The Dos and Don’ts of Exam Preparations
IIT JEE coaching — the gateway to the prestigious IITs and NITs in India, is undoubtedly one of the toughest entrance exams to crack. It can overwhelm even the brightest students. Similarly, the NEET exams are dreaded by all students appearing for them. Even students facing CBSE board exams find themselves under an incredible amount of stress. But with a few handy tips and tricks up your sleeve, your preparation for these dreaded exams can get a whole lot easier. Students living in Dubai have excellent options of NEET, IIT-JEE and CBSE coaching classes available in Dubai itself, but regardless of that, there are strategies they can follow on a personal level to reduce their stress. Here we have outlined the 5 crucial dos and don’ts to keep in mind while preparing for these exams. If followed meticulously, these strategies are guaranteed to produce positive results.
Dos
Do create a practical study plan
Study plans and timetables are crucial to preparation success. However, it’s also important to create realistic plans that are actually executable. You know yourself best, so keep in mind your weaknesses and play to your strengths. It is far more encouraging and uplifting to have achievable goals that are actually fulfilled than to spend your time in creating overly ambitious plans and falling short of them.
Do practice as much as possible
Previous year papers, sample papers, and practice papers are definitely the key ingredients in cracking these exams. But keep in mind not to begin practicing these papers towards the end. Make them an integral part of your plan from the start so as to get in as much practice as possible.
Do train yourself to write the exam
The actual exam can be nerve-wracking, and if you haven’t trained yourself to respond to the exact same situations that occur in the actual exam, you leave yourself susceptible to problems like blanking out or running out of time. So it is highly important to train yourself to actually write the exam in similar conditions as the actual one. Have a family member become your invigilator, sit in an environment where you don’t usually sit, so as to get used to writing in unfamiliar surroundings, and strictly stick to the time limit. Train your mind to believe you are writing the actual exam and respond accordingly.
Do use shortcuts and cheat-sheets
Make cheat sheets of important formulae, simplified charts of the most important information and revise them regularly. These are also handy to have as a reference while solving and practicing in case you forget something. Stick these charts and cheat sheets on your walls or any surface that you look at regularly so that you glance at them often.
Do eat well
Eat a good, protein-rich breakfast, have foods high in vitamin C, eat your meals regularly on time and avoid the junk and high sugar content foods. This will keep your mental alertness and body functioning at an optimal level and will ensure maximum concentration and retention.
Don’ts
Don’t neglect school lectures
Students tend to not pay attention in class thinking they will be taught the important things in coaching class anyway. But school education covers the basics that you need to have in place in order to make the most of the coaching classes. Moreover, if you do end up doing the same thing in the coaching class, its effectiveness is increased as you have already covered the material once before and it will now stay in your memory better.
Don’t isolate yourself and become a bookworm
It’s not wise to cut yourself off from the normal world and get completely engrossed in your books. You need to function normally, meet your friends and get out of the house in order to not burn out and keep yourself mentally and emotionally healthy. However, don’t get carried away with this. All social interaction must also occur within a limit so as to not cut into crucial study time.
Don’t sacrifice your sleep
This is one of the most important don’ts and the one that everyone tends to do the most. Burning the midnight oil should not become a daily habit, as in the long run, it affects your body and brain’s healthy functioning. Insufficient sleep and irregular sleep cycle increases stress levels and reduces retention capacity.
Don’t sacrifice your leisure time
Indulging in short breaks, continuing your hobbies and undertaking de-stressing activities is necessary to keep your mind active and positive. Even if it feels like you have too much portion to cover and there isn’t any time, do carve out short breaks somehow for the sake of long term benefits.
Don’t give up
And finally, keep going. The road to IIT JEE coaching is a long and hard one. You will often feel dejected and hopeless, it will get overwhelming sometimes. But always keep your long term goals in mind, remind yourself of the larger picture, take a short break to rejuvenate yourself and get back at it.
Chin up, soldier. You can do this.