Mistakes You Shouldn't Make As a BECE Candidate - How To Prepare Better for BECE

Yes, a lot have been there before. A lot has been written this paper before you, the papers that decide the next chapters of our lives and the people we are going to meet next, and what we might even become. Yes, that is the BECE (Basic Education Certificate Examination). 

As a teacher who has also been a student before, there are mistakes that BECE Candidates make that shatter their expectations. You dream of a good grade, yet your behaviour doesn't meet that expectation. So, today, I am going to set a path for you. One that will point out the mistakes BECE Candidates make, how to avoid such mistakes, and how you can better prepare for the BECE. 

Why This Topic Is Important In The First Place:

Many students have the daydream that they can learn a day or two before exams and come out with flying colours. Well, don't believe in that dream because it did not work out well for a lot of students I came across and have personally guided. 

I still remember my first major exam as a junior high student. I was nervous on the first day, but a little overconfident too. But take this from me, confidence without preparation is actually a decorated failure. Later in my life, I found myself coaching and preparing BECE students for exams. There are a lot of problems I found out, and those problems keep repeating each year and cost students their dream schools. That is why this topic is important in the first place. To create awareness and provide a guide. 

Common Mistakes BECE Candidates Make (And How You Can Avoid Them)

1. Starting Serious Preparations When It's Too Late

Many students only become “born-again academics” a month before the exam. Very appalling, actually. 

Why is this a mistake at all?

The BECE test covers three years of learning in school, and not three weeks of your memory. So tell me, how would you be able to use three weeks to learn everything you have been taught from JHS 1 to JHS 3? Are you a learning machine? No, so you need to prepare long before your BECE.

How do you do this?

• Start revision at least 3 to 6 months before the exam.
• Avoid chew and pour. That does not work for the BECE Exam.
• Keep track of the topics you have revised; you can't afford to go back and forth over the same notes.

Know this: Students who start preparing for BECE earlier and seriously most often come out with good grades. 

2. Ignoring Past Questions.

This is one of the top mistakes I observed as a teacher. WAEC may not repeat questions word-for-word, but they repeat patterns, concepts, and question styles. Many students fail to solve past questions, and so do not even take note of these things.

Avoid this mistake by:

• Solving past questions from the last 5–10 years.
• Do not be checking for only answers. Also, understand why the answer is right or wrong.
• Assign yourself time to finish solving questions on time. It helps you to work within time. 

What you should know is that solving past questions makes you familiar with exams before you enter the exam hall. 

3. Relying Only On Your Teacher's Note

Teachers are great (trust me, I’m biased), but no teacher covers everything. Sometimes students treat notes like a “holy book,” and anything not in the notes is ignored. That’s risky.

Here is a better approach

• Use your notes as a foundation to study and not to build the entire house.
• Refer to recommended textbooks (like GES-approved series)'
• Use your notes and study online for a detailed understanding

4. BECE Candidates Mistake Number 4: Skipping Difficult Topics

Yes, I know that feeling where students skip difficult topics because they don't understand them. Or, because it is boring or too complex.

Maths? Integers? Trigonometry?
Science? Genetics? Electricity?
English? Summary or Comprehension?

Many candidates avoid the topics they fear the most, but ironically, those are the topics WAEC loves.

How to overcome this:

• Mark out the topics you don’t understand.
• After you do this, ask your teacher or classmate who is good at it to help you (there is no shame in asking, and there is no need to feel pompous.
• If you can't, YouTube is an educational platform where you can watch tutorials for better understanding.
• Facing difficult topics early gives you a big advantage, and that was what I did back in school; that still works today. So you can try it also.
  
  

5. Studying Without a Plan

Studying randomly will only produce random results. 

What are the signs that you have been studying without a plan or have no study plan?

• You study English today and forget it for 2 months.
• You always learn your favourite subject but ignore the others. Meanwhile, you won't write only that favorite subject.
• You can’t tell what you covered last week. That alone is not going to help you.
  
  

To fix this?

Create a weekly timetable that covers all subjects, review time, practice tests, and breaks (you are a human being, not a robot). Stay consistent with learning.

6. Poor Exam Hall Behaviour

Some students destroy months of preparation due to simple exam day mistakes. Below are some poor exam hall behaviours of students.

• Forgetting index numbers. Honestly, no one will have the time to trace that the long way back to you.
• Not reading instructions properly.
• Spending too much time solving one question. That one question won't give you all the marks; have this in mind.
• Writing too little (especially in the English Language)
• Not checking their work.

To avoid these petty mistakes that could cost you your hard work?

Read through instructions twice and thoroughly.

Answer easier questions first. Sometimes, they carry more marks than the difficult ones.

Go through your paper carefully and check for errors before submitting it.

Caution: In all these things, your health matters, so please do not ignore your health.

How to Prepare Better for the BECE - The Complete Guide

Now, let's put everything into practical plans that you can start today. Observe these steps below and adhere to them.

1. Create a timetable for studies and follow it
2. Dedicate 2-3 hours after school to revise your notes.
3. While revising, make sure to learn to solve past questions.
4. Gather the right materials for your studies
5. Use approved textbooks.
6. Use a dictionary (very helpful for learning English)
7. Follow the WAEC Syllabus (you can get it online or from your school)
8. Study actively and passively
9. Write summaries of your notes and what you have learned
10. Teach a friend what you have learned; it helps you keep it better.
11. Solve questions without looking through the textbook to check for answers. Doing this helps you test yourself.
12. Solve papers and questions like you were writing exams.
13. Give yourself time while solving and finish within the time range.
14. Mark your own work and do it honestly. It is part of the learning process.
15. Identify your weak areas and revise them.
16. Walk with friends who actually want to learn and make time for yourself.

Credible Sources You Can Check

• WAEC Official Website for syllabi, updates, and exam rules.
• GES (Ghana Education Service) for recommended textbooks and guidelines.
• You can also check well-known educational blogs to guide yourself.

A Little Advice From Me to You

If you have read to this point, it means you are genuinely serious about your BECE, and that alone, I assure you, puts you ahead of many others. 

Remember:

• Every student can pass BECE with the right strategies.
• Your preparation matters, so prepare and prepare well.
• What you do today will decide the school you enter and the opportunities you will get tomorrow.

So start early, stay disciplined, avoid the mistakes we’ve discussed, and trust the process.