It is a fact that carryover is real, but it is possible to avoid it. I have friends including myself who have never had carryover in any course during our undergraduate and postgraduate programmes. One of the things that helped was that we try to play by the rules of academic success.
It is not that we didn’t pass through courses that made our heart skip. We thought we were going to have carryover in those courses. But we didn’t allow the fear to knock us out of the way of success.
In this article, I will be explaining the steps we took to avoid carryover.
How to avoid carryovers
- Get past questions
It is a general notion in Nigeria that one of the keys to passing any course in the university is to get past questions of the course months before the exam.
It is important to note that the past questions you have must be the one that the lecturer in charge is taking you set for the previous years. One of the mistakes many students do make is that they get past questions that weren’t prepared by the lecturer taking the course.
The reason why past questions can save you from carryovers is that majority of Nigerian lecturers have no time to set “new questions,” i.e., they often repeat the questions. So a smart student will take the opportunity to do well in the exam.
- Practice and Memorize the answers in the past questions
There was a course during my MSc/Ph.D. programme that I was afraid of having carryover. The reason was that I didn’t attend much of the lectures due to the demand of my job. What I did was to practice the questions and memorize the answers. Then I had 70A in the course. This can of approach is what I referred to as an escape route from carryover, and it landed me in success.
- Associate with the right course mates
If you are a person that likes isolating from your course mates, you are likely bound to have carryover. I have discovered that good association engenders academic success. Walking with the right people gives you an avenue to share ideas about the course and discuss areas you might be having challenges.
- Make sure you have 75% lecture attendance
Some lecturers make attendance important to the extent of making it criteria for writing exams. Even your presence in class is a part of the Continuous Assessment Test (CAT). Therefore, it means that if you miss lectures, you may be on your way to having carryover in the course.
- Read textbooks on the course
One of the reasons why I am suggesting the use of books is to better your understanding of the course. You must not only read to pass the course but to have proper knowledge of it. Memorizing or cramming might save you from carryover but learning to understand might earn you a living in life.
In all, you must understand that preparation is the first step to major success in life. Before I drop my pen, some asked: “how can I pass a carryover course?” The answer is simple, follow the points I have explained above, and you will pass a carryover course.
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