and honestly, “I am what I am today

because of the choices I made yesterday”, the person cannot say, “I
choose otherwise.”
- Steven Covey

In year 2011, a student proudly received 40/45 in the IB diploma, which

represents the top 5 percentile in the world. Just 3 years ago, it seemed
impossible, literally, for him to achieve this tremendous result. His
improvement throughout high school was greater than any other student in
his school’s history. In middle school, he was one of the poorest students in
his grade and was at risk of repeating 9th grade. Those around him became
curious about what changed him so dramatically within just 3 years’ time.
Did it just happen randomly? In this chapter, we will get inside the head of
this student at the time when he made the real decision to change his
destiny.

If there is a will, there is a way

Back in middle school, this student knew the importance of academic
achievement but he never got around to doing the work that was required.
He simply had other priorities, such as playing football, hanging out with
friends and watching TV shows. More importantly, he did not believe that
he had the potential to become a top student. When asked about his
academic failures, he would always come up with different excuses, for
example, an important football match the day before the exam. If there
weren’t a football match, he would blame that he was not smart enough.
5
Whatever his excuse was, the fact was that he simply wasn’t putting in any
real effort.

Before he knew it, he was already a high school student. He started to

panic about his future as everyone around him warned him about the
difficulties of getting into a decent university. He knew that he needed to
improve his grades but at the same time, he mind was filled with
uncertainty. One day, however, he read a quote on the wall of his
classroom that completely changed his life ― “If there is a will, there is a
way”. The quote made an impression on him and he started to think more
deeply about the meaning behind this quote. He wondered if it is really
true. If he had the will to be a top student, was there really a way? Then, it
struck him when he made the realization that many students before him had
achieved the exact result he wanted, of course there is a way! Many others
had done what you want to accomplish in the past; this shows that there is
always a pathway to your goal. If you use the same methodology and put in
the same amount of effort, you should be able achieve the exact same
results as they did.

Acknowledge the power of your choice

The student went on and thought about why he was such a poor student in
the past. He remembered all the excuses he made for himself and the
numerous times he placed priorities to other activities before studying. He
started to question himself whether or not there was a way to change this.
Fun activities like playing soccer and watching movie are certainly fun and
exciting. But now, he finally realized that he does have a choice. He is not
a thoughtless creature that is controlled by his surroundings, instead, he has
6
the ability to prioritize one goal over another, to choose one activity over
another and to direct his mind to focus on a particular goal. What a
liberating thought this is! He realized he has “actual” power over his own
destiny! This student reflected on his past failures and realized his lack of
self-control in the past. If he can start to exercise the valuable ability of
self-control, he can choose his own future. This thought process has totally
changed the student’s academic life!

To take the island, you must burn the bridges

The student then thought about how he would act differently in the future.
Remembering that there is always a way if there is a will, he decided to set
his goal to get 40/45 in IB, which is the score required for most top
universities. Before achieving anything, the student’s final result was
already set in stone in his own head. He made the decision that he was
going to do whatever it takes to achieve his goal. He was going to carve his
own way to achieve his goal.

Then, he started to think more specifically about what this actually means.
In simple terms, it means that he would not give himself any alternatives.
Any outcomes other than what he wanted would be unacceptable. He
turned getting 40/45 from a “should” into a “must”.

Most students know that they should get good grades, but very few feel
that it is a “must”. Students who think they “should” get good grades will
almost certainly under-achieve because they are willing to accept
mediocrity and settle for alternatives. By giving themselves alternatives,
they have less determination and their ultimate goal is not as compelling as
7
it can be. Remember, to take the island, you must burn the bridges. You
can only get that burning desire to succeed if you cut off all possible
sources of retreat. You will only push yourself the furthest when your back
is against the wall, so choose a goal to focus on and go for it with
everything you got!

This student made a promise to himself about how he would act in the
future to pursue his ultimate dream. He made the conscious decision that
he would put his academic goal before anything else. He kept his promise
and 40/45 was exactly what he achieved.

The student in this story is actually one of the authors of this book.
Drawing from what we learned as students, we will combine it with the
findings from our interviews with 100 top students in the next 8 chapters of
this book. Before reading it, you need to make the conscious decision about
what you want to achieve and turn it into an absolute must.

8
Omega 2: Believe in your potential

“Whatever the mind can conceive and believe, it can achieve.”

- Napoleon Hill

Why is belief so important?

If you look at your classmates, you should find that the top students have
always been at the top for as long as you can remember. In the real world,
there is a saying that the poor gets poorer and the rich gets richer. Whether
it is good or bad, there is a consistency in people’s performance. Have you
ever wondered why this is the case? The main reason lies in beliefs.

All high-achieving students believe in their potential to achieve top grades.

Even if they do not perform as well as they expected, they tend not to take
failures personally. They believe if they work harder or use a more
effective approach next time, good results can be achieved.

Some mediocre or low achievers we talked to, on the other hand, see poor
grades as a result of their low self-esteem and take failures personally. For
example, one student we interviewed told us that he does not have any
talent in math and would be happy with a level 5 (equivalent to a C) in IB
SL Math. By believing that they have limited potential, they set up a
mental barrier that prevents them from achieving more. They sell
themselves short of what they could actually achieve. The implication is
that they will take limited action to strive for the better and will settle for
just a level 5.

9
Based on our interviews, we have developed a model that explains how
belief can lead to consistent performance

The BAR Triangle

Beliefs, actions and results work like a circuit. Our belief directly affects
the actions we take, which determine the ultimate results we get. A person
who believes in their potential will take the actions required to bring about
the results they want. More actions to strive for excellence will most
certainly improve results.

Belief, however, is very much affected by the results one achieves. This
explains why top students stay on the top and “poor” students stay at the
bottom. For top students, their belief is reinforced repeatedly by their
results, which triggers them to take more actions to continuously achieve
top results. The BAR triangle works in the opposite and negative direction
for the poor students. As they believe they have limited potential, they will
settle with very little action, which in turn yields poor results. The worse
thing is that their results will further reinforce their “false” belief. Very
soon, this becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy and it appears natural for poor

10
students to perform poorly. This is a vicious cycle that feeds on itself and
stops students from reaching their true potential.

The difference in beliefs between top students and average students we

interviewed can be summarized below.

Beliefs of top students B Beliefs of poor students

- I am smart enough to get top - I do not have the ability to
grades. reach the top.
- My grades are controlled by my - My grades are limited by my
efforts. abilities.
- If I try harder, my grades will - I have already tried my best
improve. and I still failed.

Do you notice the differences? Poor students have low self-esteem, which
stops them from trying harder to improve themselves. Top students believe
in their unlimited potential and will therefore work towards fulfilling their
potential. Your beliefs control your outcome. You should choose them
wisely.

The 4-minute mile ― you must believe it’s possible

On May 6 1964, Englishman Roger Bannister became the first man in
history to run 1 mile in 4 minutes. Within a year, 37 people did the exact
same thing. Think about this for a second. After Roger Bannister has
proven that 4-minute mile is possible, 37 other people who had never done
it before achieved the same result within a year!

11
What this proves is that it is humanly possible to run a mile within 4
minutes. If it is not possible, how can 37 other runners train themselves up
within one year to break the record? Belief is the determining factor that
allowed these runners to achieve that level of performance.

Another moral is that blind faith is the first step to breaking through all
barriers. There was no evidence that the 4-minute mile was possible; some
people even warned Roger Bannister that he could hurt himself by training
so hard. Do you think Roger could have broken the record if he had
listened to these people and hadn’t believed it to be possible? Of course
not! If Roger were like other doubters, he wouldn’t have tried as hard as he
did. Your question now should be ― how can we have conviction in
something that might be impossible?

Getting belief before getting results

The main problem with most students is that they are used to getting
mediocre results and the negative feelings they have about their abilities
are deeply rooted. The only way to break this cycle is to reestablish your
beliefs before getting any results to back it up. In fact, this is the secret
behind it all. As famous actor Will Smith once said, “all successful people
have a delusional quality, they are willing to believe in something that
other people will not.”

