Sunday, July 02, 2006

Another Bad Presentation

I done it again: another bad presentation.
I have done many many presentations, even to foreigners. but I still get nervous on each presentation.

On my Business Communications class, I was the only one who conduct the presentation in english. but because I'm not preparing myself well enough, I did it badly. My voice are trembling and mumbling, I can't even control my breathing. One plus point, no other did it in english besides me, but I should be better next time.

Tips on Taking TPA Exam

I am very grateful that my revised TPA (Test Potensi Akademik) score is 593,86. The passing score is 500, so I passed the test. I was lucky that my score was above average. But as always, there is some fellow who achieved over 600. Gosh, how could he have done it...

ok, actually this is the score for my second TPA. I joined the TPA Score Improvement program held by MM GMU. there I got quite some useful tips and strategy on how to complete the test successfully. Here is some of the most useful tips:
1. Memorize the fraction list, and the procentage equivalent. eg: 1/8=0,125=12,5%. memorize it from 1/2,3/5,1/6 and so on until 8/9. trust me, this is VERY USEFUL.
2. Memorize the square of prime numbers. most preferebly, memorize ALL of the squares from 10 to 30. you will surely benefit from this when you're dealing with sequencing problems.
3. Problems repeated. Bapenas don't have the time to recreate new problems, so you will most likely find similar problems as you would find in many TPA guides. You should AT LEAST exercise every types of problems. You will definitely get at least two benefits: First, enhanced ways of problem solving, and secondly, of course the answer to the problem :)
4. Although you wanted to achieve more on your arithmatic part of the test, don't oversee the rest of the test. What will help you boost the score is the first (verbal) and last part (spatial) of the test. You will MOST LIKELY encounter very similar problems in TPA guides (a 100% match). so searching for the answers would be invaluable.
5. Lastly, don't get overexcited on solving for one problem (especially arithmatics). If you can't finish it in 1 minutes, GUESS IT. My mentor said, random guessing is not good. You should be consistent in guessing answers, stick to one choice (eg: A) for the unfinished problems.

For the #1 and #2 tips, if you're able to finish the first part of the test, write down EVERYTHING you have memorized on the problem sheet. this greatly reduced the time to recalling the numbers. You simply just flip the paper and got the numbers. On my first attempt of test, I don't do these tips. This is why I failed. hope you will be better than me.

Oh one more thing, the cost for this score improvement program is Rp. 500.000. it is quite a lot of money. but the terms follows: full refund will be given for students who attend the program and passed the test. hehe, this is really challenging, the saiyan-super within me is overwhelmed with the spirit to pass the test... :)

As always, Tetap Semangat!