SHORTCUTS.

“Shortcuts are just for lazy, stupid people who do not have a clue of what they are doing.”

                Oh my, how adorable and innocent. Now for all the disclaimers out there, I would like to clarify a few things here.

1. Being lazy is completely different from being efficient.
2. Isn’t finding an alternative and a shorter way to complete a task requires some problem-solving skills, which makes us…smart?
3. You’re right. We currently do not know what we are doing. That is why we are trying to look for shortcuts, which hopefully will enable us to get a hint of what we are supposed to do. Is that wrong?
4. If you hate people who use shortcuts so much, then why are you reading this blog post, clearly entitled ‘SHORTCUTS.’ In the first place?

                                                     

Just kidding! Please don’t take this seriously ;) We are entitled of our own opinions so feel free to close the tab or continue on reading this post. Either way, here are my personal shortcuts to reduce the hassle in doing work and studying:

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1.       Browse through Google

Have you ever been confused in doing your IAs, EEs and TOKs? Well, be no more! Open a new tab right now and type out www.google.com.

Get this, guys, if not most of the time, sometimes, there are people out there who have done a similar IA or EE topic as yours who are kind enough to upload their works or thoughts and share it in the internet. For TOK, there is usually someone who has briefly discussed your chosen topic too! This is very beneficial for you as you will have a clear idea of how your work should be like.

So don’t take this for granted, guys. If you read their thoughts out there, not only will this help you in doing your work, but you will also fulfill their desire to help out all the IB students just like yourself ;;) It’s basically a win-win situation.

2.       Doing Your Essay in a Reversed Order

Have you ever opened your laptop, wanting to do your EE but just wonder off questioning “How do you start this?” “What should we write, again?” The next thing you know, you ended up doing what this girl does:

                                           

Trust me, I get it. Starting your essay is usually the hardest thing to do and very time consuming. So, if you are really stuck, don’t start your essay from the start…If you know what I mean.

Okay, what I mean is, start with the content of your essay first. It’s a lot easier that way, especially if you have done your research in the first place. After you finish writing your content, you’ll know what your writing is all about, and you can both conclude and introduce it easily.

Frankly, most of my friends frequently change their introduction and even research question after they finished writing their content. So, why not save time and just do your essay in a reversed order in the first place?

3.      Syllabus: Guide Book and Study Guide

In my opinion, this is the fastest and most efficient way of studying when you know nothing of the topic either because you missed class or because you just didn’t pay attention. The teachers should give you the syllabus guide book (usually photocopied) that lists down all the key points that you should comprehend in each of the subject’s topic. Example: “Topic 5.1.2. Students must be able to list down all 4 factors of production that make up a business”. If you’re not given this, you’ll find it on Google.

What you need to do here is very simple. Just read each criterion and see if you know what they expect you to know. If you find yourself not knowing anything of it, then refer to your Study Guide, where you can read 2-3 pages of a concise summary of the topic. This will save you so much time and resources.

4.       Youtube Videos

Have you ever read the book over and over and over again and you still find yourself having trouble understanding it? In addition, at the time, asking the teacher is not an option for you as this is the weekend and the exam is tomorrow. Well, worry no more, my friend.

Apart from Google, there’s also this great studying resource called Youtube. Again, there are extremely kind people out there who are willing to explain one whole topic/theory/concept, record themselves doing it, and post in on the internet.

It’ll be just like your teacher explaining the topic to you all over again, but in a more concise manner. In fact, if you miss out on a point, you can just rewind the video. As simple as that.

5.       Past Papers

If you have already learnt specific topics in a subject and but have forgotten, then study through past papers. Your teacher may have given you this or alternatively, you can search for this again on Google.

Just try to answer the past papers as much as you can without looking at the mark scheme. After you tried all the questions, then refer to the mark scheme to see if your answers are correct. This does not only train you for doing the actual exam or test, but it also helps you remember the things that you have forgotten about. When you do this often, you will generally come to know what the IB requires you to answer from a specific question.

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If you do the shortcuts that I mentioned before, I’m sure that your life will be so much easier, more efficient and more practical. The key to efficiently doing your essays is by doing their content first and by maximizing the use of internet resources such as Google and Youtube to help you understand your chosen topic. With the help of the study guide and past papers, these resources will also ease your studying process.

Stressed enough, guys? :’D Hahahaha. Don’t worry! After this, I’m probably going to tell you about some of my ways to reduce stress through the course of the IB. See you on my next post!

-L