Winning in Exams Using Sun Tzu’s Art Of War
by Dr Eugene Sern-Ting Tan
Timeless Secrets in Sun Tzu’s Art of War
Ever heard of Sun Tzu? He was a famous military general in ancient China who was so adept at winning battles that till today, his military strategies and winning principles (described in the manual “Sun Tzu’s Art of War”) are still used by modern armed forces across the continent. In fact, so brilliant are these ideas that they have been translated and adapted for use in diverse arenas such as business management, leadership training and sports psychology. They can even be used in chess!
Here, I shall show you how to apply 3 of Sun Tzu’s principles, based on my own personal interpretation and experience, to give you the winning edge in exams. These principles can be easily adapted to other areas of your life too.
Principle #1
If you know yourself and the person you are dealing with, in a hundred interactions, you will never fear the result.
Before taking any exam, always find out everything you can about it. For example, you should know what is the scope of the exam (what you will be tested on, which topics have the greatest weightage), format of paper, number and style of questions (eg. best-of-5 MCQs, true/false, structured questions, essays, practical, oral), duration of paper, exam venue and marking scheme. If past-year questions are available in the library, make a copy and practise answering them under exam conditions. If you do not have access to sample exam questions, consider formulating questions on your own as it helps you to focus on the key concepts of the subject matter.
Principle #2
He who modifies his tactics according to the enemy’s situation shall be victorious.
As the saying goes, “water shapes its flow according to the ground.” Always be flexible in your approach to tackling the exam questions. It helps a lot if you can find out what the examiner is looking for in the answers, especially in structured questions and essays. Some examiners may prefer a certain style of writing which differs from that of other teachers. After a class test or exam, see if you can borrow the answer script of your classmates who have scored very well and analyze their answers. Sometimes, you may find that short succinct answers may score more marks than a long answer which beats around the bush and attempts to discuss more than what the question is asking for.
Principle #3
We do not assume the enemy will not come. Instead, we must always be prepared for his coming.
Never rest on your laurels. During the time when Tiger Woods was the world’s number one golfer, he continues to train as hard if not harder than anyone else after winning golf tournaments. Successful people have the habit of preparing for the next success after securing a victory. In other words, after doing well for your exams, don’t become complacent and take too long a break before you start preparing for the next exam. The holidays are a good time to attend personal enrichment courses such as speed reading and public speaking, or take up internship at organizations which may impact your future career direction. Or you can use the break to revise the subjects/topics you are weaker in, so that you can catch up with the rest of your peers. If you have time, reading ahead will give you an advantage when the new semester commences.
Conclusion
To conclude, Sun Tzu’s Art of War is as applicable to soldiers as they are to working adults and school students. No matter how you performed in your recent exams, there is invariably room for improvement so you should always aim to do better next time. Using Sun Tzu’s winning principles will greatly improve your chances of exam success.
“Sometimes, we need to lose the small battles in order to win the war.”