HOW I LEARNT TO PASS EXAMS (EASILY)
About Dr Dale Gerke
- Dale is a specialist dentist.
He has 6 different tertiary qualifications (2 undergraduate degrees, 2 post graduate degrees, a Fellowship and Membership with the Royal Australasian College of Dental Surgeons).
He is also involved in a number of successful businesses of his own.
Dale is here to tell you a few stories that will give you hope about your future.
I should explain that I did not always succeed in either academic or business ventures. In fact I have had many failures over multiple decades.
‘I have to emphasise that failing is a part of life, BUT it is how you deal with failure that counts towards your ultimate success.’
Despite being at an elite secondary college,I failed my matriculation exams – low grades in 4 subjects and failed the 2 maths subjects. So during the holidays I decided to sit for a supplementary examination in maths- and I ended up getting a B.
Dentistry School: My lucky Break
As I said, I failed matriculation but during the time I was doing my supplementary exam my mother was asked by my good friend to go with him to an interview with the secretary of the dental faculty. They both got through the interview ok, and as she was leaving the secretary said to my mother, “What is your son doing?” She replied that I had failed matric but was sitting for a supplementary exam and therefore I had not been offered entrance into any university courses. The secretary said that he had ten vacancies left in dentistry and he would put me in the course if I wanted – but final entry depended on me passing the supplementary. When the opportunity was given to me – I thought about it for a few minutes and then said ok I will do dentistry. That was one of the best decisions I ever made because it opened so many opportunities for me over the rest of my life.
So there I was at university in first year – I managed to pass all my subjects except half a subject in organic chemistry (which I hated). So I had to sit another supplementary exam during my holidays. Luckily I got through – although I am not sure how.
You can start to gather that through most of my secondary schooling and the start of university, I was struggling to pass exams, and certainly not getting credits or distinctions.
I started second year university and in those days we had 3 terms a year. After the first term we had exams in biochemistry and I failed with an E or F. So I really did not know what I could or should do.
Developing a plan and learning to succeed
During this time I was talking to another student in class one day – Jack had a French background and had migrated to Australia. He suggested I go to his place to study with him. I took up his offer and went to see him. There he was in the back shed that his father had converted into a room for him.
Over the next term we developed a study pattern, method and schedule. During the next two terms I passed my exams with credits and distinctions, AND at the end of the year my average score in biochemistry was a credit – which was a great recovery from a first term fail.
From that time I only ever had credits and distinctions in my exams and more importantly with every exam from that time I always knew BEFORE I went into the exam that I could pass it and AFTER the exams I always knew I had passed (but not always did I know how well I did). That was a complete reversal to my early years where I lived in dread that I would fail.
What I have learnt along my journey to success
Firstly, my observation has been that most students do not know how to study properly and certainly do not know much about examination technique.
I have developed an eBook (How to Pass Exam Easily) that explains all this and also offers a few tips on life as well (one of the chapters is actually titled: How to Cheat – Legally)
This is a life changing opportunity for you – it offers you a chance to either do less work than you do now and still pass exams. Or (and this is what I suggest) you can do the same amount of work you do now (or more) and get much better exam results.
Why I have I created this eBook?
The reason I really wrote the book twenty five years after I graduated as a dentist……is my family.
I have three children (grown up now) who had gone through school and university.I had verbally explained my exam technique to my children and my two daughters listened and passed their university courses pretty well. In fact I think it is fair to say they did better than expected.
Everyone learns differently
However, my son did not listen very well and certainly did not carry out my recommendations.As such he struggled through his university science course with moderate passes (maybe even a few failures). He obtained his science degree but his grades were not convincing. He struggled to get a job so I persuaded him to do a law degree. Sadly because of his poor grades, he could not get into the local university so he had to enrol interstate. At that time I decided to write the eBook about how to pass exams easily. I felt that he would not listen to me explain the technique verbally but he might read a “third party” book.
Luckily for him he did read the book and applied the techniques. The result was that he went from average passes and failing to getting credits and distinctions for the rest of his tertiary career, which also including sitting and passing the California bar exams–one of the hardest law exams to pass in the USA.
I hope you can use my story (and my children’s success stories) as a positive influence. And I certainly hope I have provided you with some helpful tips.
WARNING – it is not a magic potion. You are required to WORK. However the book will explain how to work better, smarter, faster, easier, more efficiently and effectively, so that you can actually enjoy studying.