ANATOMY OF CARRYOVER
No student wants to get carryover (to fail a course) throughout his stay in school; however, many pack it in large measures as though it were a treasure. In this article, I want to show you why students have carryover and point to you the way of avoiding it. Who are am I to discuss the anatomy of carryover? I have performed excellently (got ‘A’) and poorly (got ‘F’) in school as well as observed people who have had similar experiences. From hindsight and my studies of them, I was able to distill why students have carryover on campus. So follow me as I show you.
POOR PREPARATION FOR EXAMS
Many cases of carryover have poor preparation in common. It is usually seen in failure to cover scheme of work; poor coverage of scheme and surface reading of course content.
Steps to adequate preparation is defining what a course is all about; ascertaining it’s content and studying it so as to answer whatever question that will come up in exams based on the course content. Getting previous questions on the course and studying them would prove very useful.
ZERO CONFIDENCE
Many students that fail their courses fail not because of lack of ability to pass but lack of confidence. This is usually borne out of previous experiences of failure or lies told by older students who may have failed the courses or narrowly escaped failure in them. When the belief that you will excel in an exams is withdrawn from you, it takes miracle for you to pass. The reason is that lack of confidence weakens your preparation and vigor to study.
But I don’t wish you fail your exams because of zero confidence; so, let me tell you what to do about it. Your past failure in a course of even in your pre-university exams are not proofs that you will still fail in your exams. They maybe proofs that you were poorly prepared for the exams. So, when zero confidence comes telling you that you failed in the past that you will fail again, tell him that you are better armed to tackle the exams. That way it will leave you.
Also, I like you to know that it’s not every comment you hear from older students that you should believe. It is common to hear old students say that a particular course is hard because there was massive failure in it in the past or because they found the course particularly difficult. Don’t listen to them. I heard statements like that in my first year about maths and I essentially average in maths. I identified a tutorial centre and attended it religiously, bought relevant books and attended revision classes prior to exams. At the end I got a B. For me, it was a miracle. So, don’t diffuse your confidence to excel because of peoples comments or your past experience in failure. Lossing your confidence would mean plotting for failure.
CARELESSNESS
Carryover is not just failure in an exam; it also means non availability of result of an exam written. Let me explain. You could finish writing an exam but fail to sign in and out during exams and the department expects that you sign in and out otherwise you won’t see your result. If you carelessly fail to sign in and out, you have started on the path to carryover in that course. Also, if you are so much in a haste( off course careless haste) to write your particulars on your answer sheet or write more than is required, you may never see your result and that amounts to carryover. So ensure you are carful in sticking to the rules of the exam you are taking.
BEYOUND YOUR CONTROL’
There are circumstances beyond human control. Sometimes they result in carryover. You may have written all your exams well and done all that your examiner requires that you do but your script will just fall off while the lecturer is packing them and the result is failure.
A way of avoiding carryover coming from this mistake is to hand your exams, scripts and range number to God in prayer and request that He helps and secures your script and everything about it.
Another instance that is beyond your control is when a lecturer is just wicked to you either because he asked you for sex or favour which you can’t give. In that case, don’t worry yourself at all. If you are child of God, go on with your life and don’t even worry about it. What happened to the men who were angry with Daniel will happen to him. They lost their lives and those of their families without Daniel planning it (Daniel 6). Or what happened to pharaoh who wanted to hold in captive men whom God has decided to liberate will happen to him. He lost his life working against God’s people (Exodus 14). See, when God has decided to take you to next level and anybody or caucus try to stop you, the force of God propelling you to next level will crush them to move you forward.
SPIRITUAL CONTROL
Life is controlled by the spiritual and not the physical. If spiritual control of your life or atmosphere is towards failure, you will have carryovers. It does not necessary mean that someone wants to jazz you or that a witch is tormenting you. It could be that Satan has observed you closely and told God that you serve Him because your results have been excellent and God gave Satan the go ahead to tempt you. In that case, you must have done all that you should but ‘something seems to go wrong’. If that’s truly the case with you, be steadfast God will visit you with better blessing after the trial of your faith. Also, it could be a just recompense of your sin of either mocking someone who failed or wicked refusal to teach someone you should have taught. You can cancel the effect of that wickenedess by repenting of the wickedness and begging God to forgive you.
Having seen common factors found in cases of carryover, do your best to avoid them while you consciously prepare for your exams success. I wish you academic excellence.
