Past Year Paper

I know it's holiday time and it may not be appropriate to talk about this, but what's your normal routine during the study period before the exams? I suppose most of us would try to search for past year papers to attempt. We wouldn't feel secure if past year papers are not available and we're thrown into the exam hall without any idea of the exam format and its difficulty.

Therefore past year papers help us to mentally prepare for the unknown.

However the unknown will always remain an unknown. There is no certainty in the exams, otherwise it wouldn't be called exams in the first place. They are meant to test and gauge our ability to analyze and make decisions in face of a unforeseen problem under a limited time span.

Being able to answer all the questions in the past year papers correctly doesn't guarantee that you'll be able to do equally well in the exams. Similarly, if you can't answer most questions in the past year paper, it doesn't mean that you'll score badly in the exams. Questions can change, and we can't assume that we understand 100% of the examinable scope. Well, unless the lecturer is lazy and enjoys recycling questions, attempting past year papers usually doesn't help much. Perhaps it only provides psychological help, and that might be good enough.

But then again, it's always advisable to at least take a look at the past year paper, to roughly gauge your ability and decide if you need to put in more effort. Whether to attempt it or not is up to you. If you've the time anyway, then by all means go ahead.

And so I've decided to publish this in advance.



Not knowing the answers doesn't mean you won't be able to guess a single song in the actual game. Likewise, knowing the answers doesn't guarantee you'll be able to guess everything correctly. But if you really know exactly the identity of these three songs, you're well to go for the actual game. Half the battle is won with confidence.

Be confident in everything you do, like what I always say to people during the exam period. Take the above 'past year paper' with a pinch of salt, if you decide to heed my advice.

Past year papers don't usually come attached with answers, do they?