Gone are the ages of arduous turmoils because of an approaching exam. This is the new age, the modern age; and there's a new order for a new age. You have heard sayings like: work hard to achieve your dreams, burn the mid night candle to get the best results, read from cover to cover to be the best, and many old time rhetorics.

Although these statements still stand today, they however must be modified to fit into our age. After all, Dalton's theory was true when he propounded them, and they had to be modified to fit into a new age. What I am saying in essence is that there are better ways toward academic excellence now, in whatever category you find yourself.



Here, I will be debunking the myths of old time, while at the same time removing the veil on your eyes; and you would see where your A's lie, patiently waiting for you to come pick them up.



WAEC is a standard body that reins the affairs of secondary school leaving examinations cutting across countries in West Africa. Acing your SSCE is an art that you must master by the carefully following the sequential steps outlined below.



1. Change your mindset.

It is high time you changed your mindset about academic excellence. Old philosophies may not help you anymore. Now, you should learn to work smart instead of work hard. Don't get me wrong. I'm not saying hard work is bad, but why work hard when you can work smart and end up with even better results?

I know you want to know how to work smart- I'll explain. Working smart means working diligently, using all available resources at your disposal to shoot at your goal. You'll understand working smart as you read on.



2. Know yourself

Now as a someone who has had a change of mindset, the next thing is to set yourself for excellence. I know you want to start reading as soon as possible. But, hey! Before you start, it makes sense to discover what reading plan is best for you. Do you understand better alone or in the company of friends? Are you more productive at night or in the day? Do you like sounds while reading or not?

These are just some of the questions you must ask yourself



3. Prepare a time table for yourself

What next you should do is prepare a timetable for yourself. This will help you make optimum use of your time, while concurrently maximising your productivity periods.



4. Get the exam syllabus

It's no use reading cover to cover, covering irrelevant things into your head. This could make your brain fatigue and could lead to loss of inspiration to do anything altogether.

Get your exam syllabus, read through, and study carefully. This will help you channel your energy on the right things at the right time.



5. Don't forget the God factor (G-factor)

This only occupies the last item on the list, but it is by no means the least. Make God your driving force. Success becomes easy when God is factor. That's the greatest part of it.