Name: Tang Shu Yee

Student ID: 031110159

Course Code: WUC 131/03
Learning Skills for University
Studies
Subject: TMA 3
Tutor Name: Mr. Guan Eng
Chan
Submission Date: 28 October
2011

Question 1:
As working adults with busy lives, we may find it difficult to
remember or recall information when needed. Nevertheless,
there are many approaches and strategies to enhance our
memory. Identify any five (5) strategies you may have used to

improve your memory. By referring to specific instances,

explain how these strategies were useful and/or effective.
(35 marks)

Answers:
To help enhance our memories, there are a few strategies we
can use. Using organized information is one of the strategies
for better memorizing. Research had found that information or
materials that structured or organized in a meaningful category
will help better understanding so that we can easy to memorise
it. For example, there are many sub-groups in a supermarket. It
is difficult to memorise all the sub-group in a short time if we do
not categorise them into related group. Below is the table
which indicate the sub-group without categorise them.
Rice
Beverage
Cooking
Baking
Paper
Needs
Needs
Product
Drinks
Fruit
Vegetables Dried
Poultry
Seafood
Detergent
Cigarettes Disposable Clothing
Confection
Ware
ary
Flour
Chilled &
Eggs
Personal
Cosmetics
Frozen
Care
Pharmacy
Noodles
Creamers
Meat
Beer
Noticed when we categorise these sub-group into some
department, it will be related and easy to understand. Below is
the table that structured by department:
Grocery Food
Grocery Non Food
Fresh
Rice
Paper Product
Dried Seafood
Flour
Cosmetics
Fruit
Beverage
Personal Care
Vegetable
Drinks
Disposable Ware
Poultry
creamers
Clothing
Eggs
Beer
Detergent
Chilled & Frozen
Baking Needs
Pharmacy
Meat
Cooking Needs
Cigarettes

Confectionary
Noodles
We will found that it will be clearer if we structure these subgroups into three departments and relate them.

Other than restructure the materials, we can enhance our

memories by using imaginations or pictures. Peoples used to
says that A picture tells more than thousand words. Humans
brain is easier to give focus on picture or imaginations. For
example, in biology subject, there is process call
photosynthesis. It means a chemical process convert carbon
dioxide into organic compounds like sugar using the energy of
sunlight. This process occurs in plants. Biology terms are hard
to memorise only using word. But if we can draw out the
process, it will be clear. Below is the picture of the process:

It is clear if we using the picture rather only reading the words.

Using mnemonic devices able to help us in enhance our
memory when we studying especially those with lots of names
and terms. For example when we need to memorise all nine
planets in the solar system, all we just need is to create a
sentence to make us easier to remember. By using the
mnemonic, My Very Excellent Mother Just Sent Us Nine Pizzas,
which stands for:
My Mercury
Very Venus
Excellent Earth

Mother Mars
Just - Jupiter
Sent Saturn
Us Uranus
Nine Neptune
Pizzas - Pluto

The sentence that we create will make us easier to remember.

All we need to do is associate the sentence to help us
remember the sequence of the planet in solar system.
Rehearse using elaboration also able to help us in enhance our
memories. Elaborative rehearsal is analysing information
further and relating it to information that already stored a
persons memory. Elaborative rehearsal is effective for longterm memory. For example: In Biology class, we have to learn
the term DNA, for better understand and remember, we can
elaborate it by relating it into something we already know: DNA
is the source of our genetic material, and plays a role in
transmission of characteristics from parents to offspring. By
elaborating it in more detail, we are able to understand deeper
and easy for us to remember. It is able to help us to score high
marks in exam too.
Last but not least, we need to study regularly to enhance our
memory. Most of us study only at last minute when we exam or
the time we first get the material. Clearly this is not enough for
us to understand and remember. It is also easy to forget.
Research had shown that those who study regularly gets better
understand and remember far more than those who only study
when needed. For example, when we study repeatedly the
same material, our mind will remember deeper compare to if
we study only one time. While we are study, we can make some

important note or key word at the side of the material so that it

can easily recall our memory when we study regularly. By the
time when we review back the material before exam, it will
easier as we only need to remember the key word or the
important notes.

