The preparation is done. Now it is time to enter the hall.

However you have prepared, there comes a moment when every technique stops.

The moment of standing in front of the hall door.

Cold hands, a pounding heart, and one thought in your head — "What if I can't remember anything?"

Today I will talk about exactly this moment.

First, some guidance

1. Before everything else, the student should properly uphold the acts of worship and obedience that Allah has made obligatory upon him.

2. Protect yourself through the dhikr and daily recitations reported from the Prophet ﷺ, and also through the verses of the Qur'an. Recite them abundantly, especially on the day of the exam.

3. If you feel lazy or sleepy, drink a cup of tea, so that the brain gains strength and focus.

4. If you have a headache, take care of it, so that your mind stays clear.

5. Do not let fear and trembling take a place in your mind — because it is one of the strongest causes that holds a student back and discourages him from answering.

6. Enter the exam hall in a state of full purity. Just as a soldier does not enter the battlefield without a weapon, the believer's weapon is wudu.

7. Keep your confidence. For a student who enters with confidence in himself, answering becomes easy. He relies on his Lord, that He will not let him down.

8. Enter the hall with a complete revision — so that not even a small matter is missed.

9. Do not move from revising one subject to another until the first is completely finished — so that the subjects do not get mixed up with one another.

🚶 When heading to the hall

رَبِّ أَدْخِلْنِي مُدْخَلَ صِدْقٍ وَأَخْرِجْنِي مُخْرَجَ صِدْقٍ وَاجْعَلْ لِي مِنْ لَدُنْكَ سُلْطَانًا نَصِيرًا

Transliteration: Rabbi adkhilni mudkhala sidqin wa akhrijni mukhraja sidqin waj'al li min ladunka sultanan nasira.

Meaning: O Allah, make me enter with truth and make me exit with truth, and grant me from Yourself a supporting power.

📄 After receiving the question paper

First of all, you must become steady, stay calm, and remove the trembling and fear from yourself. And say —

رَبِّ اشْرَحْ لِي صَدْرِي وَيَسِّرْ لِي أَمْرِي وَاحْلُلْ عُقْدَةً مِنْ لِسَانِي يَفْقَهُوا قَوْلِي

Transliteration: Rabbish-rah li sadri, wa yassir li amri, wahlul 'uqdatam mil lisani yafqahu qawli.

Meaning: My Lord! Expand my chest for me and make my task easy for me. And remove the knot from my tongue, so that they may understand my speech. (Surah Ta-Ha, 20:25–28)

Then —

• The first task is to read the whole question and, by thinking deeply about its content, understand the main purpose. Because many students make a mistake in understanding what the question is aiming at, and end up answering what was not asked.
• Simple and straightforward questions first, then the difficult ones — so that time is not wasted and many marks are not lost.
• Without looking around, keep your full attention on your own paper.
• Pen, ruler, calculator — be ready with all your equipment.

😰 If the exam seems difficult

اللَّهُمَّ لَا سَهْلَ إِلَّا مَا جَعَلْتَهُ سَهْلًا، وَأَنْتَ تَجْعَلُ الْحَزْنَ إِذَا شِئْتَ سَهْلًا

Transliteration: Allahumma la sahla illa ma ja'altahu sahlan, wa anta taj'alul hazna idha shi'ta sahlan.

Meaning: O Allah, nothing is easy except what You make easy, and if You will, You can make even the difficult easy.

🤔 If you cannot understand the question

يَا مُعَلِّمَ إِبْرَاهِيمَ عَلِّمْنِي، وَيَا مُفَهِّمَ سُلَيْمَانَ فَهِّمْنِي، وَيَا مُؤْتِيَ مُحَمَّدٍ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ آتِنِي

Transliteration: Ya Mu'allima Ibrahima 'allimni, wa ya Mufahhima Sulaimana fahhimni, wa ya Mu'tiya Muhammadin sallallahu 'alaihi wa sallama a'tini.

Meaning: O Teacher of Ibrahim, teach me! O One who gave Sulaiman understanding, grant me understanding! O Giver to our master Muhammad ﷺ, give to me.

Keep one thing in mind

These duas are not a substitute for effort. If you have not prepared, reciting duas and then sitting back will not be enough.

But if you have prepared, then these duas will give you the one thing no technique can give: peace of heart.

And when you sit down with a peaceful heart, the chance of remembering what you have studied increases many times over. Fear is the greatest destroyer of memory.

Tomorrow is Day 30, the last day of the series. The ruqyah guideline for knowledge and memory, and self-ruqyah.

Take a screenshot of the duas and keep it on your phone. It will be useful on the day of the exam, in sha Allah.

May Allah grant all of us excellent success in the exam. Ameen.

This article is based on a part of the book "The Art of Learning". The full structure, the remaining chapters, and the section on knowledge, dua and ruqyah are in the book. See the book