Maybe you are not used to believing in something before it is realized.

Don’t worry, during our interviews with the top students, we have
identified three concrete strategies that will help you in establishing the
right beliefs and mindset for academic excellence.
12
1. Be around the right people
Very much of what you believe possible is influenced by those surrounding
you daily. If everyone in your social group is a high-achiever, you will
very soon realize your potential and raise your standard. Think of it this
way, if you play tennis with someone who is better than you, it is
absolutely certain that you will improve because you see the need and
urgency to keep up with your opponent, of course, you will need to work
hard and get better!

One student we interviewed who went from a 70% average to a 90%

average within two years told us that he consciously picked people who
were the best students in the grade to be his friends. To fit into his new
social group, he has to raise his standard. He started picking up studying
habits that his friends used. Very soon, it became second nature for him to
achieve top results.

2. Affirmation
Affirmation is a scientifically proven way to train your mind into believing
something and a few students we interviewed told us this is the exact
technique they used.

To begin, you must have a vision of you want to accomplish. Then, write a
script which you will read out loud to yourself 3 times a day. An example of
a script that one of our students used is:

13
“From this day onwards, I will fully commit to getting 40/45 in my IB
Exams. I know that I have the ability and intelligence to achieve this goal. I
will do whatever it takes to achieve this target and will never give up”

The science behind this method is that your conscious thoughts will sink
into your subconscious mind, which controls all your involuntary reactions
and emotions. The subconscious mind is like a garden, plant fresh seeds
and you will get good plants, plant spoiled seeds and you will get rotten
plants. Affirming your beliefs is the process of planting fresh seeds into
your subconscious to direct yourself towards the right direction. After a
few weeks, you will find that you are slowly becoming what your
affirmation says. Your belief will sink into your subconscious, which will
direct all your emotions and actions towards what you set out to achieve.

Experiments have proven affirmations to be effective. If someone is

hypnotized, he will act like whatever you tell him, be it a dog or a cat
because when in a hypnotized state, you can speak directly to the person’s
subconscious mind without any conscious interference.

When you use this technique, empty your mind and relax. Be in a passive
state of mind and accept everything you say. Have no doubts and accept all
your words as the ultimate reality. As Mohammad Ali once said, “It’s the
repetition of affirmations that leads to belief.”

14
3. To take the island, you must burn the bridges ― The real meaning
of determination
Most students know that they should get good grades, but very few turn it
into a “must”. Students who think they “should” get good grades will
almost certainly under-achieve. They accept mediocrity and settle for
alternatives. By giving themselves alternatives, they have less
determination and their ultimate goal is not as compelling as it can be.

Each of the top students we interviewed has a different mindset but there is
one commonality, they all turn their goal into a “must” and do not accept
any other alternatives. They see their goal as the only possible and
inevitable outcome. This is the real meaning of determination. Remember,
to take the island, you must burn the bridges. You can only get that burning
desire to succeed if you cut off all possible sources of retreat. You will
only push yourself the furthest when your back is against the wall. So focus
only on your goal and go for it with everything you have got!

15
Omega 3: Set goals and follow through

“Goals are the fuel in the furnace of achievement.”

- Brian Tracy

Setting goals is like choosing a destination you want to embark on.

Without goals, you wander around with no real purpose in life. Your goals
are what give you motivation to fight for the better. It gives you direction
to the right path. Based on our interviews, we have found a very specific
way of setting goals that differentiates great students from average
students.

Make your goal as specific as it can be

We found that all top students always set a specific score as their goal,
while average students just want to “do better”. Average students feel okay
about a range of scores but top students, on the other hand, only desire one
specific score.

Setting a very specific goal helps you turn your goal from a “should” into a
“must”, which is the essence of determination. If you give yourself an
acceptable range, you will lose focus and you will likely perform below
your true potential because you will be happy with achieving the lowest
grade within the range when you can actually do better. More importantly,
a specific goal will give you a sense of certainty that a vague goal will not.
By knowing exactly what you want, you will have the determination to do
whatever it takes to head towards your destination. Remember, to take the
island you must burn the bridges. Don’t settle for an acceptable range, find
16
a score that will truly fulfill you and go after it as if it is the only possible
outcome!

All top students we interviewed were able to achieve their specific goal or
came extremely close to it. Choosing an exact destination is their first step.

Have compelling reasons to follow through

Ask yourself honestly, why do you want top academic grades? The answer
to this question differs from person to person. What motivates you is
different from what motivates others. Finding a motive for your goal is
your job. But during our interviews, we can confirm for sure that you need
to have a compelling reason to give you the drive to push yourself over
your limits. Below are a few reasons that might work for you.

Common motivating factor 1: My grade determines my future!

Your high school grades directly determine what kind of university will
accept you. Of course, for many universities, your grades are not the only
determining factor but without meeting the minimum requirement, you
wouldn’t stand a chance! Furthermore, some occupations require a specific
major, and graduating from a top university will increase your chance of
being hired by large and prestigious firms.

One student we interviewed, Henry Wong, has always aspired to be a

doctor. Saving millions of children’s lives in developing countries was his
goal in life. What a big dream he has! Of course, the first step of living his
ultimate vision is to study medicine in a top university. The university he
aimed for required him to score 45/45 in the IB Diploma Program, which is
17
a score that only a few top 1% students could achieve. It is obviously very
difficult to score full marks in IB, and Henry knows that. Accomplishing
your dream is never easy, but for Henry, it means he has to do whatever it
takes to get 45/45. For students who do not have a dream like Henry’s, it is
hard for them to work that hard and aim for full marks. But Henry knows
exactly what the reasons are behind his sacrifices. In the end, 45/45 is
exactly what Henry accomplished.

Common motivating factor 2: My friends and relatives would know

that I am smart and competent
If you are a high school student, people often judge how smart and
competent you are by your academic performance. Getting good grades
comes with a certain social recognition. We found this to be an underlying
motivation for many top students we interviewed.

One of our top students, Reagan, whose aim is to get 40/45 in IB Diploma,
used to be a lazy student who achieved average grades throughout middle
school. Back then, he simply couldn’t see the value of studying hard but as
he got into high school, he found his peers are more devoted to studying
than before. This motivated him to study hard and beat all his peers.
Moreover, subjects in high school are more intellectually challenging than
in middle school and Reagan thought that being the top of his class could
truly show his ability. The reason why he aimed for 40 was because the
score is seen by many as a distinctive line between top students and good
students. If you can score 40 or above, you will be considered a top
student. The vision of being complemented by peers and adults was

18
compelling to Reagan. In the end, Reagan achieved exactly 40/45 in the IB
Diploma.

The two motivating factors may or may not motivate you, but they are the
two most common found amongst the 100 students we interviewed. Think
deep. Why do you want top grades? Find a compelling motive for yourself
and this will give you the reason to push yourself farther than you can
imagine.

Remind yourself often

A difficult goal, like achieving a top score in a public exam, is not
achievable within a few days. It is more about working hard day in and day
out for months and achieving daily victories that accumulate into a
significant result. To build a great wall, you need to lay each brick
perfectly one at a time. Thus, it is essential for you to maintain momentum
consistently and not lose sight of your ultimate goal. Most top students we
interviewed had a ritual for reminding themselves of their goal daily.
Below are a few common ones that are proven to work.

Reminder technique #1: Visualization

Visualizing a scenario over and over again will help reinforcing your
belief. A top student, Vingie, told us that she used to visualize her report
card with her dream score written on it. She even imagined all the joy and
compliments she would receive. This mental movie was played in her head
day after day. She believed that getting her dream score is an inevitable
outcome and in the end, that is exactly what she achieved.

19
In 1993, famous actor Jim Carrey wrote a 1-million dollar check to himself
for acting services rendered that is dated 1995. He kept it in his wallet and
looked at it day after day. The check deteriorated but he never stopped
believing. In 1995, his dream came true; he landed his first acting role in
major productions with Dumb and Dumber.

