Exam!!!!

1. Exam!!!! Are U Exam Smart??

2. U know “customer friendly” offices,“people friendly” policies,“child friendly” schools, Do u know “examiner friendly” answer sheets?? We are responsible for what we are, and whatever we wish ourselves to be, we have the power to make ourselves - Swami Vivekananda

3. Exams are meant to test your knowledge, speed of understanding and answering, creativity, time sense, problem solving, sticking to the point, effective communication, clarity in thought, control over thought process and many. Try to set a question paper for students of class III-V in Maths or science and chk ur question paper for above components!!! U will b surprised to understand what a question paper is after all!!! B ready for the surprise and change in ur attitude!!! All we are is the result of what we have thought.

4. Understand the type of Exam U plan to appear and prepare accordingly • May b a usual 3hrs exam - annual or semester • GATE or JAM • NET ,SLET,etc • Entrance exam to higher degree • Competitive exam to choose the right candidate • Aptitude tests to check your suitability for the post • Remember each one has a different purpose and designed accordingly, they r not jus same and not jus another exam • So point uno, treat each exam in a different way The mind is everything. What we think we become.

5. Collect the correct updated syllabus for the exam, months ahead, rushing at last moment gains u nothing • Procure related books/study material/web links, beware not to make ur collection a garbage or a dumping, b’coz u cann’t search the needle in ur haystack yard later • Get a clear picture of proper question format, mark allotment for each section, weightage for the chapters or question types, time allotted, negative markings That knowledge which purifies the mind and heart alone is true Knowledge, all else is only a negation of Knowledge.

6. Procure old /model question papers, solved problems • Consult ur seniors and make a note about the questions when they attempted, as in some exams u cannot get old question papers Peer group help is a must- form an effective team and be a good team member U can make a poster or a word file or a ppt, u can often look at to boost ur morale and to keep urself focussed on ur mission Picture urself as an achiever

7. If it is not a compulsory exam or if it is for ur career benefit or realise ur aspiration, then do make a goal chart • Why u take up this exam • What u achieve by this, may lead to ur growth academically, financially, any other way • How does this exam give u an edge over others • After clearing this where u will be, after all the effort u have put in When an idea exclusively occupies the mind, it is transformed into an actual physical or mental state

8. Make a neat question bank, subjectwise, chapterwise, sectionwise • Prepare answers for the questions, based on the requirement of number of words • Remember same question ,many a times can be asked as a define/briefly say or explain in 50 words type or write a note in 100 words or discuuss in detail about types- so based on various types prepare the answer before hand If one has faith one has everything

9. Do not assume u know what the description/process/function and so u can manage there in the exam- this is the trickiest part! • U may know the description, if u were to answer as long as u want- but remember exams are time and space bound, so u never ever can “manage” there • Prepare, prepare, prepare!! Man's awakened consciousness must do away with ignorance, or to be precise, must transform ignorance into the knowledge of Truth

10. Make a neat list of values of physical constants, certain sine, cos, tan, log, other often referred values as look up and paste it in ur room. • Carry a copy so when u travel or laze around, u can jus’ look it up • Make a list of formulae similarly • Make a look-up of symbols/ flow charts/block diagrams/tables/ circuits Truth is one, the wise call it by various names

11. Work out the problems- with pen on paper, not in air!! • If a same problem can be cracked in more than one way, make a note there and solve it the other way too • Practice drawing diagrams, it should convey ur understanding, no one expects artistic approach, so do not show ur creativity there Let noble thoughts come to us from all sides

12. Prepare answers for the questions u collected, based on the section it appears in – maintain proper file/ notebook • Best is to have it handwritten so u can always know how to present it Live ur goal!! As long as I live, so long do I learn.

13. For many descriptive answers, pictorial /schematic / graphical representation/ block diagrams/ flow charts/ logical circuits can convey more than words. • In such cases, be very specific to mark necessary info in it legibly, so u skip off them or jus give a gist about them in ur write ups – u save space and time this way- this gives u a real winning edge, esply in NET/SLET exams where space is a constraint • While preparing answers itself, u practise this and learn to represent ideas thro’ diagrams,after all that is the purpose of diagrams

14. Collect the previous exam question papers, track how they evolve as time pass on • Each type of exam needs different technique to crack it- Do u know that? • For the same question answer/ solution/ explanation expected from a school student, from a undergraduate, from a postgraduate or from a research scholar is certainly different as a different level of maturity and cognition is expected Be the change you want to see in this world

15. Plan ahead- have short term and long term goals to finish ur preparation • Give leverage as unexpected things may happen during the course • Do not give up or find excuse to give up • Be flexible, resilient and get in to ur working goal at the earliest if at all u deviate • As long as u stick on to ur plan u r the winner We are what our thoughts have made us; so take care about what you think. Words are secondary. Thoughts live; they travel far.

16. Have a note of people who have worked very hard to succeed, who r winners, sacrificed to achieve their dream, they should inspire u to achieve • Look at the accomplishments u will get if u clear the exam, boost urself • When u r low, crack easy problems which u found once upon a time, may be back in ur school days. That small sense of achievement that tells u u have grown will pep u up!! • Keep away from negative people, they r there everywhere You cannot believe in God, until you believe in yourself

17. Read lot of self improvement books, quotes, inspirational stories • Small anecdotes from Vedic literature, Ramayana and Mahabharata comes handy that way – problems r universal, but u always win, if u r devoted towards the goal The world is the great gymnasium where we come to make ourselves strong.

18. Take care of ur health- no junk, eat only good food, esply during summer, careful with water, carry water bottle • Do not grudge and grumble for petty things, remember u r not only working, everyone in the family is towards a cause • This is tough time for u, but let others enjoy, do not be a spoil sport The greatest error, says the Vedanta is to say that you are weak, that you are a sinner, a miserable creature, and that you have no power and you cannot do this and that.

19. Learn to enjoy ur work, ur hard work, tomorrow u r gonna reap its fruits, remember • Work hard, b’coz, it is ur goal, ur life, ur victory Think positively and masterfully, with confidence and faith, and life becomes more secure, more fraught with action, richer in achievement and experience.”

20. Get it to the habit of having a log of ur work – ur strength, weakness, achievements, defeats, things that give u happiness, likes and dislikes. Browse it often, it will help u! Are U ready to rise up the ladder? Now every strength of urs counts!! Learn, Live, Lead

21. Carry enough and only the required stationery, do not carry loads of pens and pencils for the exam • Do not panic during, it is just exam, definitely not judgment day • Do not compare with ur seat partner • Answer in a neat order. Plan ur answers. • Jus b’coz u want to write what u know, do not jump between sections too much, as u may mess up There is nothing as purifying as knowledge

22. Write the answers in paras, put bullets/ points • Highlight wherever necessary, but do not make ur answer sheet look like a rangoli • Do not tend to use all color sketches u bought • Give side headings- crisp and short Act according to your thoughts and you shall surely succeed.

23. Be specific in answering what is asked and resist showing ur prowess of the subject • Stick to “word” and “page” limits, as well time limit • Give neat illustrations/ diagrams • Mark them clearly, u can even opt to number ur tables and diagrams Be sincere

24. Attempt more problems than descriptions to save time • Be legible, do not overwrite, remember the one who corrects ur paper is a human being!! • Do not use religious symbols or SMS language in exam • Do not beg for marks by writing ur story (spun) in answer sheets. You may try thousands of times, but nothing can be achieved without God's grace.

25. Sky is the limit! All the best, You are the best!!