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Are some students naturally gifted or just VERY well prepared for exams??

I've noticed that most of the students who post on specific subject threads after the exam seem to only need a few marks to get an A? (which i find amazing). Im quite bright, but even i struggle to maintain a strong performance in EVERY module i take. I find that some students at college claim to do no revision (or so they say!) and tend to get a good grade, which always puzzles me. I believe some people are naturally gifted and picks things up very quickly and understand them, but seem to do the bare minimum required to pass that subject.
I feel a combination of the two are vital. I believe I personally prepare well but sometimes take a while to understand topics fully. I was just wondering how exams are for you? Do you prepare hard and work throughly making sure you have covered all aspects of the syllabus or do you revise very little, in the hope that what you have revised comes up in the exam? The worst outome personally is when you have revised fully and still make a mess of the exam (propably due to anxiousness and nervousness), which happened to me in my AQA C4 Maths exam!!!

Reply 1

Business Man

It's perfectly normal, but i don't think people are "naturally gifted." if they say they don't revise they lie. everyone revises for their exams, but i think it comes down to the fact of whos the quicker learner. some people can pick things up quick and others slow, its perfectly normal. i think i have the same problem as you, but if i know i have revised everything there is to know about something, that should give you piece of mind, knowing that you couldn't have done better. hopefully at the end of it, it all seems worth while.

Reply 2

lizz-a-belle

no- i agree. i feel that i work really hard for almost all the modules i have done, and yet when i got my AS results, i got one, or at most 2 A's for each subject. I think every college has people like that. there is one girl, who has such a busy social life, u wudnt imagine- she took 5 ASs and is-has just- taken 4 A2s and she is predicted all A's- as she got in AS and GRR- i have never seen her do any work. the only time she is in the library is like an hour before the deadline of cw.

i know i shudnt be harsh on her- but she is one of thosepeople you are talking about- naturally gifted (grr) :smile:

Reply 3

Mayson

I (perhaps controversially) believe that educational attainment has very little to do with "natural ability", and said natural ability is not as big an influence as people think it is.

I don't care what people say, when i am able to learn a new topic in maths in half the time it took them, it's not because I am lucky, it's because in the past I have done so much on other topics that I have a better understanding of the topic as a whole and pick it up really fast.

I think most educational attainment stems from a few innate and some social factors:
The drive and competitiveness that one has.
The way they were brought up, e.g. strong influence to read alot.
The pressure that is placed on them.
The type of school they go to.

Reply 4

kiranjeet678

omg u sound like me xxxxxxxx

Reply 5

gooner88

10

I think that the clever people who do really well in exams, do revision but not like the making notes and stuff. Most of them probably do lots of pasts papers so they know whats in the mark scheme which enables them to get high marks in the exam due to good exam technique. One could revise 100hrs from the text book and get 50% whereas another could revise 5hrs from the mark scheme and get 80+%. However, there are some people who are "naturally gifted" or should i say have good memory as i have many people like these in my school. I know some hard working people, who are not necessarily gifted, but get full UMS as they are well prepared for the exams.

Reply 6

super_qi2

7

Think it depends on the subject aswell. Like for maths i find that if i concentrate when am taught it the first time, and understand it, it generally stays with me. And I don't have to do much revision, but for chem I js can't remember the colours, eurgh....

But there are naturally gifted people. My friends who's sound but is a bit of a chav and never turns up to his computing lessons, always running away from the teacher (quite funny), and nearly had a fight with another teacher. But in his ASs he came top in the class, beating loads of people who love their computers, lol.

Reply 7

Negin

1

people who say they havent revised and come out with A's, are the ones that revise the most!!!! theoretically speaking even if you have the 'natural gift' you need to learn the info one way or another, how you apply the info is another matter!

Reply 8

gooner88

10

super_qi2

Think it depends on the subject aswell. Like for maths i find that if i concentrate when am taught it the first time, and understand it, it generally stays with me. And I don't have to do much revision, but for chem I js can't remember the colours, eurgh....

But there are naturally gifted people. My friends who's sound but is a bit of a chav and never turns up to his computing lessons, always running away from the teacher (quite funny), and nearly had a fight with another teacher. But in his ASs he came top in the class, beating loads of people who love their computers, lol.

I can imagine all the geeks being pissed off lol

Reply 9

super_qi2

7

gooner88

I can imagine all the geeks being pissed off lol

Ye, was a funny day. But there are naturally clever people, but only very few of them. Most of us do have to revise and turn up to lessons. Although the exam technique is a really good point. My gf knows soo much more chemistry than I do, but she gets really nervous in exams, and got a low A, whereas I got a high one.