Getting your dream grade is much easier and less nerve-wrecking than
winning a 1-million dollar movie contract, but you can still use the
visualization technique to achieve results!

Reminder technique #2: Think of your opponents

The score you get on any public examination is determined by a curve that
is based on everyone else’s score. You need to do better than the majority
to score in the top percentile. Some top students told us that putting this
into perspective often motivates them when they got lazy.

When you are not studying, other students might be working hard to
accumulate new knowledge and skills. But the good news is that when you
are studying, you are back on the “racetrack” again. Ellie, a student who
scored in the top 5 percentile of the HKALE exam, created a sense of
urgency for herself by picturing others studying hard while she was resting.
She credits this technique for preventing herself from slacking off. If you
want to increase your chances of winning, you need to be on the
“racetrack” more often than others!

20
Reminder technique #3: Read motivational quotes when you lose
momentum
Along your long journey, you must overcome various challenges and
barriers before reaching your final destination. These challenges may give
you reasons to give up or lose sight of your goal. Several students told us
that reading motivational quotes is a great way for them to overcome their
fears. More importantly, motivational quotes remind them of the big
picture and the insignificance of their problems compared to their ultimate
goal. A few top students told us that they would go online regularly when
they felt demotivated. Some of them would stick posters of their favorite
motivational quotes on their walls or use them as their desktop picture.
Below are a few quotes recommended and read by the top students:

“The brick walls are there for a reason. The brick walls are not there to
keep us out. The brick walls are there to give us a chance to show how
badly we want something. Because the brick walls are there to stop the
people who don’t want it badly enough. They’re there to stop the other
people.”
-Randy Pausch
“We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, therefore, is not an act but a
habit”
- Aristotle
“Where there is a will, there is a way”
- English proverb
“And all may do what has by man been done”
-Edward Young

21
Reminder technique #3: Affirmations
As we talked about earlier, daily affirmation is a scientifically proven way
to shape your beliefs. It is also a way to constantly remind yourself of your
ultimate goal. Write a short and easily memorized script that you can read
out loud to yourself 3 times a day! Remember, the key is to relax while you
read it out. Do not have doubts, say the words out loud as if it is your
destiny.

Know your sacrifices and make them immediately

There is no free lunch in this world. The same goes for achieving your
goals. To become a successful student, there are certain sacrifices you must
make. Some less successful students we talked to told us that they wanted
good grades but are too occupied with other endeavors such as sports or
video games. They have what we call inner conflicts. They want to do two
things at the same time that will inevitably conflict with each other by
nature. If you are serious about achieving your academic goal, you need to
remove your inner conflicts.

Ryan used to be a dedicated football player in middle school, playing at

least 3 times per week. His focus was to become a regular starter in his
club’s youth team. But as soon as he got into high school, he identified
achieving 40/45 in the IB exam to be his ultimate goal. He knew that he
had to spend more time and focus on his studies. In no time, he removed
his inner conflict by making the conscious decision to quit the team, which
allowed him to commit fully to his studies.

22
If you have a strong desire for academic excellence, we advise you to
identify the sacrifices you must make. Then, make a conscious choice
immediately and direct your mind to your academic goals.

Setting a long-term and short term goals

If there are two years until you take your final examinations, it could be
difficult to motivate yourself to achieve a specific score. There is simply
too much time leading up to the exam that it seems irrelevant. This,
however, does not mean you should not set goals. Our advice is to set
short-term and long-term goals. Great achievements don’t happen all at
once. It happens when you take one right step at a time. Your long-term
ultimate goal is like your final destination. To get there, you need many
short-term goals to lead you to the right direction.

For a high school student, the path should be all set out for you. Your
short-term goals should be about your internal tests and examinations,
while your long-term goal is the final exam. Whether it is your long-term
or short-term goal, the science behind it is just the same. The key is to
make it specific, compelling and to remind yourself often.

23
Omega 4: Always focus on the outcome

“You always succeed in producing results”

- Tony Robbins

After you know what your goals are and the reasons behind them, you need
to shape your mind such that it is focused on producing the results you
want. If you were never a high-achiever, this kind of mindset may seem
foreign to you, but it is also the mindset that you need to achieve academic
excellence. As obvious as it sounds, if your goal is to produce a specific
result, of course you will need to focus on the result more than anything
else.

Always focus on tasks, not time

Since you were in grade 1, you have probably heard from your counselor
or teacher many times that time management is critical to academic
success. According to the top students we interviewed, however, purely
managing time is certainly not enough for top results. The right approach
should be task management. Let us illustrate the difference between the
two.

If you are a time manager, the way you plan your day will be something
like this: "From 10-12, I will study economics. After that, I should have an
hour lunch. Afterwards, I should study English for 5 hours". Very often,
people who manage time end up wasting a lot of time. The reason is that
they are aiming at spending time but without producing any specific
results. Each time they study, they don't have a clear goal in mind. They
24
are happy as long as they have spent 2 hours on Economics and 5 hours on
English. They are not focused on the results they are after.

Now, let's look at a task manager. A task manager knows clearly what has
to be done in order for him to get a Level 7. Let's illustrate with an
example. Bill knows that in order for him to master a chapter of
Economics, he will have to study the textbook, do 10 past paper questions
and memorize all the definitions. With this in mind, he will plan his tasks
accordingly. For example, he will plan to read a chapter, do 1 past paper
and memorize 10 definitions a day. Furthermore, he knows that in order to
get a 7, he needs to score 90% on the marking scheme, and each time he
practices, he aims to achieve that. Bill has a goal in mind for each of his
studying sessions. A task manager is fully focused on results, he will not
be satisfied until he has finished the tasks he planned, regardless of the
time spent.

Are you a time manager or a task manager? The difference between the
two is huge. A time manager might waste time everyday only to realize the
day before the exam that he does not know the course well enough. These
are the kind of students who typically still read their notes and worry 10
minutes before the exam. A task manager, on the other hand, will know
with 100 % certainty that he is 100% prepared for the exam.

25
Don’t change your goal but be realistic ― notice what works and what
doesn’t.
Techniques taught in earlier chapters will give you the essential
motivation. However, no matter how much you believe in yourself, if you
head north looking for the South Pole, you will never reach your
destination! Albert Einstein once said, “Insanity is doing the same thing
over and over again and expecting different results.”

Being realistic does not mean giving up when things do not go your way.
What it means is that you must be critical to the approach you use. If your
current approach of studying does not improve your grades, be proactive in
finding another way of studying. You need to be conscious about the
strategies that work and the strategies that don’t.

For most high school diplomas, there are at least 2 years of time before the
final examinations. Even if you were not a top student in middle school,
there is plenty of time for you to adjust your approach and find one that
works. Treat all of your internal examinations and tests seriously. They are
precious opportunities for you to experiment different ways of studying
until you find one that works perfectly for you.

Look at your test scores and see if they are at the level you want. If you
want a Level 7 (or an A) but currently only achieved a Level 5, blindly
believing that you would somehow get to a Level 7 in your final exam is
unrealistic. Magic does not happen often, especially in the academic world.
What you need to do is to face the fact that the way you studied does not
work and you have to do things differently to improve your score. The
26
truth is: if you want a different result, you need to take a different
approach. From our interviews with top students, we found several
methods top students used to change their approach when their test scores
did not meet their expectations

Modification technique #1: Find a tutor

Most students we interviewed have a tutor to help them with their weak
subjects. The main value of a tutor is that he can explain to you test-taking
methods that are often not taught in school. Moreover, he can give you
extra exam-based training, which is not the main focus at school. It is
important to note that all top students do not rely solely on their tutor. They
use tutoring as a catalyst to finding a more effective approach to mastering
the subject.

