10 MAJOR THINGS CANDIDATES SHOULD DO IN ORDER TO EXCEL IN THEIR FINAL EXAMS

10 MAJOR THINGS
CANDIDATES SHOULD DO IN ORDER
TO EXCEL IN THEIR FINAL EXAMS
SSENDIKWANAWA
YOUR
10 MAJOR THINGS
SSENDIKWANAWA MIKE
YOUR
10 MAJOR THINGS
MIKE

2 | P a g e y o u h a v e g o t t o c h a n g e y o u r m i n d s e t ! ! !
10 MAJOR THINGS
CANDIDATES SHOULD DO
IN ORDER TO EXCEL IN
THEIR FINAL EXAMS
Author: Ssendikwanawa Mike
Tel: +256 752409528/ +256 785153370
Email: ssendimic@gmail.com
Copyright © 2019 by Ssendikwanawa Mike
All rights reserved.
No part of this publication may be reproduced,
distributed or transmitted in any form or by any means,
or stored in any database or retrieval system, without
the prior written permission of the Author.
ii

TABLE OF CONTENTS
Acknowledgement……………………………………………..…iv
Dedication ………………………………………………………..….v
Introduction ……………………………………………………..….6
1. God First! ……………………………………………………….…9
2. Set A Score Goal! ……………………………………………...11
3. Prepare! ……………………………………………………….....13
4. Mind the Time! ……………………………………………......16
5. Read Smart! ……………………………………………………..21
6. Consult a lot ………………………………………………….....25
7. Discuss A lot …………………………………………………....28
8. Listen! ……………………………………………………………..31
9. Do! …………………………………………………………………..34
10. Finish! ...........................................................................36
Conclusion .……………………………………………………..….38
Summary…………………………………………………………….39
iii

Acknowledgement
I take this opportunity to thank God for the Gift of Life
He has granted my parents, brothers, sisters, friends,
teachers and availing me the opportunity to be
impacted by them and being indispensable part of my
Life. It is through their unwavering encouragement,
guidance and support that I have been able to realize
the reality of completion of this work. May the
Almighty God grant them longer life.
I also thank the C.E.O of St. Mary’s College Lugazi;
Mr. Ssenyonjo Moses K. for granting me an
opportunity to interact with students as a teaching
assistant throughout my stay at the University. This
gave me a great chance to explore into what really is
required by students to excel in their exams.
I also thank Mr. Natuhwera Richard, an English and
Literature teacher at St. Mary’s College Lugazi, for his
tremendous support towards the completion of this
work.
iv

Dedication;
I dedicate this book to all the scholars throughout ‘O’
and ‘A’ level in all Secondary Schools in Uganda,
whether Government or Private, Single sex or Mixed,
day or boarding, most especially those in Candidate
and Semi – candidate classes.
v

Introduction;
here are very many Do’s and Don’ts that are
given to candidates by either their parents,
guardians, elder brothers and sisters,
classmates, teachers and other school administrators in
order to guide them on how to excel in their final exams.
However, in this book dear candidate I present to you a
compilation of the 10 major things you should
undertake in order to excel in your final exams
irrespective of the dynamic grading system that often
changes even without your consent. If you implement
these consistently, success is sure to be in your bosom.
I urge you to be open minded and not to assume that
you know them already otherwise this knowledge may
not be of help to you if you think and believe you know
T

it all, remember you cannot fill a cup which is already
full otherwise it overflows.
So, in order to benefit from this information, take
your time to carefully read it with an open mind and if
you have had struggles academically right from the start
of your course, with “academic struggles” I mean that;
you do not score the way you want to, it does not matter
whether you are the first in your stream or class but it’s
about you attaining the scores you want. If you do not
score to your expectation in any way, the solution to
your challenge is right here and by the time you finish
travelling the journey of this book, you will have known;
What to do, Where to Adjust in your daily routine, And
How to work with your friends and teachers in order to
help you excel in your study and exams.

The truth is, there are many ways of achieving your
success but all have been summarized in into 10 major
ones. These I strongly believe will bring forth
undeniably profound results to the readers of this book.