Reply 10

sugar_cane

14

Sometimes I think it's just people that study the mark schemes for hours on end rather than learning what they are supposed to. That way they have the generic exam technique to asnwer standard questions that come up every year.
However there are some people that learn theory and can just apply it to any situation - that in my opinion is naturally gifted. Those who say they don't revise and get good marks are those who have learned and retained the theory from the first time they were taught it, or they revised the theory before going into the exam!

Reply 11

mrs_bellamy

18

Also I think different people have different ideas about how much revision is enough. My best friend goes on about how she hasnt revised, when when actually done more than me (and I think I've done a lot), but too her its not much. Some people also like to lie so they can show off how well they did with no revision, or use it as a defense mechanism, if they do badly then can just say oh well I didn't revise. It annoys me though, when people say they've done nothing and then you see their pile of revision cards. If you've revised, you should be able to say so, at least in front of your friends, its nothing to be ashamed of.

Reply 12

Mohit_C

10

In my opinion, it doesn't depend on whether someone naturally is clever or, as you refer to, is gifted to be able to do good in exams. I think that it all depends on determination and goals. Someone trying to get into a high profile University, say Oxford, may set him/herself higher targets (let's say achieving 95% in all subjects).
Now I know many people say "I did ***** all yesterday and I got the exam in 6 hours" and to me, that seems utter bull*****. I just think that everyone can achieve what they want if they are well motivated towards it.

Reply 13

-CBee-

It depends on the subject, really. In English Language I can pretty much rely on what I've done during the year rather than having to do intensive revision, but for History I had to do summary notes and some wider reading just to make sure I'd grasped everything I need to. So I went into my History exams having revised thoroughly, but for English Language this week I'll be relying on intuition or whatever.

Reply 14

Profesh

20

Mohit_C

In my opinion, it doesn't depend on whether someone naturally is clever or, as you refer to, is gifted to be able to do good in exams. I think that it all depends on determination and goals. Someone trying to get into a high profile University, say Oxford, may set him/herself higher targets (let's say achieving 95% in all subjects).
Now I know many people say "I did ***** all yesterday and I got the exam in 6 hours" and to me, that seems utter bull*****. I just think that everyone can achieve what they want if they are well motivated towards it.

I absconded from most of my lessons in History and English Literature, did no revision, and achieved 'A's in both (low and high, respectively). I saw university as the path of least resistance, a worthwhile rite-of-passage, and an apt ploy to postpone deciding what I actually wanted to do with my life. Any semblance of motivation deserted me in Y9; as my teachers will attest.

So, frankly, your theory seems utter bull****.

Reply 15

sammyrj

15

I do do revision... just not much and at the last minute. With my GCSEs I really could just rely on my memory to hold everything for the exam, and it worked.

It was Art that showed a some sign of weakness though, as it wasn't exam performance that mattered so much as hours of preparation and coursework. But I managed to put in the effort and got 2 As (my lowest grades would you believe it :P). people always ask me "OMG I bet you were disappointed with 2 As" and I can honestly say HELL NO. I had to work damned hard for them!

Reply 16

stephdotcom

It's one of those things I guess, there are always going to be the annoyingly successful people who don't seem to put any effort in, and then the majority who do their best, and still don't always get what they deserve. Rubbish! I'm probably being a bit cynical, but you know what I mean.

Reply 17

TM Millie

I wouldn't say I'm naturally gifted, and a do do revision, but probably not as much as many of my friends. I tend to understand things quickly in class and it doesn't take much to make me remember it, so I generally get away with not doing that much. So far I've got As in every module.
One of my best friends, on the other hand struggles and only just gets the grades she wants. It makes me glad that i absorb information like a sponge. Scchlooop!

Reply 18

AesopRock

2

Some people are naturally gifted. They only need to go through the syllabus a couple of times, are quick learners, and they are good at applying what they have learnt. They get good grades because they are intelligent.

Others work very hard, go through the syllabus several times and get plenty of practice in before exams. They get good grades because of their desire to succeed academically.

It's not a case of "everyone who gets an A at A Levels must be naturally gifted", it is both.

Reply 19

5614

Some people are naturally amazing and do not work, but still get As.

Some people are naturally amazing and do work and get like 100% in everything.

Some people are good, but not "naturally amazing" and so must work to get the As.

Are some students naturally gifted or just VERY well prepared for exams??

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