“Oh my God! Exams are around the corner and, I’ve got so much to go through. God, please help me pass this exam.” Sounds familiar, right? You’ve got to admit that many of you have these thoughts while preparing for exams. Either the time to prepare is insufficient, you’ve got to go out, or you’ve not paid attention to your lectures, the excuses are endless. We always dream of success but forget to analyze our failures. We ignore these weak points and set ourselves up for more downfalls.
You are reading this article now because you have realized that you cannot fool yourself any longer. You’ve got to prepare yourselves for the exams in the best way. This article will help you to do so.
10 Ways How To Prepare For Competitive Exams
1. Taking Over Your Fear Of Exams
The minute we come to know that we would have to appear for exams very soon, we feel scared and nervous. Many questions pop up in our minds. How am I going to perform in my exam? Will I complete it on time? Am I going to be standing up to the competition? Once you sit for an exam, there’s no option. You either fail or pass. No matter how many exams you appear for, you still feel tensed about each one. So, to avoid this stress, you need to relax. Don’t study throughout the day. Take breaks in between. Listen to songs, play games, draw or paint, chat with people. Think positively and write your paper confidently.
2. Preparing A Time-table
The only way to achieve success is to have a proper plan. Making a day to day schedule helps you keep your priorities in check. You can plan for a week or a month. The first step of your timetable should include your routine for self-health. The next step is to decide how many hours you should study and what you will study. Try to achieve your daily study goals. Do not keep unrealistic goals. Try studying only two subjects a day and not more than that. Keep an aim to study 6 to 7 hours, maximum. Also, enrol yourself in some extra-curricular activities to ease your mind.
3. Analyze Common Syllabus And Important Questions
You’ve got a timetable to follow. So, the next step is to read your syllabus. Do not directly start studying a chapter. First, see the portion that needs to be dealt with first. Then find out which chapter carries maximum marks and which chapter carries minimum marks. Once you’ve got that sorted, cross-check it with the syllabus from the university’s official website.
4. Study As Per Your Convenience
After analyzing your syllabus, you should check which chapters are easy and difficult for you. Study the ones that you understand easily first. Then shift your attention to the topics with which you need help. Mark all the things that you find difficult and note them down. Get your queries solved by your teacher or, you can look them up online. Practice the chapters that you find hard daily till you perfect them. Mark the chapters that you have completed studying
5. Make Notes
It is a very crucial point of exam preparation. While studying, always have a pen, pencil, or highlighter in hand. Make sure to mark all the things that are important to you. The textbooks have some words or sentences marked in them. Pay special attention to those. Notes are helpful when you have a few days to prepare for your exams. All you need is to remember these pointers.
6. Purchase The Right Books
With many options to choose from, it becomes hard to select the right book. So check which book matches your syllabus and purchase it. Do not buy many books for the same subject as you will not have enough time to go through all of them. Make a wise choice. Check that the textbook has maximum questions to solve.
7. Refer To Online Resources
There are many articles, notes, video lectures available online that can help you a lot. It is also the most popular mode of learning in recent times. There are many channels on YouTube that can give you a lot of information. You can watch previous years’ topper’s interviews, how they prepared for their exams and other useful tips.
8. Take Mock Tests After Studying The Entire Syllabus
Many people make the mistake of attempting mock tests after studying a few chapters. Please avoid it. If you don’t answer correctly, you will start doubting yourself which, will lead to frustration. First, thoroughly prepare all the topics and then attempt the mock papers after completion.
9. Analyze Previous Year Question Papers
Start analyzing previous years’ question papers once you have completed studying. See all the questions repeated every year. Find out which topics have the maximum number of questions. Check the paper format and the weightage to the questions.
10. Revise What You Have Studied
Revision is the final stage of your preparation. You have finished studying your topics and have analyzed previous years’ question papers. The next thing to do is to revise all that you have done. Step 5 comes in handy over here. Revise your notes at least 2 to 3 times a day. Revise all the points that you have marked. Remember, do not revise an hour before the exam. It adds to the pressure.
CONCLUSION
Now you know how to prepare for your exams. So, don’t waste your time. Grab your books and pens and start studying. Keep calm, meditate, and don’t let your stress get the best of you.
All the best!