Proper Strategy & Smart Work = Goal Achieved

Don’t know the proper strategy to score excellent marks in exam… ??? confused…??? How to prepare…??? Let me tell you the way and before I start I would like to tell you that for selection in undergraduate courses there is no obligation to study 8 hours a day on daily basis. I have not seen even a single student who has studied for that much. It is really very difficult to study for 8 hours daily along with regular schooling of 6-7 hours. Such efforts are required only when the exams are nearby and you have to put all your efforts to give yourself an extra edge. If you feel that you will not be able to perform well if you don’t study for long hours then I assure, you are missing something big in your strategies.

At this stage, you must seek suggestions from your seniors who have already cracked the exams you are targeting. As at this point you must know the areas on which you have to focus for a particular exam otherwise you will waste your time and efforts and will feel the need of extra hours badly. Today world has become very much competitive and to cope up with it, you must be very much focused towards your goal instead of wasting time on useless stuff. In my opinion, 3-4 hours on a regular basis and 7-8 hours in the exam time should be sufficient to crack even the toughest one.

Here I feel that you need two things to boost your performance and to cope up with your unbalanced schedule and lack of time

1. A proper strategy to be followed
2. Increasing your efficiency

So first let me talk about the strategies followed by most of the students cracking the competitive exams: 

• Pay attention to the topics being taught in the class… avoid talking in class and other nuisance it will clear 30-40 % of basic concepts also whatever you listen remains long with you.
• Go through a prescribed textbook for each subject … as book reading is a must. It will develop a good understanding of the subject. There are many concepts that you will get only in books and are rarely taught in a school or a coaching institute.

Here let me talk about the strategy of reading books as most of the students find their textbooks a tome and eventually drop the idea of reading it thinking that it will waste a lot of time, instead they go for its shorter version in some study material.

 Pick a good time slot to start with a particular book and make a target of taking a break only when you complete 15-16 pages. Initially, you will find it boring or you will feel the lack of concentration but deliberately stick to it. Stop in between for a short interval of time and ask questions to yourself about the things you studied shortly.

 Once you will cross a 100-page hurdle (which will be in 6-7 days) you will find the book interesting and full of information that you never knew. You will be able to devour a 400-page book in a month of reading. you will possess new concepts and an extra edge over other competitors.

• Stick only to one book and avoid seeking for multiple reference books. It is simply a waste of time from competitive exams point of view.
• Further when a topic is over go for previous year questions or a test series if available. Check your preparation based on that. One strategy here is that in a go try to solve at least 15-20 questions then go for checking answer instead of doing it one by one. It is very beneficial and provides you a clear perception of your subject knowledge. Further, In one sitting try to cover all the previous year question related to that topic.
• Once you are done with it, spend a good time on analyzing the outcome of the test. A 120-minute practice test requires a 120-minute analysis of your weakness areas and further planning to improve it. A practice Is incomplete without improving the weak points that you have found in an analysis. So, work on it.
• If you are going with a coaching study material stick only to it and revise it multiple times instead of seeking for different materials with your friends.

Follow the strategy PRACTICE – ANALYSE – REVISE

Secondly, let me discuss how to increase the efficiency while studying: 

As you look forward to any competitive exams try to develop a strong enthusiasm and determination for it. Before a person starts preparing for competitive exams his life is much disordered and the person is in his comfort zone. Try to get out of it and before starting the preparation spend a good time on making strategies (even 4-5 days you can take) that how you are going to distribute time for different activities and where your studies will lie. You best understand your situation and believe me no one can better understand it and can prepare a better strategy for it. Working with a good plan is far better than working very hard in an unorganized way. Make a tough schedule for each day. Once you make the plan try to adhere to it. In the beginning, you will find it very difficult to adhere to it and will not be able to follow it but try to stick to it as much as possible. Force yourself and develop a habit of sticking to a routine for 21 days. There is a psychological effect that if you follow something for 21 days it gets down to your habit..!!

Further, let me jot down few ideas to boost your efficiency:

• Take yourself away from non-critical activities and wasting time here and there in say in watching movies and matches and heated discussions over it.
• Try not to think much about different things of future or some imaginations and always think about your studies. It will boost your concentration when you will sit for studies otherwise, you will be thinking of the world with pen in your hand and books open in your front.
• Try not to be jealous of people nearby you or friends preparing for the same exam. When you are jealous of someone you are very much afraid of that person. and you will spend a huge time thinking about him and being afraid. It is a life tip and by avoiding it you will manage to keep yourself happy.
• While making schedule try to make slots of at least 2-3 hours. try to push all other stuff either before or after studies. Try to get at least 2 such slots daily. You can push your dinner late too.
• Try never to use Whatsapp or facebook while studying many people frequently check for the feeds while doing their business. It decreases your efficiency.
• Don’t frequently change your plans.
• As no one can study all the times, give a small time say 1 hour daily to your leisure activities and try to develop a habit of managing all activities in between. Like facebook, Whatsapp or part of a movie.
• Gather all the needful before you start studying
• Always take it as a fatal alarm when an idea comes to your mind that I’ll start studying after doing a particular activity. Like after bathing, facebook, after watching a show. just get up and at least study for some time to get rid of such things.

And for any problem regarding your career or study, post it on Kailasha Foundation – Fun n Learn Portal