Exams, be it at the entrance level, university level or even at the school level, can be big causes of stress. The key to performing well in the exams, apart from, studying hard, grasping everything and retaining everything, is, being able to study smart and in a proper manner, so that your efforts translate into performance.


Follow a proper schedule: Sleep early the night before, get up early the next morning, have a proper breakfast and then study. Do not stay up late or waste time doing something that is counter productive like worrying about what might happen. Take out an hour or two to relax and not think about the exams. Read, sleep, play or do whatever you think diverts your attention away from exams.

Don’t have too much on your plate: Exercise you brain in a constructive way, and do not clutter it with a lot of thoughts. Be clear in your mind and do not pressure yourself to cover things that are beyond your reach. Make realistic targets for a day. Even Rome was not built in a day.Do not overdo things. Do not try and study everything in a single day. Of the 5 or 6 subjects, pick up 2 or a maximum of 3 subjects and pick up a topic or two from each and go into the depths of the topics, instead of skimming 8-10 topics.

Mix and match: Plan your day well. Like a good meal, it is important to have all the essential ingredients while studying as well. Do not have all easy subjects/topics in a day or do not over burden yourself with topics that you find difficult. To maximize your output, start your “study day” with a light subject for an hour or so, once you get warmed up, take up a heavy subject or a topic. Study that for 2 hours or so and gradually increase the level of preparation. For example, if you find Mathematics tough and English easy, start your study day by reading a chapter or 2 from your NCERT literature textbook for English. After you are done with English, solve a topic from Mathematics for 2 hours. Gradually increase the level of difficultyof the questions you attempt. Once you are through with this exercise, take a break for a while and resume with a topic you are relatively comfortable with.

Solve papers: It is often said that there is no better practice than match practice. Solve one paper each day, preferably from 10 AM to 1 PM, in an environment as close to the one you expect at your examination centre. After you have solved the paper, mark yourself as per the CBSE marking scheme. Pick a different subject for eachof the five/six days. Assess yourself at the end of the week, look at your weak areas and try to rectify them in the weeks to follow. While solving sample papers, make a point to solve the ones provided by the CBSE. The papers provided by the CBSE are the closest possible papers to the real thing available to you.

Exercise and meditate: Exercise and meditation help improve concentration. Many of the athletes and sports professionals regularly employ meditation methods. Studies have found a direct correlation between concentration exercises (meditation) and the performance level of sports professionals. Meditation strengthens the mind, it comes under control and is able to provide effective guidance to the physical body to effectively execute all its projects. Psychological Exercises are a powerful way of improving concentration and improving mental strength.

How to prepare if you have not done well in your pre-boards

• Remember, pre-boards are an indicator, not the real thing. You still have time to better yourself for the final frontier.
• Devote more time to your weak areas and solve questions of varying difficulty. Do not solve all easy questions or all tough questions. While easy questions will motivate you, unable to solve difficult questions might not be the best possible solution. Gradually increase the level of difficultyof the questions you are attempting, analogous to climbing a staircase.
• Take sectional tests for the areas you are not comfortable with. Once you start to feel confident with your weak areas, start taking full length tests in a timed environment.

How to prepare if you have done well in your pre-boards

• Congratulations on having performed well in your pre-board exams, but do not lose focus. Remember that the real test is not over, yet.
• Do not be overconfident. Now that you have done well in your pre-board exams, do not be complacent and do not be lethargic. Treat your pre-board result like something that motivate you, and keep bettering yourself
• Solve sample papers in a timed environment and evaluate your performance at he end of the session.
• Revise the concepts of 2 or a maximum of 3 subjects.

So, when you look at it, the final month is important for everyone. The ones who have their preparation in fourth gear can still improve it by putting it in overdrive and the ones who have some doubts can still improve by concentrating on their weak areas while simultaneously focusing on their areas of strength. During this time, the aim of a student should be to perform to the best of his/her abilities and also concentrating on keeping himself healthy.

Like Lord Krishna said, “Karmanye Vadhikaraste Ma Phaleshu Kadachana, Ma Karma Phala Hetur Bhurmatey Sangostva Akarmani”, you should concentrate on performing to the best of your abilities while not worrying much about the end results.

Courtesy: Indiaeducation.net