Remember Application, Not Pure Content
A good driver understands when to apply the brakes or the accelerator when driving. However, the driver may not understand the nitty-gritty details on how long it takes for the car to accelerate from 0 to 100kmh-1 or how long the car takes to come to a complete stop. This shows that understanding how to apply concepts is more important than memorising the narrative behind each concept.
The same logic can be applied to a student’s revision in Economics. The day before the exams, instead of forcing yourself to remember all content, you should recap Economics Tutor Mr Koh’s parachute concepts pertaining to each topic (refer to next six pages). E.g. the topic on “Demand and Supply” is not so much about the factors affecting D/S/PED/PES, as it is about the following parachute concepts: (i) explaining impact on a market; (ii) explaining producer strategy; and (iii) explaining government intervention to assist consumers or producers.
By working backwards and understanding what the key deliverables are, it is always easier for students to tackle exam questions.
CHAPTER MINDMAPS
(these commonly tested themes and methodologies will be taught during Mr Koh’s Economics tuition classes. Visit www.thateconstutor.com to find out more)
NOW WHAT?
NOW WHAT?Remember, studying hard to acquire content is one thing. Knowing how to apply these content to answering exam questions is the key that you need to acquire to start scoring in your exams.
But here’s the problem that most students might face.
You are not sure about the range of questions that can be tested under a specific topic.
Even if the area which you studied was tested, you are unsure if your application is correct.
The truth is – eaminers know that most students’ weaknesses lie in application skills, and they would set out to rephrase concepts into seemingly unfamiliar forms in examination questions. This helps to differentiate the strong from the weak students.
To overcome this challenge, you need to see that questions may take a different form, but the underlying concepts being assessed are similar. As such, there are grounds to consider using broad but standard essay structures (which can subsequently be tweaked to align with the context).
Make regular use of Mr Koh’s essay structures to plan your essay assignments or to practise past year papers and you should get better in this field. Alternatively, if you wish to strengthen your application skills, you can sign up for Mr Koh’s regular Economics tuition classes or contact him at 9070-6248 directly.