1. GOD FIRST!
There is nothing you can achieve in life without
God’s Grace upon you. It’s not your making that you
are still alive and are in such a great school BUT God’s
grace. He knew you even before you were born. He
created you to be a successful being and takes co
of your life challenges and success.
However you need to sacrifice your comfort and
read your books while you dedicate all your efforts to
God, He won’t let you down I assure you. He has been,
He is and He will still be with you even up to the end
of your ultimate journey; the time of your doing and
handing in your final examination answer script.
y o u h a v e g o t t o c h a n g e y o u r m i n d s e t ! ! !
created you to be a successful being and takes co
of your life challenges and success.
created you to be a successful being and takes control

Do not corrupt God dear candidate; by requesting
Him to grant you success while you remain behind
seated doing nothing. God is so supreme but there are
no miraculous successes He does for a LAZY Student
for example; granting a lazy student the best scores
without him/ her doing assignments, tests,
discussions and attending class by him/ herself. Such
can’t happen!
As the Bible clearly puts it, “God blesses the works
of our hands”. Do not be that lazy student who only
prays.
All in all, whatever activity you undertake whether
small or big, PUT IN YOUR BEST and FOCUS towards
achieving your set score goal and put God first. He
won’t let you down.

2. SET A SCORE GOAL!
A goal is like a reminder that shows you direction on
What to do? When? Where? And Why?
you hope to achieve in your life ahead. It is like an
indicator on a car which shows you that the car is
turning Left or Right. A goal can be
long termed.
Your short term goal could be putting focus on how
you want to sco
goal, you could focus on which combination you want
to do at A –
SET A SCORE GOAL!
What to do? When? Where? And Why? It is something
turning Left or Right. A goal can be short termed
you want to score at O – LEVEL and in your long term
LEVEL and why? And also Which
It is something
short termed or
LEVEL and in your long term
LEVEL and why? And also Which

Career/course you want to pursue at the University
or any other Higher Institution? Your Long term goal
determines the Short term goals.
A goal is so important that without one, a person is
like an empty polythene bag which is dragged by air
to any direction it did not intend to go.
You need to set yourself a goal on how you want to
score in the Final exams. Read through your goal
every morning and evening, so that you can
memorize it and have it built and imprinted on your
mind/ brain. This will help you keep track of your
activities throughout the day in order to achieve your
goal. Remember; a mind with a set goal is always a
prepared mind.

3. PREPARE!
It took God 6
its Beauty in preparation for Man to live in it in
Harmony. If God can prepare for what He wants, who
are you not to prepare for your set score? Yet you
want to excel!
If you didn’t know, you have been preparing ever
since you started nursery. Whether you believe it or
not, in whatever thing or activity you do, you are in
preparation towards either failure or Success.
It took God 6 – days to create the Universe with all
days to create the Universe with all

Its better you Prepare EARLY. There is nothing in
life that you will achieve without preparation. This
brings to memory the common assertion; hidden in
the 5Ps; Proper Preparation Prevents Poor
Performance (Stephen Keague). This also involves
Paying a Price! The price you pay can be through;
waking up early; discussing a lot with your friends
and consulting your teachers a lot. For you to
competitively excel, you have to get OUT of your
comfort zone and make your results be.
You may have failed some exams in the previous
classes but that does not define who you are right
now. You Only Fail If You Give Up! As Nelson
Mandela rightly put it;”A Winner is a Dreamer who
Never gives up”

The decision is made by you. So, I urge you to
choose success and thus set yourself a goal and
pursue it because “Success comes to those who have
prepared”.
My teacher once told me about Benjamin Franklin’s
quote; “By Failure to prepare, you are preparing to
Fail” I also quote one wisdom filled man; Malcolm X,
“The Future belongs to only those who prepare
for it today”. So dear student, do not Quit now for
“Quitters never Win and Winners never Quit” as
said by Vince Lombardi. For you to succeed, do not
quit preparing for that score goal you want!
Its NOW! More than ever before that you cannot
afford to give up on the long preparations you have
made right from Kindergarten.

