The 10 Commandments of How Not To Be a Dumbass:

How to be a good student - created and compiled by legions of disgruntled, disheartened and mentally disheveled tutors, throughout the educational world…….

1. Read the goddamn question, dumbass

Simple. Read it. Read it again. Underline the key words, understand what the question is asking of you. Easily the most common mistake students of all ages and abilities make. Read. The. Question. 

2. Ask questions, dumbass

Until you are blue in the face. Understanding is gained through questioning. If you don’t understand, ask again or ask someone else. You are in control of what you learn, never be afraid to ask questions. 

3. Make notes, dumbass

If you’ve asked questions, write down the answers. solidify it in your head. Complicated subjects require notes, lots of them. New words, ideas - write them down. Analysing a book or poem, annotate the hell out of it - you can’t remember everything, so make notes and help your brain to soak up the information. 

4. PLAN dumbass, PLAN

If its worth a decent amount of marks - plan the thing. Be it creative or analytic - set out your ideas, order your thoughts and craft your argument. Start with a mind map, number it into paragraph orders, make sure there’s an introduction, strong argument and a solid conclusion and await the deluge of marks.

5. Don’t leave work until the night before hand in, dumbass

A sin for which we are all guilty. Stop doing it young and get into the habit of sorting your work out early. Not only will you have time to revise it, but also proof read, alter the aesthetics and perhaps add any relevant material that may add marks. Hand in on time, stress free, with a solid nights sleep the night before. 

6. Proof read, dumbass

Check. Your. Work. If you’ve taken the time to write it, take the time to check it. There will always be typos, misspelled words or phrases that don’t make sense on second reading. If its very important, check it - then hand over to another for a second, fresh eye, on your work. 

7. EXPLAIN YOURSELF, DUMBASS

You have and idea. Great. Explain how you got it, what it means and how it can help. Time and time again students miss out on valuable marks simply because they don’t explain themselves. To give a fully rounded answer - present your idea, back it up with evidence and explain how your idea and the evidence answer the question. 

8. Read a book, dumbass 

Want to increase your general knowledge? Read a book. Want to improve your vocabulary? Read a book. Understand your topic better? Read a book. Got free time? Read a book. Those who read frequently are far better at answering both creative and analytic questions, taking part in complex arguments and out performing non readers in tests. Read a book….. you might just like it. 

9. Show your working out, dumbass

If you’ve answered the question show how you got it. Don’t rub out, cross out or throw out your workings - these can give you sweet marks. Especially in Maths - it shows that you didn’t just copy the answer, also you can use it to see where you went wrong. Furthermore, if you did get the answer wrong then the examiners can award marks for the working out. 

10. Set goals & achieve them, dumbass

This could be for completing homework, attaining a higher grade or simply understanding a particular topic. Set yourself targets and goals - read 20 minutes per day, revise topics once per week, get 10% higher on the next test. Set the goals, focus on them and soon they will be yours. Reward your success and then set higher ones. 

Follow the commandments and be less of a dumbass…..

This is the way. we have spoken,

Tired Tutors 

Dedicated to A. S