How To Prepare And Pass Any Scholarship Exams

This is a detailed guide on how to prepare and pass any scholarship exams, read to the end to gain more insight.

Scholarship exams are competitive exams you need to thoroughly prepare for if you want to be awarded a scholarship.

Grades matter in the selection of the winners and so if you fall below average you might not be considered for a scholarship.

However, the way you prepare for scholarship exams is different from the way you prepare for your school exams and that is why we come up with this article on how to prepare and pass any scholarship exams to help you.

What Is A Scholarship

A scholarship is a form of non-refundable financial help awarded to qualified students to further their education.

However, there are criteria for awarding scholarships which may include academic merit, athletic skill, and financial need.

Moreover, after receiving the scholarship, you might be expected to meet certain requirements during the scholarship period and this may include maintaining your Academic excellence or engaging in some educational activities.

Scholarships may come in form of a monetary award, an in-kind award, or both, and some of the well-known and highly competitive scholarships are the Fulbright Scholarships and the Rhodes Scholarships.

Scholarships are very good, especially for those who didn’t have hope of going to school or completing their studies because of the unlimited funds.

However, it is worthy to note that most people who win scholarships are not super intelligent and lucky as you considered them, they just have a better knowledge of how scholarships work and the strategy to put in place to secure them.

Furthermore, scholarship exams are different from school exams and questions come in various areas including current affairs, verbal reasoning, quantitative reasoning, sciences, and many other aspects of learning.

Types Of Scholarship

There are different types of scholarships you can apply for and below are the different types of scholarships that are commonly applied for by people.

Academic scholarships
Community service scholarships
Athletic scholarships
Scholarships for hobbies and extracurriculars
Scholarships based on applicants’ identities
Need-based scholarships
Employer scholarships and military scholarships
Full-Ride Scholarships
Scholarships by Major or Course
STEM Scholarships
Military Scholarships
Scholarships for Minorities or Scholarships based on Ethnicity
Religious Scholarships
Scholarships for Women
Government Scholarships
Community Service Scholarships
First Generation Scholarships
Legacy Scholarships
No Essay Scholarships
Scholarships for Students with Learning Disabilities
Scholarships for Non-traditional Students
Workplace Scholarships
Partial Scholarship

How To Find Scholarships

Every year, students are being awarded scholarships and you might wonder where they find the scholarships they applied for, however, below are the ways you can find scholarships.

1. Search online for available scholarships.

2. Search in the financial aid office at a college or career school.

3. Search in high school or meet your school counselor.

4. Search in the U.S. Department of Labor’s free scholarship search tool.

5. Search in Federal Agencies.

6. Search in your State Grant Agency.

7. Search in the Library Reference Section.

8. Search in foundations, religious or community organizations, local businesses, or civic groups.

9. Search for scholarships in organizations related to your field of interest

10. Search in ethnicity-based associations

How To Apply For Scholarships

When you see a scholarship that interests you, the first thing is to check the eligibility requirement to ensure you are qualified for the scholarship.

You also need to check the application guideline to ensure that you apply in the right way. However, below is the step-by-step guide on how to apply for scholarships.

Make Ready The Important Documents

When you see a scholarship that interests you, and you are eligible to apply for it, the first thing is to make sure you have the required documents.

Documents are very important and you do not need to skip any, so make sure everything is set before you proceed with the registration.

Prepare Your Resume

If the scholarship you are applying for requires a resume, make sure you take the time to write it. Your resume should capture the relevant skills you possess and your experiences.

However, do not provide false information in your resume, and make sure your personal profile is short and captivating.

The mistake many people make when listing their work or school experiences is omitting the date, the organization they work, and the position they held, so make sure you include all that.

Take Time To Write Your Scholarship Essay

Many scholarships require students to write a scholarship essay. The essay will include things about themselves, their achievements, and their experiences.

Let your essay be well structured and comprehensive, be authentic when talking about yourself, your passion, and your drive.

However, it is important to seek advice from someone who has won a scholarship before to guide you on how to write a well-structured and captivating essay.

Get Recommendation Letters

Most scholarships request a recommendation letter, so you must get yours before you start your application process.

A recommendation letter is proof to the organizers of the scholarship that you are a responsible person someone can vouch for, and that you are everything you say you are in your essay.

