The semester exams are approaching, and with it various entrance exams like CAT, JEE, GATE & TOEFl. Preparation for both will require proper guidance on how to not only manage but to excel in both. Aakash Chaudhry tells you how to multi-task in order to succeed in life
Gone are the days when a child was told to enjoy school life as much as possible since her days after school in the world outside will be fraught with stress and tension. Now, the last few years of school can go a long way in determining the course of one’s future and therefore, students have to learn to multi-task at a very early stage. The more ambitious of students choose to lose no time and work on their competitive exam entrances along with doing well in the school semester and terminal exams. Managing both well and not one at the cost of the other is essential. All the top engineering and medical institutes of the country, take into consideration the performance in the board exams. Also, these exam results stay on the students’ CV for life and hence the semester exams that prepare one ultimately for the boards cannot be ignored at any cost.
While doing justice to both the school exams and preparation for entrances may be difficult, it is not impossible. With good time management, a systematic approach, a perfect grasp over the essential skill of multi-tasking, a student can manage to do well on both fronts.
The first task one has to undertake is to make a comprehensive list of all the topics covered in the school and those that will come in the competitive exams. On doing so, one will realise that many of the concepts in both sets of examinations, overlap. The only difference is that questions that appear in the semester exams are more theoretical in nature, while those that will appear in the entrances will be more conceptual. Since the broad topics are the same, the best approach is to understand and master the concepts and fundamentals properly. Once this is achieved, any application-based problem or any theoretical question can be solved and answered with equal ease.
The syllabus of just the school exams is vast enough. Add the extra application-based concepts and other topics for the competitive exams to this and the student is faced with a humongous ocean of concepts and theories to study. looking at this daunting amount of ground to be covered can be truly intimidating. The key to confronting this challenge is to plan for shorter periods of time. Set yourself challenges on a weekly basis and monitor your performance closely.
This will give you a sense of accomplishment and also allow you to gradually cut down on the amount of syllabus to deal with.
At the end of each week, do sectional tests that will help you assess your learning and identify the weaknesses. It is imperative for a student to know where the weaknesses and strengths lie. Using this knowledge, one must then work ardently upon improving your weaknesses and focus on sharpening those strengths.
Another important advice for students is to not clutter their tables with all sorts of books and reference material. The first and foremost goal should be to finish the material in the NCERT books as these include all the theory that is needed. One can refer to one or two guidebooks for numerical problems or question banks. Basically, the first target should be to be absolutely clear with each and every fundamental concept. If one is unclear about any subject or topic, do not hesitate in asking the teachers or mentors. There is no shame in asking again and again. But not asking will lead to a lot of regret.
The following are a few tips one can employ at the time of attempting the examinations in order to make the preparation yield the desired results:
To score well in any theory-based exam, presentation, hand-writing, neatness are all very essential and go a long way in getting a good result
In the Mathematics paper, a lot of weightage is given to clearly spelling out all the formulae and concepts used. Each step employed must be written systematically and all the theorems used for each step need to be explicitly mentioned
Most students have a phobia of Physics. This mental block causes more problems than the subject itself. The subject is actually very manageable as it is based on concepts that need to be comprehended rather than theory that needs to be crammed by rote. Once the fundamentals are understood, it is smooth sailing from there. Mechanics and Electrodynamics are the backbone of Physics in any of the entrance examinations. So give maximum time to these two units
While attempting any paper, always first do the topics that one is strongest with.
Besides these basic tips, the most important thing while preparing for the semester exams while keeping an eye on the entrance preparation is to keep one’s peace of mind and have faith in oneself. There is no need to panic. Ensure that one takes out adequate time to do things that one loves, be it sleeping, eating, going for walks, reading or watching movies. Sleeping for adequate periods of time is also very essential. Do yoga or some other form of light exercises regularly as these will help one feel less stressed and also keep the body and mind alert.
The important thing to remind oneself is that both the semester exams as well as the entrance tests are of equal importance in one’s life. There is need to devote an equal amount of time, effort and preparation to both, while at the same time not allowing oneself to get overwhelmed with the juggling. A precise study schedule and an unrelenting focus make this goal achievable.
Remember that year after year many students manage to do well in school exams and ultimately ace the entrances at the end of the year as well, and so can you.
(The writer is director, Aakash Educational Services ltd)