10 BEST STRATEGY TO PREPARE FOR COMPETITIVE EXAMS - Shreet Career Guidance Services Pvt. Ltd.

“Excellence does not happens by accident. It is a process.”
A. P. J. Abdul Kalam

When preparing for any high level competitive exam studying with a concrete plan enhances the chance of success multifold. Exploring and implementing innovative techniques in your learning regime will not only help you qualify your exams, but it will also build an overall personality of an active thinker making you excel in any aspect throughout life.

BEST STRATEGY TO PREPARE FOR COMPETITIVE EXAMS

1.Devise a personalized plan

Prepare a personalized plan according to your learning capabilities, blindly following routine of other students may or may not work in your favor when preparing for national level examinations. Prioritize the study schedule prepared by you and strictly follow the timetable you have prepared for the exam without faltering. Making a schedule to cover the syllabus within the desired time frame will save you from being underprepared at the last moment and give you ample time for revision as well.

2. Study smart not hard

Try to Simplify and summarize, the topics. Studying from irrelevant materials and books is a waste of time, also avoid studying from many books at the same time as they can confuse you and mess up your preparation, instead follow a methodological approach and study from reliable sources.

No matter what do not leave a single topic of any subject from the syllabus. Try and cover the syllabus as efficiently as possible focusing on the subjects/topics based on their importance and weightage. You can achieve this by going through previous years question papers and taking regular MCQ’s.

3. Prepare good notes

No matter how dedicatedly you prepare for the exam, if you don’t have access to the right study material, the preparation remains insufficient. When preparing for any exam the habit of making your own notes while studying is an indispensable strategy. Proven by numerous studies making notes while studying help retain information better. While doing revisions few days before the exams it will work as a helpful reference tool for going through the entire syllabus in a shorter span of time.

4. Do not chase perfection rather focus on covering the syllabus efficiently

While working on your preparations focus on covering the syllabus effectively rather than chasing to perfect specific topics only. Don’t get carried away and set realistic goals instead of trying to achieve the impossible in constrained time limit. If you always aim to perfect a topic before moving on you will get stuck and waste undue time than actually needed for that particular topic. That being said while aiming to cover the entire syllabus you should also not make the mistake of going through hard topics half heartedly, as you wont be able to attempt questions from the topics in the exam if your concepts are not clear.

5. Concise the syllabus

With such a vast amount of material to be studied and prepared for the competitive exams, approaching the syllabus in well-defined manner and briefing the syllabus in your own way will be a life saver. While going through the syllabus break the topics into concise blocks/charts and learn through making use of photographic memory. When revising the syllabus during last few days before exams this strategy will have the best chance to bring you the desired result.

6. Make use of memorizing techniques rather than convectional learning

As there is a vast syllabus to be covered and retained for preparations, using techniques to effectively help and bring beneficial results will be a healthy bet in the long run. Using mnemonic devices like acronyms whenever possible are proven to increase learning and retaining capacity of brain. In addition, summarizing the information into a comparison tables, diagrams, or mind maps and also using figures, images, flowcharts, and videos to retain information will help you learn the information and recalling it during Exams much faster.

7. Approach Weaker Sections separately

There are topics in the syllabus which no matter how much time you spend studying you just cant get a grasp of these topics. Most of the times these are complex and tedious topics which you cannot master with the same approach you are using for other topics. Different subjects in the syllabus are generally interrelated and you cannot afford to skip topics just because you cant master them. Identify the topics which you are unable to understand or memorize. Keep notes of these topics separately and after finishing your daily regime take time to revise and attempt mock questions from your weak topics before going to sleep. It will take time but you will be able to master these topics eventually without disrupting your daily study schedule you have prepared for other subjects.

8. Practice MCQs regularly

Every single mark counts in your overall score. Every topic will have a significant impact on your total performance and ranking. The best strategy is to attempt a range of MCQs on each topic. Some times we are able to get the zest of the topic but are unable to frame answers related to them during exams. We are either unable to recall the exact info being asked or get confused due to similar options presented in front of us. Solving different MCQ after studying the topics strengthens our understanding of the topic and minimizes the prospect of errors when presented with similar answers in real time exam.

9. Attempt mock test as real time exams

No matter how well-versed you are with the syllabus time management is an indispensable requisite for success. By taking regular mock tests as real time exams you will be able to evaluate your test-taking ability under time limits. You will also be able to improve your efficiency and speed. This will help you identify areas that require attention and will also assist you in identifying prospects for improving your score.

10. Cultivate Positive Mindset

Anxiety kills brain performance. Cultivating a positive mindset is a healthy habit to improve overall lifestyle. Extremely competitive and tough exams tend to stress the students and are an unavoidable part of student life. Getting enough rest and a good night’s sleep leaves you feeling energized and more focused. Manage your time well to avoid feeling overwhelmed and stressed. Going for a walk with your family or friends can prove to be a great way to unwind and feel relaxed. You can also do some form of exercise like biking, running, etc. or practice yoga and meditation to increase focus and enhance memory retention.