4. MIND THE TIME!
Be time conscious in whatever you do. Like it or not,
in whatever you do you are managing time
is a challenging question; How do you manage your
time? I remember my science teacher telling me
“Tick! Tick! Says the Clock, Tick! Tick! What you
have to do, do it Quickly”
manage time properly. How have you utilized your
time previously? How have you planned to utilize it
from now on? You do not have a lot of time as of now,
so utilize and guard each minute jealously. Time
MIND THE TIME!
in whatever you do you are managing time BUT
Tick! Tick! Says the Clock, Tick! Tick! What you
have to do, do it Quickly” That was to encourage me
ime previously? How have you planned to utilize it
BUT there
Tick! Tick! Says the Clock, Tick! Tick! What you
That was to encourage me
ime previously? How have you planned to utilize it

wasted is never gained; do not allow losing time
recklessly or because of your Laziness.
Avenues where and how often students waste their
time;
 In dormitories; over sleeping or jazzing a lot
about non – Academic issues.
 Break time; one goes for break for the entire 20 –
30 minutes
 Lunch time; one goes for lunch for the entire 1
hour
 In classrooms in absence of a teacher some
students resort to story-telling, others sleep and
doze off.
For you to excel in your final exams is a test of time
and how well you manage it. I recall my high school

motto “Now Or Never” which implied that we shouldn’t
postpone today’s work to tomorrow. Take analysis of
the free periods/ time from your class work time table
and budget for it, on how you are going to spend it
profitably.
My English teacher once told me that the Delay of one
event, delays another. There are uncertainties like
falling sick, accidents, death of loved ones God forbid,
that may cause one to lose time. Otherwise remember
that; you cannot fatten a goat on the market day,
instead take time to graze and care for it while it is still
early. Do not wait to read only after seeing the
examination time table pinned on the notice board, this
is one sure recipe for disaster.

Note: Fore told fore warned.
The trick is; the more time you give to something, the
more your brain gets familiar with it for example; you
know your name by spelling and respond quickly to it
when someone calls you even from your back simply
because you have taken a lot of time being called the
same name and writing it by yourself for so long. The
same applies to Academics, if I may ask a question; what
is 2 × 2 =? You realize that in less than a second, you
have the answer because it took you over 10 years
doing the simple additions and multiplications like this
that now you do not need a calculator to get the answer.
NOW is the TIME for you to do what you have
planned for your preparations in order to achieve your
set goal. You still have room for improvement provided

the BELL to usher you into the examination room for
your final exams has not been sounded.

5. READ SMART!
Over time of my experience in the education field, I
have realized that students fail not because they
neither know the subject content nor work hard BUT
because they put in the effort wrongly!
Hard work is interrelated to reading smart. Though
most students claim they read hard, put in that much
effort but there is a question to think about; how do
you put in your effort? If you put in the effort
wrongly, believe it or not, you won’t see change in
your results, only disappointments. However, here is
the solution!
Reading Smart which helps you put in your efforts
the right way. You have the ability to read and
understand the subjects you are doing right now,

otherwise you wouldn’t be in this candidate class by
now. READING SMART means reading with a Goal in
mind. It stands for;
S – Specific
M – Measurable
A – Attainable
R – Realistic
T – Time bound
S – Specific; this refers to; What you want to read?
Which subject? Which topic/subtopic? And Why that
topic? You have got to be specific on what you want
to read.
M – Measurable; How will you know that you have
understood what you have read? Assign yourself
tests/ discussion questions. Do not wait for a teacher.
This is where you utilize the question banks for you

to see how best and how many UNEB questions you
can answer in that topic you have just read.
A – Attainable & R – Realistic; you cannot read all
the topics of a given subject in one day; the way you
read should be realistic. You cannot read 3 subjects/
books at the same time. It’s one at a time. It’s not
about reading to completion of the entire topics in a
day, it’s a discipline or routine you observe to prepare
you till the exam time.
T – Time bound; when do you want to read through
a given topic? For how long are you going to be
reading that topic? How many times do you want to
read through a given topic before sitting for your final
exams?

This is very important because if you do not limit
yourself, you may take the rest of your life reading
through that single topic.

6. CONSULT A LOT
This refers to seeking; inquiring about something
you don’t know or you don’t understand from
somebody else, could be your fellow student or
teacher. You will agree with me dear student that
while in class, we (all students) understand
differently and grasp things differently; this is
because we are talented and gifted differently.
Matthew 7:7 says “Ask and you will receive; seek
and you will find; knock and the door will be
opened to you” God gives us friends we study with

and our teachers because He knows that we as
individuals cannot know and understand everything
by ourselves alone BUT we need others; they could be
your fellow classmates, teachers and parents
otherwise we wouldn’t have had teachers to teach
other people.
Consulting begins with your fellow classmate,
before you go to consult from your subject teacher.
Point of caution; there is No way you will benefit from
the uniqueness of your classmates and friends unless
you consult from them and discuss with them
academic work.
Otherwise; ‘’No man is an Island’’ says John
Donne, we need other people. Dear candidate if you
are one who was not consulting others, please it’s

high time you started doing so, such that you learn
from them too. Throw away your Pride and biases
and begin consulting them. If you have been
consulting them double.

