Exam Strategies Preparing for Exams

          Examinations are a part of school and college life. Students are given the schedules for examinations well in advance to enable them to prepare. Preparations should be planned and scheduled systematically in order to get the best results. A student has the confidence of knowing the subject if he / she has made the effort to prepare over a period of time. Inspite of this, the last 6-8 weeks before the examination, is a time of revision and intense preparation.

         Many students who are well prepared are unable to make use of their preparation because of faulty planning. There are Do's and Don'ts to be followed during preparation time and while taking the examinations as such. Adhering to these techniques enables the student to do justice to the examinations that are to be taken.

    Long-term preparation

The objective of preparing for the exam well in advance is to identify the topics that the student can tackle with ease and those with difficulty. Ideally 6-9 months ahead of the examination is as early as one can start preparing. A few guidelines suggested are:

. The first phase should be the one where one attempts to learn the laid down portion. Subsequently, efforts should be made to orient the knowledge, of the subject concerned to the examination system and for practice.

    . Identify the strong and weak areas. Spend preparation time for study accordingly. Since this is for individual students and not for a class or a group it is important that the students identify their own strong and weak points.

. Prepare a time - table to study more than one subject a day. Use fixed times every day for study and be regular. This habit will be of help even during the exams.

. Plan your time carefully. Make a list of the topics in each subject and divide the time among them. Keep some extra time to go over the topics that one finds difficult to tackle.

. Check whether you have spent your time effectively by testing yourself or asking _ome one         at home to administer a test to you.

    Intensive preparation

A few guidelines suggested are:

. Choose some one to study with. A partner or a group of friends to share with, whereby knowledge is supplemented and studying becomes more interesting.

. Practice writing. Answer model question papers in the subjects within the stipulated time.

. Maintain normal routines. Do not cut on sleep and put the body to physical stress, over and above the mental stress of the oncoming examination.

. Maintain a proper diet. Do not over eat or miss meals. Eat light but nourishing food to provide the requisite energy.

. Relaxation is a must. Talking to a friend or listening to music provides the short break that is required from the monotony of lessons all the time.

    Before the examination day

A few guidelines suggested are:

. Revise the subject matter thoroughly.

. Get a good night's sleep the night before the exam.

. Eat something light before you leave for the exam.

. Keep the hall ticket, the required stationery and any instruments that are required for the exam in the bag to be taken on the day.

. Get to the examination centre well in time.

    Examination techniques

A few guidelines suggested are:

. Read the instructions carefully        when the question paper is given and follow them.

. Allocate time for the questions with respect to the marks allotted to them.

. Decide on the sequence of the questions to be answered. Start with the one that can be answered best. Number your answers correctly.

. Try and answer each question within the  allotted time. In case there is a problem with a certain answer, leave space and come back to it after answering the rest of the questions.

.Check before submitting the answer sheets for any mistakes or anything that is left out.

Also ensureyour roll number has been written and that the sheets are tagged securely.

    Relaxation techniques

Anxiety is bound to affect any student before the examination. Suggested below are some ways to relax.

. Deep breathing which provides a good supply of oxygen for bQth physical and mental well being.

. Avoid the company of those who increase your anxiety by speaking about how difficult the exam will be or tell you that you have not prepared well enough.

. Say a word of prayer asking God to be with you and see you through the exams.

. Focus on the test confidently and make up your mind to do the exam well.