We all know getting good scores in exams are a bit challenging especially to score on the top board. Most of the people are driven by the modern improvisations made in movies, games and mobile phones that we rather stay up all night to watch them than to study. Most of the lazy learners opt for studying a night before the exam. There exist a saying “There is no substitute for hard work”. But one should not only study harder but also smarter. Here are some simple yet extremely powerful techniques to score high marks.
1. Understand the syllabus
The main rule to follow when starting to prepare for an examination be it board exams, entrance or any competitive exams is to acquire a complete knowledge about the subjects one choose to learn. Rather than focusing only on the theory part, focus on the application of the theory part in real life. Everyone must understand that examinations are held to check the actual knowledge on a subject or how well one knows about a certain field. Don’t memorize the lessons, it is of no use to memorize the topic instead of knowing what the actual content is. Most of the questions on competitive exams are made tricky to test persons cognitive skills.
When a topic is difficult to understand, read as much topic related contents from books, social media or ask friends or lectures to explain. Open your mind, explore different kinds of materials and get the most of knowledge. Understanding the syllabus will be a huge benefit by not only allowing one to perform well in exams but also it helps to shine in their real life. Make a summary of the topics learned in simple words and explain it to friends. One is said to have clear knowledge about a subject if they are able to explain complex terms in simple words.
2. Make sacrifices-stop giving excuses
An important thing that holds one back when they decide to prepare for exams is the failure to give up on things they really love and making excuses often for not doing things properly example, planning to study for the next one hour but give the excuse of certain situations for not doing it. Sacrificing all the favourite things, be it playing games, messaging friends, watching movies for a period of time and focusing on what one really wanted to do would shapen the mind on a particular target and bring success. If one could sacrifice unnecessary activities and focus mainly on learning then they are definitely going to be on the top board in examinations.
3. Follow a strict schedule
It is one of the effective ways to train the mind and the brain to align oneself to concentrate on learning. Choose a particular time to fully engage in learning and not be distracted by other activities. Most successful people say the appropriate time for learning is from morning 5 am to 7 am as the brain works at its best at that time and are less likely to get distracted from anything else. Following a study schedule could help to learn more effectively and energetically. Take out the syllabus and divide it into separate sections of lessons and write down how much time to spend in completing a specific section. When studying always start from the difficult chapter and then move to the easy one. This could help in becoming more productive in understanding and clearing the chapters which one would normally skip if they have started learning from the easy chapter. Completing difficult chapters first will change and grow the problem-solving skills and allows to perform the entrance exams with a steady and calm mind.
4. Take Test regularly
Try to do as many sample tests papers while preparing for any exam (CBSE, Board, NEET). It could determine one’s level and allow them to improve in their weakest areas. Complete the syllabus that comes frequently, analyze past years question papers and solve them. Understand that you are competing with people who are putting the same effort as you to score high marks. Most people tend to ignore the competition and stay in their own zone believing knowing others performance would scare them. It can lead to overconfidence and poor performance. Knowing about the competitor’s tactics would help know about one’s level between the group of competitors and force oneself to improve their skill and strategy.
5. Self Motivation
A very effective thing that can help to concentrate more efficiently is “self-motivation”. Yes, think about how you are going to be when you reach the top board, how much appreciation you are going to get, how well your friends are going to treat you etc. This is called “Positive motivation” where a person thinks of the positive after beings that are going to happen after accomplishing a particular target. Also think how you are going to face the difficult situation when you fail, who will stay when you have difficult times, visualize how people around you change when you fail. This is called “negative motivation”. Both can make one become more serious in studying.
6. Manage Stress
Stress is a common enemy for all teenage students even in adults which comes the night before exams or right before exams that even makes one feel blanked out during exams. Managing stress plays an important role in scoring good marks as stress can create a huge impact on our memory. Preparation is the main entity that would help one to reduce stress. As “Practice makes one perfect”, prepare as many questions before exams from previous and frequently asked questions. Do not push yourself too hard. Believe how capable you are and be confident. Take a few deep breathes while feeling stressed out and read the questions carefully and calmly. Don’t expect the results to show immediately. Put in endless efforts, the results will be disproportionately large in the long run.
7. Choose a type of preference for learning
Understand the type of preference for learning. One may be a visual, aural, kinesthetic learner or a reader. Understand which kind of preferences works the best to learn and understand more quickly and follow them. Write handwritten notes while studying. It would help one to remember the concepts more thoroughly and could help one revise faster during exams.
8. Persistence and Consistency
Even when starting off with an interesting subject, all are most likely to get bored at times or skip it due to certain situations in life. A true warrior faces all odds courageously and comes up in life. No matter what shows up in life always be persistent and consistent throughout the entire study period. Pay special attention to studies during the last two months of the exam as it helps the brain to keep your memory intact of information learned throughout this entire time. A person who pays more attention and has been consistent in the last two months of the exam has a higher chance of scoring more marks. Some people give up being consistent during the last two months though they have worked hard for 6 months which results in forgetting important points in exams. It is because our brain tends to replace stored data with the new data so focusing and being consistent until the exam ends are extremely important.
9. Healthy diet
Having a healthy diet is as important as following a strict study schedule. Add fresh fruits, leafy vegetables, oily fish and proteins as it could boost your energy and helps to remember answers more efficiently. Eat high protein diet (eggs whites, milk, curs, oats, sprouts) in the morning as it keeps the whole day stress free. Make sure to have healthy lunch with proteins, green leafy vegetables, fibres). Take a short nap after lunch as it would increase the alpha wave production. Avoid eating carbs for dinner. Don’t eat junk foods as most people eat them to keep their energies up during exams. It is proven that high fatty foods are associated with exam induced anxiety.
10. Submit the paper neat and clean
Everyone likes the extra mark you get by an excellent presentation. Especially during the Board and CBSE exams, write answers in points. Highlighting the main points and words in the exams could add an extra score in the pockets. Submit the paper clean and neat.