7. DISCUSS A LOT
In this I mean teaming up and work together.
Believe it or not you (students) are all gifted
differently and understand what you are
quite different ways. You have got less time, why
waste it reading alone yet you have friends to discuss
with. It is through them that you learn new
techniques of solving a certain problem for example
in Math, Biology, Chemistry, Physics etc. One man
said “A forest of weak trees is stronger than a
DISCUSS A LOT
ly and understand what you are taught in
It is through them that you learn new
A forest of weak trees is stronger than a
taught in
It is through them that you learn new
A forest of weak trees is stronger than a

single strong Mahogany tree” Teaming up lightens
the load you have to carry while on your academic
journey.
A Discussion is a solution to dozing while reading;
instead of reading as an individual, read in a group.
You will doze no more. Some students wrongly think
when they discuss with someone that person will
challenge them academically but that is not right. You
All need to excel. Note that the first backup you have
towards achieving your goal is your closest friend;
that person you study with or sit with. For you to
discuss, you do not need to be a genius/clever/ wise
or whatever you may call it, you Only need to be
WILLING and COMMITTED to share your ideas and
what you know with friends so that you all benefit.

Take a look; if you and I had one tooth in our mouths,
believe me, it would take us some good hours to
chew a piece of lean meat but because we have two
sets of teeth, one in the upper jaw and the other in the
lower jaw, it takes us only a few minutes to chew the
same piece of meat.
However, too much of everything is bad; a good
discussion group should range from minimum (5 – 7)
members. This is to ensure easy monitoring of
members and also to ensure that all members
participate actively during the discussions.
Gone are the days when one had to hide and read
books alone to excel. It’s high time we teamed up and
worked together to pass and excel as a class and raise
our school to Greater Heights.

8. LISTEN!
There is a big reason why God created humankind;
you and I with two ears and one mouth, the reason is
that “we should listen more than we speak
years, I have come to realize that for any student to
succeed in his/ her exams, they have got to listen and
listen attentively; Listen to their teachers, listen to
whoever has passed through the level they are in
right now and is motivating them t
Dear student, I urge you to listen to your parents,
teachers while in class, invigilators in the
we should listen more than we speak
right now and is motivating them to do better.
we should listen more than we speak”. Over
o do better.

examination room, religious leaders and all those
who are older than you, not neglecting the young too,
because one can be young but knowledgeable and
thus deserving to be listened to.
Listening improves one’s attention since attention
is a requirement of one to listen. Listening involves
paying attention to something that you can hear/ see;
it involves taking note of what somebody says to you
so that you get something out of their communication
to improve yourself.
Note; “Don’t ever let someone tell you that you can’t
do something, not even me” Will Smith
However, you have got to be mindful of what you
listen to; it should be that aimed at elevating your
success to another level, It is true that because you

have to listen, you should listen to everything
including “trash” and then get out the best. This calls
for careful sieving of the information that comes to
you before you consume it whole. Therefore, I tell you
that dear student “Do not listen to the Naysayers” i.e.
people who speak negativity into your success and
aspirations in life.

9. DO…!
“Do’’ means; to engage in, carryout or perform an
activity BUT Do What?
Do what you say you are to do to achieve your set
score goal. Put into practice the ideas you have laid
down to help you improve your grades.
To do something is an aspect of taking
example you have got to;
 Read consistently
 Wake up early
 Discuss and consult a lot
activity BUT Do What?
down to help you improve your grades.
To do something is an aspect of taking Action, for
example you have got to;
Read consistently
Wake up early
Discuss and consult a lot
Action, for

 Revise with your friends, etc
All those activities require you to actively do them in
order to improve your grade. You have got to do the;
Exercises, Assignments, Homework, Tests, Mocks and
the actual final exams for the subjects you registered as
a candidate.
Note; It is one thing to know what to do? BUT it is
another thing to do what you say you are going to do!
Thus ‘Knowing’ is not enough you must ‘Do’ (Bruce
Lee)

