For most schools, pre-Boards will either be by end December or beginning of 2019. Rajshekhar Ratrey shares a few last minute tips for the students
If you are a student who is gearing up to appear for Board exams next year, chances are, your school has organised pre-Board exams in December or January. Most schools advise that you should take these pre-Board exams extremely seriously, despite the fact that these marks are not counted anywhere in the future.
This is true as these exams are important. They provide a Board exam like setting and help you manage your stress and time. Pre-board exams also show you where you stand. Depending on your marks, you know whether you should buck up, or continue at the same pace. If you are someone who hasn't started planning for these exams, here is a strategy to help you.
Manage competitive exams and board exams: At this point, you have a fair idea whether you will be attempting any competitive exams or Olympiads. If you are keen on scoring well in these exams, you should start preparing these subjects beforehand. Give them more importance than others.
Focus on subjects that need practice: If you are not studying for any competitive exam, you should focus on subjects that need extensive practice. These usually include subjects with numericals or diagrams like Maths, Science, Accounts, and Computer Science. Use this excess time to prepare each type of numerical and practice your diagrams at length.
Use other interesting subjects to your advantage: Don’t forget that you have other subjects to study as well. If you like studying the languages or enjoy Social Studies, study these subjects between the practice- heavy subjects. In short, if you have spent almost six hours studying Maths, try giving yourself a break with English or Hindi.
This also has a lot to do with the fact that you’re using your left brain for calculations and your right brain for languages and art. This saves you from overloading yourself and feeling fatigue since you have been studying just one subject for days on end.
Study what is left: If you have time till January for your pre-Boards, the second month is when you study what you have left of the other subjects like Languages, Environmental Studies and Social Studies. Here’s what you need to know and do:
Use the power of flashcards: For any memory-based subject, start with making notes and flashcards of important dates, movements, and events. For example, you can create a timeline for the Indian freedom struggle on a chart paper and put it up.
Don’t forget what you studied earlier: Just like last month, introduce breaks in your schedule by solving questions from subjects that you have already studied. This will not only refresh your mind but also give you a fair idea of how much you remember.
Keep calm and keep studying: This time can get very stressful for you. You probably have three different sets of exams to take — pre-Board, Board and competitive.
Taking healthy breaks, continuing your hobbies, and maintaining a good sleep cycle will help you study with a fresh mind. Don’t feel demotivated or intimidated, but just focus on giving it your best shot.
During your pre-board exams: Ideally, you should have finished your exam portion by now. If you have, then spend the days of your pre-boards solving previous years' question papers and mock tests. After solving each test, go back to your mistakes and make notes about where you had gone wrong.
If you have not finished your exam portion, don’t fret: Remember that you still have time before the Boards. Before every pre-Board paper, try to read and understand the portion that you haven’t studied yet, even if you don’t memorise it 100 per cent. This will help you when you start studying it for Boards.
Keep your mind calm, maintain a healthy lifestyle, and always be motivated. Focus on your syllabus and previous year question papers and put in as much effort as you can.
The writer is VP, Educational Content, Toppr.com