"Do not overlook the revision part."
"Solve as many previous years' papers as you can."
"Each one is differently-abled. Never compare your performance."
Mumbai girl Dhanya Sanjeevan Nair who scored 95 per cent in the Maharashtra Board Class 10 examination last year shares her study secrets and tells aspirants how to beat the stress and use the time to focus on optimising your preparation…
When board examinations approach, most students spend too much time studying and overlook the revision part, says Dhanya Nair who is currently pursuing first year science at Birla College of Arts, Science and Commerce, Kalyan.
Ahead of the class 10 board examination which is scheduled to start March 3, 2015, she shares some of the tricks that helped her score 95 per cent and also top her class last year.
- Solve as many previous years' papers as you can. This will help you understand how prepared you are for the examination. At the same time, it will help you improve your writing speed in the actual examination.
- Do not mug up new concepts or chapters in the last few days. This will only add to unnecessary stress. Instead use the time to revise what you already know.
- If you're weak in certain areas, you must take the help of a friend or teacher to help you understand where you're going wrong. If you have good batchmates or friends who you know will not distract you, you can create a study group. Studying with like-minded friends help you break the stress and makes studying more fun.
- Remember to take small breaks. I used to listen to music and read self help books every few hours. If a certain subject was too stressful, I would take a break and solve objective questions from previous examinations -- fill in the blanks, English grammar questions etc.
- Although I love it, two months ahead of the exam I decided to cut down on junk food and replaced it with home cooked food. If I had to step out, I would carry a lunchbox or biscuits and a bottle of water.
- It is important to use the last few days to revise what you already know. Many students feel overconfident and do not feel the need to revise old chapters that were taught at the start of the academic session. Your overall percentage could jump decimals with the addition of a few marks.
- Never compare your performance with another friend or senior you know. Each one is differently-abled. Compete with yourself. Try and improve your individual performance.
Things to do on the day of the exam
- If the exam centre is new, I would suggest that aspirants should visit the centre more than once and understand the route well. One of my batchmates was accompanied by her parents to the centre on the first day. The following day, she lost her way and reached the centre 10 minutes late for Hindi paper. She was complaining that she could not complete the paper and had to miss a 10-mark essay question.
- Also it is important not to be hassled by the stress and pressure around you. On the day of the exam, I used the last one hour before the exam to relax. I would think about everything else but the examination I was going to appear for. I had requested my friends also to avoid talking to me about the upcoming exam in the last one hour. It is very important to relax so that you can concentrate better at the time of the examination.
- Believe in yourself and do not let others tell you what you are incapable of. Your determination and perseverance will help you ace the exams and emerge a winner.
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