10. FINISH!
Finish refers; to doing something to
bring to an end
level to another
For instance, you can’t have
through Day, likewise you can’t have
overcoming the
nursery to Primary, from primary to secondary, from
one class to another up to Now just because you
always finished the previous class.
Finish refers; to doing something to completion
end. In life, we proceed from one step or
level to another only after finishing the previous one.
For instance, you can’t have Night before going
through Day, likewise you can’t have day
overcoming the night. You were promoted from
always finished the previous class.
completion or
. In life, we proceed from one step or
after finishing the previous one.
before going
without
. You were promoted from

For you to excel, you have got to finish the exercises,
assignments and tests given to you by your teachers.
You have got to finish the discussions throughout
your stay at school. You have got to finish the LAZY
routines of spending a lot of time devoted to jazzing
and put it to academic work.
Finishing is very crucial that even during your final
exams; you cannot achieve your set score unless you
finish with that exam. For you to attain your desired
success and see it on your certificate, you have got to
finish this academic level by doing your final UNEB
exams; doing those exams well to completion.
It is not going to be easy and indeed it is not easy,
otherwise everyone would do it.
“You may not finish strong but finish it anyway!”
(Eric Thomas)

CONCLUSION
I congratulate you upon having read through this
book up to the end, I believe that right now you have
understood what is required of you as a candidate in
order to excel and remember that it all begins by
changing your mindset towards the subjects you
are doing, “that the (subjects) are doable and
passable” because many have done and passed them.
So You Can Do and Pass them too.
You have the Potential in You!

Summary of the 10 major things candidates
should DO in order to excel in their final exams
 Put God First in whatever you do, He won’t let you
down.
 Set yourself a Score goal you want to attain or
achieve.
 Prepare early, don’t wait for the Examination time
table to be pinned.
 Mind the Time, remember it is Now or Never.
 Read Smart
 Consult alot from your fellow students and
teachers.
 Discuss a lot with your fellow students.
 Be a good listener so that you do not miss out on
instructions for excellence.
 Do all that you say you are going to do in order to
excel in your exams.
 Finish all that you started on your journey to
excellence

He went to St. Mary’s College Lugazi (SMACOL, from 2014
his upper secondary education (A
further on his academic ladder and joined Makerere University in 2016
doing a Bachelor’s degree of Science with Education (Biological)
He took up the position of a
second to third year at Makerere University.
He was also the Deputy General Secretary of
Biology Students Association
2018/2019.
He has passion for reading, writing and sharing his knowledge with
other people.
Tel: +256
10 MAJOR THINGS CANDIDATE
About the author;
He went to St. Mary’s College Lugazi (SMACOL, from 2014
his upper secondary education (A – Level) from where he climbed
doing a Bachelor’s degree of Science with Education (Biological)
He took up the position of a student coordinator throughout his
second to third year at Makerere University.
He was also the Deputy General Secretary of Makerere University
Biology Students Association (MUBSA) in the Academic year
Ssendikwanawa Mike is a son
Kasibante Mathew M. and Mrs. Beatrice
Kasibante N., residents of Bulenga
Kikaaya. For his Kindergarten and primary,
he went to Kikaaya day and boarding
primary school (2001 – 2009) from where
he excelled in his P.L.E. exams with
Division one. He went to Kikaaya College
School (2010 – 2013) for his lower
secondary education (O –
where passed his UCE exams with Division
one.
Contacts:
Tel: +256 75 240 9528/ +256 78 515 3370
Whatsapp: +256 75 240 9528
Email: ssendimic@gmail.com
10 MAJOR THINGS CANDIDATES SHOULD DO IN ORDER TO EXCEL IN
THEIR FINAL EXAMS
He went to St. Mary’s College Lugazi (SMACOL, from 2014 – 2015) for
Level) from where he climbed
doing a Bachelor’s degree of Science with Education (Biological).
throughout his
Makerere University
in the Academic year
Ssendikwanawa Mike is a son to Mr.
and Mrs. Beatrice
, residents of Bulenga –
Kikaaya. For his Kindergarten and primary,
he went to Kikaaya day and boarding
2009) from where
he excelled in his P.L.E. exams with
Division one. He went to Kikaaya College
2013) for his lower
– Level) from
where passed his UCE exams with Division
75 240 9528/ +256 78 515 3370
S SHOULD DO IN ORDER TO EXCEL IN

10 MAJOR THINGS CANDIDATES SHOULD DO IN ORDER TO EXCEL IN THEIR FINAL EXAMS

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10 MAJOR THINGS CANDIDATES SHOULD DO IN ORDER TO EXCEL IN THEIR FINAL EXAMS