One of the best ways to achieve results is to model after someone who has
already succeeded. Instead of figuring everything out by yourself, you can
simply copy methods that have already been proven to work for other
people. Most tutors are masters of a subject in a particular syllabus. They
are usually an ideal role model for you to follow if you want to achieve the
same level of mastery. You should try to understand the way your tutor
approaches problems and apply it to your own studies. One top student we
interviewed, Justin, improved from a Level 5 to a Level 7 in IB Math HL
within one year! He believes he could not have done it without his tutor
teaching him studying strategies and problem solving methods every week.

27
Modification technique #2: ALWAYS investigate the reasons behind
your mistakes!
Top students see mistakes made in internal tests or exams as opportunities
to improve rather than a setback. The final exam is the real battle and all
internal exams are just warm up matches. But to make the most out of
these warm up matches, you need to know exactly where mistakes are
made. Internal tests are a great way to test your ability because they are
done in an exam environment. They are of a certain degree of significance
because they count towards you internal score, therefore, you tend to
remember those mistakes more vividly than the ones you made during your
daily studying sessions.

One finding we are particularly impressed with is that most top students
tried to correct their mistakes even when they scored the highest possible
grades in an internal test. We believe this is one key factor to their ultimate
success. Keep in mind: final exams are almost always harder than internal
tests or exams. The main reason is that all topics are tested in the final
exam, while internal tests are usually focused on just one part of the
syllabus. Thus, scoring a Level 7 in your internal test does not necessarily
mean you will do as well in the final exam. Moreover, your ultimate goal
should be to do well on the final, so remember not to become complacent
after scoring well in your internals. Always be hard on yourself about
knowing your mistakes.

28
Omega 5: Don’t let stress eat you

“The greatest weapons against stress is our ability to choose one thought
over another”
- William James

After reading the previous chapters, you should understand how to

motivate yourself and put your focus in the right direction. Being
motivated and serious about your goal is correct, but if you push yourself
too hard, your performance could go down.

Stress reduction strategy 1: Remember, if you are not there yet, it

doesn’t mean you won’t get there.
Nervous breakdowns are becoming more common for final-year students.
Earlier in this book, we talked about the importance of turning your goal
from a “should” into a “must”. When your grades aren’t where you want
them to be, it could be a painful thing to accept. Not performing up to
standard is a common reason why students feel overwhelmed. A top
student, Chloe, shared with us her way of overcoming this type of stress
which is highly effective. Whenever she feels pressured for not performing
up to her standard, she would remind herself that even though she is not
there yet, it doesn’t mean she will never be. She believes strongly that
eventually, she will be able to find ways to meet her standard.

When you are stuck in a situation or with a problem, it is easy for one to
feel pessimistic and start to believe that there is no solution. If you find
yourself in such situations, you need to step back and put things into
29
perspective. Many students who graduated before you had conquered the
public examination you are about to face. It is definitely not easy, but it is
not impossible. If you don’t give up, sooner or later, you will be able to
find the solution to every problem. Eventually, you will get there. Keeping
this in mind is a great way to relief stress and to remain motivated.

Scientists found that people’s learning progress can be summarized by the

learning curve below.

As you spend more time learning a subject, your proficiency will grow
exponentially. Initially, when you don’t understand the basics, the ability to
make progress seems very hard. You simply need to invest a lot of time to
get used to the way of thinking that the subject requires. But as you
accumulate the essentials and adapt to the subject, you will find it easier to
master new concepts that are based on the basics. When you breakthrough
the initial challenges, your progress will speed up and you will feel less
painful than when you first started. Many people have a subject that they
30
just don’t seem to “get” and will therefore avoid. If you have this kind of
mindset, you haven’t realized that your learning curve is exponential and
not linear. By understanding the exponential learning curve, you will see
the value of pushing through the initial barriers. After breaking through the
initial barriers, it won’t be nearly as hard anymore. You just need to persist
and you will eventually get there. So don’t lose faith.

Stress reduction strategy 2: Focus on other things once in a while

Taking a time-off means occupying your mind with something non-
academic. One student we talked to, Tim, told us that it was sometimes
hard for him to take his mind off Math before his tests, and his mind would
go in circles and circles. He knew it wasn’t useful for his test, but he
couldn’t stop thinking about math after long hours of studying. Eventually,
he realized that he must make a conscious choice to solve the problem. He
started to be actively involved in activities that could grab his attention,
such as watching movies and playing video games. His performance
actually improved after taking these time-offs as his brain becomes more
energized.

Your brain is like any other body part. If you lift weights or run for too
long, it is only natural for you to be tired and your performance will go
down. If you focus on your studies too often, and the part of your brain that
you used for studying will slow down. What you need to do is to use
another part of your brain. This can be done by actively doing something
else!

31
Stress reduction strategy 3. Listen to the right music at the right time
Music is something that touches your soul but can also be a distraction.
Different music conveys different emotions. It can be a very useful tool to
put you in the right state of mind.

One student, Eddie, who had difficulty maintaining focus, found electro
music particularly helpful in moving him into a zone of peak performance.
Whenever he studies, he would put on electro music, not because he likes it
but because it increases his effectiveness.

Another student we spoke to, Ray, would listen to very different kinds of
music while studying or resting. Upbeat rap music helps him maintain
focus, while slow pop songs help him to relax.

Music is something personal and it affects different people in different

ways. The sure thing is that it can be a tool to direct your mind to a certain
direction. We believe it would be helpful for you to find and listen to music
that can help put you in a state of total focus and help you relax.

Stress reduction strategy 4: Socialize often!

Face it, studying for an exam could be dry and lonely at times. That is the
reason why a lot of students don’t particularly enjoy studying. But
remember, on your road to ultimate success, there are other things you can
enjoy. Many successful students tell us that socializing is a great way to
add joy onto the journey. There is only that much fulfillment you can enjoy
when you are fighting by yourself. Focus on your goal, but don’t forget
your friends!
32
Omega 6: Schedule realistically and follow through

“The key is not to prioritize what’s on your schedule, but to schedule

your priorities”
- Stephen Covey

All top students proactively make schedules that they follow through.
Studying without a schedule is like heading to a destination without a map.

There are 3 very simply steps that you must take to make a realistic
schedule that is worthy following.

1. Fully understand the rules of the game

Every game has a certain set of rules and certain ways of winning. Without
knowing what they are, your direction could very well be wrong. The rules
for different subjects can be very different. For example, in a Math exam,
you will be tested on your problem-solving ability, but in a Biology exam,
you are tested mainly on your ability to memorize, understand and explain
concepts. Thus, the focus for math should be doing more practice
problems, while the core of studying Biology should be memorization. If
you do the opposite, your efforts will be ineffective. We find that some
poor math students try to memorize math solutions like they do in Biology.
This guarantees poor grades because math questions can come in many
varieties. There is not a standard solution that can be memorized and
applied to various questions. A more effective approach to study Math
should be to do more practice questions and develop intuition.

33
2. Evaluate the amount of work it will take you to achieve mastery
As explained in the last chapter, mastery means having enough practice
that any new question you encounter will seem old because the concepts
have already become second nature to you. Mastery is achievable but it
takes time. For some people, it may take 5 past paper questions and more
for others. Be honest to yourself and evaluate how much work is needed.

Remember, this is adjustable. If you find the amount of work you are
currently doing will only get you a Level 5, you should increase the
amount until it is enough to meet your goal!

3. Make a task-based schedule

In step 2, you have determined the amount of work you need to do before
achieving mastery. Now, you can put the required tasks into context and
come up with a schedule. This allows you to manage tasks instead of time,
which will greatly increase your effectiveness. Without a schedule, you
will not know clearly what tasks you have and how much time you have to
achieve them. Making a schedule is a process of putting a time dimension
to planned tasks that you must achieve.

The simple schedule on the next page serves as an example.

