First, there’s plenty of help provided from other students, teachers’ assistants, mentors, professors, and the list goes on. Teachers’ assistants can be reached at almost any time of the day or night, and they will provide answers, examples, and useful tips. Also, creating study groups, sharing relevant information, and explaining difficult topics to peers is key to earning a good score. Keep in mind that every single lecturer provides many examples of previous years’ exams and their answer keys, so you are always prepared for the tasks that are awaiting you in the exam. :)

Second, there’s no need to be afraid of a failed exam and its consequences, because at the end of every semester there’s a re-exam week when you can try your luck in passing the exam again, and, of course, extra material and preparation seminars are also provided.

Lastly, every exam consists of multiple tasks and topics so if you don’t understand one concept – don’t worry! There are still many tasks you can earn points on.

A big gift from the administration is open-book exams – and yes, these mean exactly what they sound like – you can use any relevant material in order to pass your exam, which makes good notetaking very important and relieves stress. I want to add that even if you’re not the best note-taker, there’s no need to worry because the Academic Studies and Critical Thinking course will provide you with all the information needed to successfully start your university journey.

One final important thing to remember is that at SSE Riga it’s not only about learning hard skills but also about developing soft skills and an overall work ethic, time management, socialization skills, and knowledge, so don’t worry if passing a course takes more than one try – remember: “It's not how many times you get knocked down that count, it's how many times you get back up.” — George A. Custer