Question 2:
When setting goals, it is important to make necessary efforts to
achieve them. There are certain characteristics that make goals
effective. Identify the five (5) characteristics of effective goals
and discuss the importance of these characteristics. Provide
specific examples to illustrate your answer.
(35 marks)
Answer: (try set your goal in the early stage and used
the goal to elaborate the characteristic of effective goal)
There are five characteristics we need to take note during
making of an effective goal which is: challenging and realistic,
Specific and measurable, Set with weekly progress in mind,
positive goals, and time-bond.
Before setting a goal, first we should clearly understand our
own ability so that we able to meet the goal set. An effective
goal should be challenging and realistic. For example: I want
to be a millionaire. This goal is not an effective goal as it is
way too challenging and not realistic to almost everyone.
An effective goal should be specific and measurable. A specific
and measurable goal can help you evaluate and adjust
accordingly from time to time. For example: I will be a branch

manager in the next five years. In this example, I able to know

that the specific goal is to be a branch manager and its
measurable in five years time. From this goal I am able to
evaluate myself from time to time and also adjust to my
progress accordingly so that I can successfully be the branch
manager in five year.
To success a goal, we need confidence and encouragement. To
build up these confidences, we can set with weekly progress in
our mind. We can set some small goals which we can achieve in
a week. For example: I must come up with a promotion plan in
a week and have meeting with branch manager to review back
the result of the promotion. In this goal, I must plan a
promotion in a week and then review the result with my branch
manager. The progress and the result of the promotion able to
build up my confidence and keep me encouraged. With this
encouragement I will have confidence to achieve a bigger goal.
While we are setting goal, we should make positive goal instead
of negative goal. Negative goal always give us bad thinking
and this will slow us down. We should let our mind think
positively as we are more effective if we have good memories
or experience. For example: to establish peaceful relations
with my colleague rather than to stop hating my stupid
colleague. Positive goal is able to create a balance and
harmony as I will try to find a way to work out with my
colleague. In the other hand, the negative goal will keep
reminding me the bad experience and this will slowing me
down to achieve this goal.
Lastly, it is good for us to set the time-bond while we are
setting a goal. Instead of just giving a period, setting a starting
time and ending time will be clearer in mind in order to achieve
the goal. For example: I will start my re-planograms in selling
floor on 1st November and complete by 15th November. With
the starting time and ending time Im able to make the

necessary arrangement and follow up so that I am able to

complete the goal in the time that set.

Question 3:
Test anxiety is stress felt before and during examinations.
Discuss the five (5) strategies you can use to reduce your test
anxiety. Which of these strategies would be most effective for
you and why?
(30 marks)
Answer:
There are five strategies we can use to reduce our test anxiety:
being well-prepared, avoiding procrastination, preparing a
revision planner, revising, and getting information on the test.
Before we are attending the test, we need to be well prepared.
This include in term of mentally and physically. In mentally, we
need have a proper mind set and good discipline to study while
in physically, we need to make sure we have enough sleep or
rest. For the preparation, we need to study all the topics and
prepare our own note so that it is easy to remember. For
example, we can search some past year exam to practice so

that we are able to know the format and more easy to handle
the test.
Peoples tend to delay things when they feel boring or difficult
to complete. To reduce test anxiety, we need to avoid
procrastination as this will delay us from preparing the test. By
the time getting closer, we will felt panic as we havent prepare
anything to attend the test. To overcome the procrastination,
we need to know clear about our goal. We need to have
determination to achieve the goal or task by not delaying it.
To reduce test anxiety, we can prepare a revision planner. This
type of planner able to help us to organise what we need to
cover for the test on daily basis as well as weekly or monthly.
With this planner, we able to get the clear picture on how much
time we have to do revision for the test. For example, we can
set the study at the morning as our brain in more focus in the
morning while in the afternoon, we can do some research as
our brain is more analytical at that period.
The way we are revising our course materials also will help
reduce test anxiety. There are few ways we can do our revising.
While doing revision, we can do more exercise that cover the
whole subject or some past year examination questions. By this
we are able to understand rather than only memorising the
subject. When doing revision, we can make our revision not so
bored by switching different subject daily. It will be fresh in our
mind rather than reading the same subject the whole week. We
also can refer to our course mate if we still have topic that do
not understand. Most important is we must have self-discipline
when doing revision. For example, by telling our friends or
family member know that we need time to do revision so that
will not disturb us.
Another way to reduce test anxiety is to get information about
the test that we going to attend. We need to know everything
about the test such as the format, the topic covered, mark

allocation, type of question, etc. By knowing this information,

we can have the clear picture in our mind to answer the
questions and will not feel panic during the examination.
Getting all the information that we need for the examination
will also make us more familiar and easy to handle the test.
The most effective strategy for me to reduce test anxiety is to
be well-prepared before taking the test. For me, well-prepared
like getting all topic revised before examination and prepare
short note from the topic that need to be covered will be easy
for me to understand more. I will be feeling steadier when I am
getting all in orders.