34
Day Math Economics
1 - Do textbook - Read textbook
questions on vectors material about
Monopoly

2 - Do 10 past paper - Finish making

questions for vectors study notes for
Monopoly
3 - Do 10 past paper - Do 2 past paper
questions for vectors questions about
Monopoly

The difference between not having a schedule and having one is huge.
People who stick to a schedule will find themselves to be more prepared on
exam day, and people who do not may realize a week before the exam that
they do not have enough time to go through all their revision. This makes
all the difference between a poor and good grade.

4. Stick to your schedule

Some people think that sticking to a schedule is difficult. We believe that
the core problem for these people is that they do not have a strong enough
desire to succeed. Making a schedule and sticking to it is a clear path that
will lead to better performance. If you lack the discipline to follow this
simple success recipe, then you can only blame yourself for not having the
desire to achieve your goals. The right schedule is like a correct map.

35
 Part 2:
Omegas for Specific Subjects

With the right mentality and the right

strategy, you can accomplish anything

36
Omega M: Omega for Math, Physics and Chemistry

Math, Physics and Chemistry are similar in a lot of ways. Students who
enjoy one tend to enjoy the other two and students who excel in one will
mostly excel in the other two. All three subjects require students to think
and solve problems logically. Most students can understand the basic
concepts, but not many can apply the concepts to difficult test questions
and score top marks. You have probably heard that the key to doing well in
these subjects is intensive practice, but you may not know the most
effective way of practicing.

Through talking to top students in the fields of Math, Physics and

Chemistry, we have discovered that students who excel in these fields have
a specific mindset and approach to studying that set them apart.

The bulldog mindset

Are you a good problem solver? You might think problem-solving skills
are an innate ability, but we are here to tell you that it is not. A top student
we talked to told us that he read a chapter in the book "Outlier" by
Malcolm Gladwell that improved his score in the sciences and math
dramatically.

In one of the chapters, Gladwell tries to explain the difference in math

ability between Asians and Caucasian Americans. This has been the
subject of many studies, and experiments seem to show that the answer can
be captured by one word: persistency.

37
To study the difference in how people approach a math problem, a math
professor gave difficult math problems to over 1000 Asians and Caucasian
Americans to do. The stunning difference is that Asians are willing to
spend an average of 15-30 minutes on the problem before giving up. While
Caucasian Americans, on the other hand, are only willing to give the
problem 3-5 minutes. The study concludes that persistency is what sets
great math students apart from poor math students. The best math students
are willing to dedicate themselves to figuring things out before giving up,
but the poor ones just give up too easily.

There are 3 main benefits of breaking down a difficult math problem on

your own:
1. You gain tremendous confidence in problem solving, and soon, you will
love solving math questions.
2. You will understand the concepts related to the question very well.
3. You can solve unfamiliar problems in exams much more easily.

After talking to more top math students, we found that they all have the
never-give-up mindset and attitude, which we called the bulldog mindset.
Some poor math students we talked to, on the other hand, simply give up
very easily. Whenever they encounter a question they don’t know, they
would give up within 30 seconds and ask the teacher for the answer. To be
great at math, you need to be willing to try different approaches to solving
a problem until you find one that works. When you finally do find one, you
will feel tremendously rewarding and the problem solving skill will truly
become yours.

38
With repetition comes intuition
Almost all top math students describe problem solving as an intuitive
process. When they see a question on an exam, their instinct will show
them the approach to solving it. The process is automatic. It is like a reflex
action in their brain that tells them what they should do. Do you find this
hard to relate to?

Everyone has the ability to achieve this level of mastery. When you repeat
a process over and over again, it becomes wired into your brain. It is like
learning to ride a bicycle when you were a kid. At first, you needed to
consciously think about how to balance yourself and move forward. But
with enough practice, it will become natural to you and you do not even
need to think about it. The same is true for any kind of skill. You know you
have achieved mastery when you can solve problems without consciously
thinking step by step. You would intuitively know the steps to take.

The problem now is ― how do you get there? Below are the essential
steps.

Guideline 1: Master from easy to hard

In Math, Chemistry and Physics, concepts build upon themself. Without
understanding the basics, it is impossible to tackle the hard questions.
Thus, it is important that you are patient in mastering the simple concepts
before moving forward to the hard ones. Almost all top students always
work hard to ensure that they don’t fall behind.

39
How do you truly master a math concept? Purely understanding or
memorizing is far from enough. As we mentioned earlier, you need to
develop an intuition for problem solving and this only comes with practice.
Thus, after you have understood a concept, you need to do at least 5-6
textbook practice questions or in-class examples that are related to that
concept. Before moving to the next concept, you should ensure that you
can solve problems related to the concept with ease.

Guideline 2: Sort past-papers questions by types and practice!

After you have understood all the concepts from class and the textbook,
you should begin sorting past paper questions by topic and focus on one
topic at a time. Past papers are usually harder than textbook questions
because textbooks are designed mainly for demonstration, while past
exams are made to “identify” the elites of a subject. Thus, to do well on
your exam, you need to move beyond your textbook and go to past paper
questions!

Some students are overwhelmed when reviewing past papers. It almost

seems as if there are infinitely more possibilities of questions that could
appear. But if you look deeper, you will be able to categorize problems into
types. In the end, you will find that there are only a handful of categories
for each topic. Grouping questions together could be very difficult,
especially for a beginner. This is where good tutors who understand the
syllabus well come in handy. They already know all the different types of
questions there are and the common solutions to them. After grouping

40
questions into types, you can practice repeatedly one category at a time. As
mentioned above, repetition is essential for wiring concepts into your mind.

Focusing on one type of questions at a time allows repetition, which is

essential to developing intuition. After mastering all sorts of questions, it is
just a matter of recalling different sections on the syllabus when you face
the final exam.

Of course, not every single question falls into a particular type. Questions
that can be identified as a common type usually make up around 60-70% of
the exam. If you follow this guideline, you should score at least 90% for
this major part of the exam that is relatively predictable. The good news is
that many students will struggle in this relatively easy part of the exam
because they have not done enough practice. Following this guideline
should put you ahead of many students already!

Guideline 3: Identify the outliers

Around 15-25% of questions are “outliers”, which are questions that are
unlike other questions that usually require thinking out of the box. Most
students will have no clue how to solve these types of questions. If you can
score around 50-60% in this section, you should expect to score in the top
20-10 percentile, which is already a top grade.

To develop you ability to solve unfamiliar questions (the “outliers”), you

need to first have a bulldog mindset. Furthermore, when you go through
past papers, you should identify questions that are “outliers” and put a
41
mark beside them to remind yourself to go back to them later. When it
comes close to the exam, you should have already mastered the most
common questions. Most top student will use their final study time to
quickly go back to these outlier questions for final revision.

Guideline 4: Do entire past papers in exam conditions

Coaches in sports always emphasize on the importance of training in match
conditions. Training should be a simulation of the real game. It is the same
for studying for an exam. After you have done what is advised in the first 3
guidelines, you need to do full sets of past papers in exam conditions. In
real exams, different types of questions are thrown together in no particular
pattern, which makes it much harder to chapter topic tests. It requires you
to recall and apply different concepts in the syllabus quickly. If you are not
used to this, you will significantly underperform in your exam.

You should sit in a quiet area and time yourself when you do full mock
exams. Many students give themselves more time than they would get in
the real exam. Being able to think and solve problems quickly is something
you can’t ignore. You need to step up on this ability in your practice runs!

The lowest hanging fruit principle

The lowest hanging-fruit principle is a concept from Economics that can
be applied very effectively to a test-taking situation, especially for Math,
Chemistry and Physics. The principle simply states that in order to achieve
maximum efficiency, one must first achieve outcomes with the least cost
before trying to achieve outcomes that are more costly. In your exam, this
means that you should finish questions in the order of difficulty, starting
42
from the easiest ones. There are a few very logical arguments that back up
this approach.

Firstly, doing the easiest questions first is the most time-effective.

Assuming that the easiest questions require the least amount of time, which
is a reasonable assumption, you will certainly gain the highest possible
score within the shortest possible time. It is definitely the most efficient
way of allocating your time. In your final exam, timing is everything. You
need to maximize your efficiency.

