I am a genius and an excellent student

Author: (Korean) Zhao Shengyan
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2003-09-01
Features: He grew up in Korea but gained fame in the U.S. At the age of 18, he published an English monograph and climbed onto the U.S. bestseller list. By 20, he mastered English, French, German, and Latin, and is now a dual honors student at two top U.S. institutions (Stern School of Business at New York University and Juilliard School). In middle school, he was a poor student. Later, when he realized that "learning is not about attitude but efficiency," and invented an effective "learning technique," his grades soared, leaving him ample time for hobbies. His "learning technique" is often invited for speeches, and this book was written as a result.
Excerpt: Today was the TOEFL test. Looking around the exam hall, there were many Korean students. For students who had studied in the U.S. for years, tests like TOEFL shouldn't be too difficult. I have been in the U.S. for seven years. I only took the TOEFL after finishing middle school, high school, and college. Although I still had a few years left, driven by an inexplicable curiosity, I took the TOEFL at the age of 14. TOEFL now uses computer-based testing, so the earlier you finish, the earlier you can go home. However, in 1996, when I took the TOEFL, it wasn’t like this. Even if you finished all the questions, if the bell didn’t ring, you couldn’t leave the exam hall. Sitting to my right in the row in front was a sister from Korea. I still had three and a half years left before college, so taking the TOEFL didn’t hold much significance for me. But for the sister who was preparing for college, the TOEFL was far from a burden. The sister from Korea was several years older than me. She was so nervous her face turned red, and sweat dripped drop by drop onto her test paper. It was clear her arms were trembling slightly, and her tightly clenched hands even bent the pencil tips.
A method to improve health levels. It is somewhat similar to China’s Tai Chi. This method is noteworthy because it indeed shows the possibility of regulating mental stress. Recently, many counseling agencies have emerged in the U.S. to help overcome exam stress. Even students who perform well in exams still face mental pressure, though perhaps to a lesser extent than others. Once their mindset stabilizes, they can achieve even better results. Human behavior follows roughly the same patterns. Athletes who relax their bodies and stay flexible can perform well; students are no different. Regulating your mindset, relaxing your body, and reducing stress can lead to excellent exam results. What is crucial is to correctly understand the impact of exam scores on life. At first glance, it might seem that the world is only open to those who excel in exams, but that’s not true. The world is open to everyone. There are many paths to achieving one’s dreams, and exams are just one of the passageways. If you don’t do well on an exam, it’s just one passageway that is temporarily blocked. Of course, doing well on exams might bring you closer to your goals. But to say that doing well on exams means everything? Most teachers and parents exaggerate the importance of exams. Life has countless paths—why limit yourself to just one? Choosing what suits your abilities and interests to study can also create your own path.