The recommendation letter can come from your religious leader, teacher, mentor, or your employer, and it should capture your academic performance, work performance, community service, and your skills.

Moreover, endeavor to tell the person that is giving you the recommendation letter early so they can carefully write it before the deadline.

Carefully Fill out The Application Form

This is where most students make mistakes by filling in the wrong thing. You need to be very careful when filling out the application letter to avoid mistakes.

You can write down the information before filling them out, or you can just fill them out abruptly.

However, ensure that after filling out the application form, you go through it, again and again, to make sure there are no errors or omissions before submitting it.

Moreover, you have to apply for the scholarship on time because it is generally believed that those who apply early for scholarships mostly get shortlisted for the scholarship examination.

Also, applying early will provide you with enough time to do the relevant research and gather the required documents, and you will also have more time to study for the scholarship examination.

How To Prepare And Pass Any Scholarship Exams

It is one thing to apply for a scholarship and it is another thing to study, pass, and be awarded the scholarship.

However, if you have been shortlisted for scholarship exams, below is the step-by-guide on how to prepare and pass any scholarship exams.

1. Be Positive About The Exams

To prepare and pass any scholarship exams, you need to develop a positive mindset. If you start studying for the exams with the mindset of failure, you might get bored or tired of studying.

A positive mindset makes you focus on your study and enables you to strive for success.

Moreover, when you develop a positive mindset, you are motivated to study hard and even if fear sets in, you can overpower it with positive thoughts and actions.

2. Create A Study Time Table

The next thing to do if you want to prepare and pass any scholarship exams is to create a personal study timetable.

The study timetable will help you study effectively as you will have a designated time and day for each of the subjects you are studying for the scholarship exams.

Moreover, following a personalized timetable will enable you to shun procrastination and manage your time effectively.

However, do not spend all your time studying so you do not get exhausted, make sure you include study breaks in your study timetable.

During your study break, you can see a movie, draw or sleep to relax your brain.

3. Source For Information

To prepare and pass any scholarship exams, make sure you source relevant materials because you cannot study every material you come across. You can get the past questions or relevant materials from someone who has written the test before.

Moreover, you need to talk to someone who has written scholarship exams before, it will help you prepare well for the exams as the person will share his or her experiences with you.

4. Start Studying Immediately

To prepare and pass any scholarship exams, make sure you start studying immediately after you are done with your timetable because time waits for no man.

Procrastination is the killer of success, overpower it by setting study goals for yourself and trying to achieve them.

Moreover, endeavor to silence every distraction when you are studying, you can either put your phone on silence or off it, turn off the television, and position yourself in a comfortable place.

5. Concentrate On Key Areas

To prepare and pass any scholarship exams, endeavor to target the specific areas you know the exams will be based on and improve on them.

Do not make assumptions, if someone tells you what to read, read it, and do not assume questions will not come from that area.

However, in scholarship exams, questions will likely come out from areas such as Verbal reasoning, essay writing, English skills, Abstract reasoning, Numerical reasoning, mathematics, Reading comprehension, Science, and current affairs.

6. Take Practice Test

The practice test is very good, it will help you get familiar with answering questions when sitting for the scholarship exams.

You can apply for practice tests in the institution you are applying for the scholarship, if none is available, then search online for websites that publish practice tests.

However, when you find the practice tests, start by completing the test, and afterward start timing yourself to ensure you can answer all the questions within the stipulated time of the exams.

7. Get A Tutor

If you find it difficult to study for the scholarship exams, then you need to get a tutor who is specialized in scholarship exams tutoring.

A tutor will guide, motivate and encourage you to take your practice test seriously, will enlighten you on the areas you need improvement, and monitor your study growth.

8. Be confident

A very important part of studying for scholarship exams is the mental state of candidates. It is important for candidates to have confidence in themselves and believe that they can make it.

Inferiority complex is bad, it makes people regard themselves as not being good enough, and this can go a long way in thwarting their success, so be confident in your capability.

9. Eat Good Food

To prepare and pass any scholarship exams, eat healthily. Good food contributes a lot to help you study well for your scholarship exams.

When you eat unhealthy food, especially food that contains trans and saturated fats, it can negatively affect learning and memory.

When you eat healthy food such as dark chocolate and cocoa products, nuts, eggs, avocados, fish, vegetables, etc., it improves your memory and enables you to comprehend things very fast.