A second more subtle reason is that by doing the easiest questions first, you
gain the confidence and composure that you will need for the “outlier”
questions later on. By the time you move to the questions that require
thinking out of the box, you should have captured all the easy marks,
which already puts you on an acceptable level. This greatly reduces your
stress and enhances your ability to think out of the box to tackle the
challenging questions.

Alternatively, if you just go in the order the questions given to you in the
exam paper, you might very well bump into an unfamiliar question in the
beginning and become stuck. All the while, you still have plenty of
questions waiting for you and you haven’t even gotten enough points to
pass yet! Imagine all the stress you would be under. Putting yourself in this
situation is unnecessary. You can avoid it by applying the lowest hanging-
fruit principle.

43
Omega E: Omega for Economics

Economics is a subject that explains many phenomena in everyday life.

Scoring top marks in Economics require two main abilities: the ability to
understand concepts and the ability to apply concepts to test questions.

Use multiple sources to understand concepts

We find that different economics textbooks explain concepts quite
differently, and each student has a different way of understanding a
concept. A lot of times, you may not understand a concept that is explained
in one textbook but if you look at another textbook, you may find the same
concept much easier to understand. Thus, we recommend students to have
a handful of different sources that they can refer to when they are stuck.

Simplify and layout relationships

Most Economics textbooks are in long paragraphs, which make it difficult
for students to study efficiently. If you look carefully at Economics
concept, you will find that there is a core relationship that you need to
comprehend, which is usually quite simple.

The Crowding Out effect is a difficult concept that many economics

students do not understand. Let’s look at how we can simplify and layout
relationships to increase the effectiveness of your studying.

In paragraph form, the Crowding Out effect can be explained as below:

“When the government uses expansionary fiscal policy and increase
government spending, the government may have a budget deficit. To

44
finance this deficit, the government will borrow. Higher government
borrowing will increase the demand for loanable funds. The net effect is
that interest rate will rise, which results in the fall of consumption and
investment. Since consumption and investment are components of AD,
there will be a fall in AD.”

Reading such a wordy paragraph can be confusing, especially for students

who aren’t used to thinking logically. However, if you really understand
the concept, you will realize that the Crowding Out effect is just a series
cause and effect relationships. If you can map out these cause and effect
relationships in a simple form, you will be able to understand concepts
with much more ease. More importantly, when you study for your exams,
you can save a lot of time.

To illustrate what we mean, the Crowding Effect can be explained in this

simple form:

By doing this, you have simplified the long paragraph into one simple line
that allows you to see the cause and effect relationship more clearly. In
fact, most mechanisms you learn in Economics are mechanisms that are
caused by a series of cause-and-effect relationships. Thus, this technique
should be applicable to most parts of the economics syllabus.

45
Effective essay writing for Economics
Essay writing is an important part of most Economics syllabuses. Essay
writing for Economics is quite different from other subjects, such as
English literature. Below are a few guidelines that top students use.

Guideline 1: Remember the key ingredients

Below are four main components that you should not forget:

1. Definition
Defining key terms in an essay question is what examiners expect. Before
you begin writing your essay, you should already underline words you
must define to make sure that you don’t forget. What is a key word? We
believe any terms that have been taught in the syllabus should be
categorized as a key word and defined.

Since defining key terms is a key ingredient, you should put a conscious
effort to memorizing various definitions. Some students tell us that they
make a list of key definitions for each section of the syllabus. Some other
students would make a cue card for each definition. The key is that you
should regularly test yourself until you have memorized the definition s―
cover a definition and try to recall it in your head. If you are successful in
doing it in successive times, you have committed that definition to
memory.

2. Diagrams
Students who understand Economics see diagrams as a tool that visually
illustrates theories. Students who struggle with Economics, on the other
46
hand, tries to memorize diagrams as if memorizing pictures. To be able to
draw diagrams correctly on your exams, you need to understand the
meaning behind them. Some students also lose unnecessary marks for
drawing messy diagrams. The rule of thumb is that you should use a ruler
and the diagram should be at least 1/3 of a page in size.

3. Explanation of diagram
All top students explain their diagrams in detail. What does this exactly
mean? Let’s illustrate this with a basic diagram

A poor explanation:
As shown in the diagram, price and quantity will increase after demand
increases.

A detailed explanation:
As demand increases, the demand curve will shift to the right from D to
D1. At original equilibrium price P, there will be excess demand. When

47
there is excess demand, there is a tendency for price to rise. Thus, price
will rise and settle at new equilibrium at P2 and Q2.

A detailed explanation is a point-to-point explanation that explains every

cause and effect relationship, while a poor one is too general.

4. Examples
Real life examples demonstrate your ability to relate concepts to the real
world. Many top students, but not all, tell us that they consciously look for
examples from newspapers that they can use for their exam. This approach
will definitely increase your interest in Economics as a subject and your
awareness of real world issues. However, we find that hypothetical
examples would suffice as that is what some top students do.

5. Directly address the question

When the examiner marks your exam paper, they have a marking scheme
with specific points that you must answer. Obviously, the points on the
marking scheme represent the answers to the question. Thus, if you don’t
address the question directly, it is unlikely that you will answer the points
on the marking scheme because you haven’t even answered the question!
Understanding what the marker wants from a question is a skill that you
need to develop. One of the most important things you should do when you
approach an exam question is to underline the command term. For
example, the command term “explain” is very different from “evaluate”.
For an “explain” question, your focus should be on explaining a concept or
a phenomenon. If you are asked to evaluate, less emphasis should be

48
placed on explanations and the focus should be on coming up with
arguments based on economic concepts.

6. Concise writing style

Examiners are looking for very specific points from your essay. You are
evaluated based on how well you explain the concepts and whether or not
you answered the correct points. The more clearly you demonstrate to the
examiner that you have answered the points, the more likely you will be
awarded points. Therefore, clarity and conciseness are what you need to
aim for.

7. Details
Most students might know vaguely know the answer to an essay question.
What separates top students from poor students is often the amount of
details you include in your answers. The more details, the better. For
example, most people know that higher interest rates lead to higher
aggregate demand. But being able to explain all the mechanisms in great
detail is another thing.

8. Structure
Another factor that differentiates students is the structure of the response.
The more structured your essay is, the easier it is for the marker to follow
and higher your grade is going to be.
Official mark schemes can be one of your most powerful tools
Many top economics students tell us that they pay careful attention to the
marking scheme, especially for questions that ask them to evaluate.
Evaluation questions usually require you to come up with arguments about
49
a certain position. According to top students, arguments in marking scheme
are often missing in textbooks. Thus, to get top grades, you should record
arguments from marking scheme into your notes, so that you can use them
again when you see similar questions.

Read top sample essays

Taking note of the marking schemes will tell you what points you should
include in your essays. The problem is that they are in point form and they
tell the examiner in the simplest terms what to look for. However, they do
not teach you anything about the proper writing style and how concepts
should be explained. An excellent way to learn about the proper writing
style is to read sample essays that are written by top students.

At HKExcel Education Centre, we hand out sample essays to our

Economics student regularly. When you read these essays, try to get an
understanding about the extent of the answers. For example, pay attention
to how detailed diagrams are explained and how top students elaborate
each argument. By doing this, you will know how much you need to
answer to get top grades.

Essay outlines
We all learned how to write a proper paragraph during primary school.
What you were taught was to write a topic sentence, give supporting
arguments and end with a concluding sentence. It is surprising that not all
students do this when they are writing essays for Economics. Instead, some
students will just “go with the flow” and write down whatever that comes

50
to mind. The result is usually an unorganized essay with no logical
sequence that is difficult to follow and understand.

We advise students to always make an essay plan before they start. The
essay plan should tell you what arguments to include for each paragraph.
There is no specific format for an essay plan. As long as you can
understand it, it is fine! The essay plan is like a map for you to follow
when writing an essay. It makes sure that you are staying on topic and that
your essay is logical and cohesive.

Write practice essays and ask for feedback

When a salesman repeats a sales pitch for so many times, it becomes his
second nature and he can say the same speech smoothly at anytime. An
excellent sales pitch, used many times, can be worth a lot of money! If you
think about it, it is the same for writing essays. Although questions differ
every time, you are often explaining the same concepts and making the
same arguments, just in a different context. In other words, if you can give
a quality answer that explains each concept and argument clearly, you
should be able to ace any exam essay questions. All you need to do is to
pick the right explanations and arguments to include in your answer. Thus,
don’t underestimate the importance of practicing essay writing!

However, you can write hundreds of essay but still not be good at it. If you
are heading east looking for a sunset, you will never find it. To avoid
practicing ineffectively, you should constantly show your practice essays to
a trusted teacher who is able to tell you your weaknesses. Finding out your
weakness and adjusting your approach are the best recipes for success!
51
Acing data response questions
Most Economics exams have a data response section that gives you a
newspaper article and asks you to define key terms, explain concepts and
evaluate a situation. The definition and explanation parts are generally easy
for most students and require the same skills as a regular essay question.
The evaluation part is what most students find difficult.

To start off, you should quickly scan through article quickly and underline
all arguments that could be part of your evaluation. Then, add your own
arguments that you have learnt and prepared in your studying sessions.
These steps will compile into a list of arguments and all you need to do
next is to make an essay outline based on the points you have already
listed.

Acing the Math part of Economics

In most syllabuses, there is a math/calculation paper for Economics. At the
high school level, they are usually just a test of whether or not you can
memorize formulas and apply them. Thus, the first step you must take is to
make a list of formulas for each chapter and memorize them. Then, when
you approach a problem, write down all the variables that are given to you.
For example, if the question tells you that the consumption equals to 500
and the investment equals to 400, then you should write down C=500,
I=400. All you need to do afterwards is to recall a formula you memorized
that contains the given variables and an unknown. The rest is just simple
algebra. Of course, all principles taught in the last chapter “Omega for
Math, Physics and Chemistry” are still applicable to Math in Economics.

52
Omega for Biology
Whether you like it or not, Biology is very much a test of memorization.
Furthermore, it tests your ability to use what you memorized to answer
different types of questions. For this chapter, we will first go through the
tips for memorization and then we will look at the strategies for different
types of questions.

Memorization strategy #1: Chunking

Chunking means breaking down huge concepts into digestible bits. Let’s
illustrate with an example, try to memorize the numbers below:

243432432489322

Can you memorize these 15 numbers all at once? We don’t think so. Now,
try to memorize the following set of numbers

24343 24324 89322

Do you notice that by chunking down 15 numbers into 3 sets of 5, the task
becomes much easier? Your brain can only comprehend that many
information at once. Thus, the only way to memorize long concepts, like
many biology processes, is to break it down into individual parts that you
can handle.

Memorization strategy #2: Association

Association means connecting a new concept with something else that you
can more vividly remember. For example, one student shared with us an
53
interesting method that he used to memorize the sequence of the phases for
mitosis. As you may know, the sequence is prophase, anaphase, metaphase
and telephase. This student knew that prophase is the first phase, because
“pro” is associated with excellence and being in the first place. Then, to
memorize the next three phases, he came up with the following story:

Anna once meditated to pick up the telephone to call his boyfriend.

With this story, knowing the sequence of phases in mitosis has become
very easy. It was obvious that Anna would have to meditate before picking
up the telephone! By associating mitosis to this story, the student would
never forget the phases of mitosis even if he learned it 4 years ago, when
most students would forget after a month.

Memorization technique #3: Beware of the context

All complicated biology processes you study are actually details about a
phenomenon that can be easily understood. For example, mitosis is the
process in which cells divide. Knowing the big picture will allow you to
know the ultimate outcome of a process, which makes it easier for you to
logically remember the details in between. In the case of mitosis, if you
understand the big picture, you should know that the cell will get more
stretched apart through each phase. More importantly, being aware of the
context will allow you to appreciate biology more and the fact that it
explains the science behind all living matters. If you enjoy Biology more as
a subject, memorization wouldn’t be as painful and you will certainly do
better.

54
Memorization technique #4: Visualize
You have probably heard the saying, “a picture is worth a thousand
words”. This saying is actually quite true and it really works for
memorization. Many top students tell us that visualizing the different steps
in a biological process as different pictures has done magic for them. Some
students even told us that they made short mental movies to help them
understand certain steps in a process. Memorizing a series of words can be
extremely tiring. However, if you can turn everything into a compelling
picture or mental video you can remember, you memory will be more vivid
and long-lasting.

Memorization technique #5: Repetition with involvement and in longer

intervals
Repetition is the most common but also one of the most boring ways of
memorization that most students dislike. For some things, such as
processes, you can use the techniques mentioned above to memorize them.
However, for some things, such as a list of components in blood or a list of
bacteria that causes flu, which is hard to associate with anything you know,
repetition is the only thing you can do. The most effective way of
repetition, we believe, is when you are more actively involved. Thus,
instead of recalling the word or the phrase in your head, you should
repeatedly write them on a piece of paper.

Moreover, studies show that repetition in longer intervals is more effective

than repetition within a short interval. For example, copying down a phrase
2 times everyday for five days is more effective than copying a phrase 10
times in one day.
55
Acing multiple choice questions
Multiple-choice questions are common in most subjects, especially in
Biology. Some students underperform in multiple-choice, but some
students love multiple-choice more than any other types of questions.
Below are a few tips suggested by top students.

Multiple-choice technique #1: Start with elimination

For multiple-choice questions, you are usually given 4 choices and you are
required to pick the right answer. Some students dislike multiple-choice
because they think the choices confuse them. Yet, if you are able to
leverage on the circumstances in MC questions, they should be much easier
than other question types. The way to do it is to eliminate all the choices
that don’t make sense. If you have done your studying, you should be able
to cross out the 3 wrong choices and pick the right one. Even if you are
only able to cross out 2, this will still significantly reduce you chance of
error and from there, you just need to make an educated guess. A key
difference between top students in MC and the average ones is that top
students make elimination a habit for every question they attempt and
average students only do it when they are stuck. Usually, average students
will immediately pick a choice that looks like the right answer. The reason
why elimination is always better is because very often, there are two or
more answers that “look” correct. If you immediately pick the one that
“looks” right, you are essentially randomly choosing between the answers
that “look” correct. If you start off by elimination, however, you will be
able to identify all the choices that “look” right and those that are definitely
wrong. Then, you can make a smart guess between the seemingly right
choices. This will dramatically increase your accuracy.
56
Multiple-choice technique #2: Guidelines for picking out the “best”
answer
After eliminating all the choices that are obviously wrong, you might be
left with 2 choices that seem right ― how do you increase the chances of
picking out the right one? The right answer is usually the best answer.
Below are few guidelines:

1. “All of the above” is very often the right answer. Whenever you find that
more than one of the choice seem correct, there is a fairly great chance that
“all of the above” is correct.
2. “None of the above” is often a wrong answer. As long as you can find an
answer that seems right, you can cross out “none of the above”.
3. The best response is usually longer and more detailed. Thus, if you
really don’t know which answer is better, choose the one that is more
detailed.
4. Answers that have absolute words such as always or never are usually
wrong. On the other hand, answers with words like probably or sometimes,
are usually right.

Multiple-choice technique #3: Never make guesses for questions with

definite answers, unless if you have to
There are certain MC questions that have definite answer, such as
mathematical questions with a number as an answer, and questions that
asks about cause and effect relationships. For example, if the question
gives you a set of numbers and asks you to calculate the cellular volume,
then there must be a definite answer that is included in one of the choices.
57
Another example would be a question that asks you whether surface with
increasing cell volume increases the cell surface proportionately. For these
types of questions with definite answer, you shouldn’t need to make any
guesses if you know how to find the right answer. When you tackle math
problems, you should always take the time to actually do the calculation
carefully! You will know with certainty that you have the right answer if
your calculated number is one of the choices. A good way to approach
cause-and-effect relationship type of question, on the other hand, is to write
in simple terms the entire relationship. For instance, if the question asks
you what will happen to cellular absorption of the cell when volume
increases, then you can map out the relationship between the two like
below.

This process simplifies the relationships into easily understandable

symbols that allow you to think logically and clearly. You will now know
that an increase in cellular volume would increase cellular surface. Then,
you will just need to ask yourself, “What will happen to cellular absorption
if cellular surface increases?” Mapping out relationships increases clarity
and make it easier for you to figure the answer.
Acing short response question
Short response question is another question type that often appears on
Biology exams. Below are a few techniques that are proven to work.

Short question technique #1: Underline keywords and command terms

When the examiner marks short questions, they have a marking scheme in
front of them with a list of expected arguments. Thus, you can only earn
58
marks if you answer the points on the marking scheme. This will be
impossible if you misinterpret the question. By underlining keywords and
command terms, you will become clearer about what the question is asking
and thereby increase the chances of answering the right points.

Short question technique #2: Beware of how many marks a question is

worth
For most exams, the number of marks each question is worth will be
quoted right after the question. Almost all the time, the number of marks
allocated to a question is the number of arguments that an examiner will be
looking for. Our suggestion, however, is for you to answer 1-2 more
arguments than the points allocated. The reason behind this suggestion is
that, sometimes, not all points you wrote down are on the marking scheme.
By writing down 1-2 extra points, it is more likely for you to score full
points.

Acing data analysis questions

Data response question is what many Biology students struggle on. There
are a few reasons. Firstly, it appears as if you can’t really study for it.
Secondly, questions are often ambiguous and require thinking on the spot.

Data analysis tip #1: Understand the big picture before attempting the
question
The worse thing that can happen for a data analysis question is if you
misinterpret the graph and the experiment behind the graph. If this
happens, you will remain confused for the rest of the question. Thus, you
should strive to understand the context of the question before doing
59
anything. This means understanding what phenomena and what
relationship is the experiment trying to test. More importantly, you must
understand how the graph is used to demonstrate the results of the
experiment.

Data analysis tip #2: Identify the section of syllabus that the question is
related to
Although data analysis question usually requires thinking on the spot, you
need to realize that they are still related to the syllabus. All data analysis
questions are actually testing your knowledge of the syllabus, just in a less
obvious way! This realization should give you more confidence. More
importantly, after you have identified the part of syllabus the question is
related to, you will know which direction to take, ensuring that you are on
the right track. Alternatively, if you don’t consciously think about the
related section in the syllabus, you can often be confused.

Data analysis tip #3: Refine your intuition with mark schemes
As mentioned, data analysis questions require thinking out of the box.
However, this does not mean that you can’t improve with more practice.
What’s important is that you realize your mistakes and find out the right
answers every time your practice. By doing this over and over again, you
will develop an intuition about the points that examiners look for, like
which key words to include when describing a trend.

60
Omega for English Literature

English literature is one of hardest subjects to ace. Obviously, the two

skills you must be good at are reading and writing. These skills come
naturally as you read and write more in English. This is the reason why
native speakers tend to perform better. The only way for you to accumulate
the essential skills of reading and writing in English is to practice, for
example, you can pick up the habit of reading English newspapers daily.
This will increase your speed of reading in English and very soon, you will
find that you are able to understand English passages much quicker than
before.

Acing commentaries for unseen passages

Unseen passage commentary tip #1: Go from big picture to details
Ideally, you should at least read the passage twice before planning your
essay. The first time you read the essay, you should try to understand the
general idea of the passage. If it’s a prose, what are the setting, plot and
general meaning? If it’s a poem, what are the emotions or idea is it trying
to convey? Students who score extremely poor in English are usually those
who completely misinterpret the given passage. Thus, the first thing you
must do is to take the time to read over the passage until you are confident
about understanding the overall idea. After understanding the big picture,
you can read it again to look for details and come up with a thesis.

61
Unseen passage commentary tip #2: Pick a good thesis
Your teacher has probably taught you that you should have a thesis in mind
before planning and writing your essay because your essay should be
centered around a single argument. A thesis is essentially your argument
about the passage summarized in one concise sentence and it gives you an
area to focus on. There are a few elements to a good thesis.

1) A thesis must be debatable and therefore it must not be a clear fact. Try
not to use a statement that is too obviously true. Instead, choose a
statement that is more subjective and therefore arguable.
2) The more specific a thesis is, the more powerful it is. Try to make it as
specific as possible while not narrowing it down too much such that there
is not enough to say.

3) The thesis statement must also indicate why the argument is persuasive.
In other words, if you find evidence from the article to back it up, it isn’t a
good thesis statement.

4) A good thesis statement should have a certain degree of significance

which would make it engaging. If you can imagine someone saying “so
what?” after reading your thesis statement, your thesis statement needs to
be changed.

Unseen passage commentary tip #3: Make an outline

We have already advised you on writing an outline for your Economics
essays in “Omega for Economics”. For English, you need to do the same as

62
well. The reason, as we mentioned, is because structure enables an
examiner to more easily understand your arguments.

Unseen passage commentary tip #4: Familiarize yourself with literary

devices
Literary devices are tools that writers use to convey meaning. Before your
exam, you should put emphasis on knowing literal devices. Not only
should you know what they are, you should also be able to identify them
and know their effects. The ability to identify literary devices comes with
doing more practice papers. Moreover, you also need to practice
interpreting literary devices in relation to your thesis. The effects of certain
literary devices are always the same or at least similar. For example,
hyperboles are used for exaggeration. With more practice, you will be
more familiar with the effect of different literary devices. More
importantly, your ability to use your interpretation of literary device to
support your thesis will improve.

Unseen passage commentary tip #5: Quote as much as possible

One major observable difference between great essays and average essays
is that the great ones often include more direct quotes from the passage.
The more direct quotes you are able to incorporate to support your thesis,
the more you are able to show your understanding of the passage. Of
course, what you quote needs to be relevant and your ability to pick out
relevant quotes will improve with more practice.

63
Unseen passage commentary tip #6: Practice in exam conditions
regularly!
To effectively use the tips we mentioned above, you need to practice.
Regular practice is key. Analyzing passages and writing well require
intuition that only comes with repetition. All students who improved
dramatically within a short period of time did it by practicing in exam
conditions regularly. This means you should pick a past paper and time
yourself for writing full responses. Every time you finish, you should show
your answers to a teacher and ask if there is room for improvement.

Acing commentaries for seen novels

Writing commentaries for seen novels is essentially the same as for unseen
novel. Thus, all the tips taught above still apply. The only two differences
are that you are given a specific question and you are able to read the
novels before the exam begins! The question is: how can you leverage this
luxury to maximize your score?

The ultimate tip for essays on seen novels: Bridging

All top students prepare intensively for commentaries on seen novels.
There are two alternative ways of practicing:

1. Do only 3-4 practice essays, but spend most of your time refining the
essays to make it excellent and worthy of a top grade.
2. Do as many essays as possible, but spend relatively less time in refining
each one.

Make a guess ― which method is better?

64
The reason is that arguments are often applicable to different questions,
especially in English literature where questions are so open-ended. If you
have a brilliant answer for one question, it is very likely that you can write
many of the same arguments for a different question. The only thing that
you need to keep in mind is to stay on topic and answer the new question.
This is why the “bridging” technique is important. Bridging means that you
are adding a new introduction and some new elements to old arguments so
that it fits a new question. From our experience, writing 3-4 essays on
different topics should give you enough arguments so that you can apply
bridging to any other question. If you have 3-4 perfect essays with
perfectly explained arguments, you should be able to use the bridging
technique to write a perfect response to any question.

65
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