7 Mantra To Excel In Exams E-Book

Prem P.Bhalla

• Herausgeber: V&S Publishers
• Kategorie: Ratgeber
• Sprache: Englisch
• Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2018

Seitenzahl: 184

Beschreibung

Practical tips to score maximum marks

Leseprobe

7 MANTRAS

TO

EXCEL IN EXAMS

by

Prem P. Bhalla BSc. (Hons.)

Prolific Writer, Career Counsellor & Management Guru

Published by:

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© Copyright: ISBN 978-935-05720-7-8

DISCLAIMER

While every attempt has been made to provide accurate and timely information in this book, neither the author nor the publisher assumes any responsibility for errors, unintended omissions or commissions detected therein. The author and publisher make no representation or warranty with respect to the comprehensiveness or completeness of the contents provided.

All matters included have been simplified under professional guidance for general information only without any warranty for applicability on an individual. Any mention of an organization or a website in the book by way of citation or as a source of additional information doesn't imply the endorsement of the content either by the author or the publisher. It is possible that websites cited may have changed or removed between the time of editing and publishing the book.

Results from using the expert opinion in this book will be totally dependent on individual circumstances and factors beyond the control of the author and the publisher.

It makes sense to elicit advice from well informed sources before implementing the ideas given in the book. The reader assumes full responsibility for the consequences arising out from reading this book. For proper guidance, it is advisable to read the book under the watchful eyes of parents/guardian. The purchaser of this book assumes all responsibility for the use of given materials and information. The copyright of the entire content of this book rests with the author/publisher. Any infringement/ transmission of the cover design, text or illustrations, in any form, by any means, by any entity will invite legal action and be responsible for consequences thereon.

 

Dedicated to

Rajiv and Rima

who are guiding their childrento excel in exams

CONTENTS

Preface

MANTRA 1 : KANTRANOW YOUR DESTINATION

Step 1. Do we need exams

Step 2. Where are you going

Step 3. Motivation

MANTRA 2 : KNOW YOURSELF

Step 1. The learning process

Step 2. The memory process

Step 3. Why do we forget

Step 4. Using the memory

Step 5. Understanding yourself

MANTRA 3 : ADOPT BETTER HABITS

Step 1. Studying effectively

Step 2. Studying habits

Step 3. Preparing for success

Step 4. A study schedule

MANTRA 4 : DEVELOP YOUR SKILLS

Step 1. Communication skills

Step 2. Language skills

Step 3. Reading skills

Step 4. Listening skills

Step 5. Concentration

Step 6. Making notes

MANTRA 5 : ADAPT ACCORDING TO NEED

Step 1. The wonderland of exams

Step 2. School exams

Step 3. College exams

Step 4. Professional college exams

Step 5. Writing a thesis

Step 6. Know your examiner

MANTRA 6 : BECOME MORE COMPETITIVE

Step 1. Competitive exams

Step 2. Objective type exams

Step 3. Pre-interview questionnaires

Step 4. Group discussions

Step 5. An interview

Step 6. Medical examination

MANTRA 7 : GIVE OFF YOUR BEST

Step 1. Aids to better preparation

Step 2. Exam anxiety and tension

Step 3. Preparing for the exam

Step 4. The exam

Step 5. Success in exams

Preface

Exams play a major role in the lives of all people. One is confronted with them on joining school. This continues up to college and even later. Entry to many vocations, both at the higher and lower levels, is dependent upon exams. Even in adult life, where learning needs to be updated regularly, exams play an important role in achieving success.

In school, students are taught a variety of subjects to equip them for adult life. However, no school teaches them how to excel in exams. Most students learn through hit-and-miss methods. Some learn it late. Many never learn it at all. It is unfortunate that youngsters are deprived of this knowledge when even those with an average IQ can excel in exams.

An effort has been made through 7 Mantras to Excel in Exams to guide youngsters to rise step by step and excel in exams. Throughout the book exercises are given so that a person can learn through practise. After each step, Points to Ponder will help one perfect a technique. Many suggestions are given to help students gain confidence and a new insight to appear in exams.

Discover the 7 Mantras. Success awaits you. Go ahead and excel in your exams!

—Prem P. Bhalla

MANTRA 1“Know Your Destination”

Why are you preparing and appearing for exams? What is your goal? Unfortunately, most students are unable to answer these simple questions. They fail to explain why they are studying in school or college. Those who answer explain they are doing so to obtain a certificate, degree or diploma. And why do they need these? To them, these are symbols of being educated and through these they hope to follow a reasonable vocation and achieve a respectable position in society.

But the real purpose of going to school and college is not to obtain certificates and degrees, but to get educated. The word education is derived from the Latin educe, which means to bring forth from within. Education is the process of preparing a person to use personal capabilities buried deep within. When one knows the purpose of education, and appears for exams that are a part of the process, the person becomes aware of his destination.

At every level of study there will be exams. Written exams, exams in practical work, viva voce, group discussions, interviews, health check-ups and a variety of other tests. Each of these is planned for a particular purpose. To prove your profciency, you will need to understand the purpose of the exams and qualify in them. Let’s proceed step by step to know our destination.

Mantra 1 : Step 1

Do We Need Exams?

Exam is an informal abbreviation of the word examination. An examination is a formal test of knowledge or ability in a subject or skill. It can also be a test of the qualifications or progress of a person.

An exam is nothing new to any educated person. As soon as one enters a school, and learns the first few alphabets, a test soon follows. The teacher wants to ascertain whether the student has learnt what was taught. New lessons are taught as the student progresses. More difficult tests follow. The word test is soon replaced by the word examination. With frequent use, the word has simply been abbreviated to exam.

Exams Begin Early

Even before a child joins school, s/he is not spared from being tested. The mother and father of the infant take pride in making the baby sit, crawl, stand up and take its first unsteady steps. They also take pride in the child’s smile and laughter, just as they are happy when the child says “Ma” or “Pa” for the first few times. The child’s abilities are freely tested before friends and relatives and it is a matter of pride and happiness for the parents when the child responds.

When children grow up and advance to higher classes, the number of subjects taught increases and so does the frequency and number of exams. There are the quarterlies, the mid-year and the final exams. That is when children question the very concept of exams. Who devised exams? Do we really need them? Is it not enough to impart the necessary knowledge and leave the rest to the person concerned? That may appear to be a reasonable way of looking at the problem, but in a civilised society it is not practical.

The Need for Exams

Let’s take a look at some interesting newspapers headlines:

Over 120,000 to appear for the preliminary PCS exam in Uttaranchal.

26,000 students apply for 120 seats in Management College.

Over 100,000 students sit for Common Admission Test (CAT).

Uttaranchal is a small state with only 13 districts. How many youth can possibly be recruited in the Public Civil Service to administer these districts? With 120,000 aspirants, can there be any other way to shortlist the best candidates than through an exam?

The Management College has 120 seats for various courses. Can it ever accommodate 26,000 aspirants? The Common Admission Test was introduced to ensure that the most capable youngsters were admitted into prestigious institutions that provide the future administration of the country’s commerce and industry.

With a large population, and ever increasing aspirants for the top positions, exams of various kinds are the only option to select the best candidates. Exams are indeed a need and not a curse, as many make them out to be.

Survival of the Fittest

Charles Darwin suggested that there is a natural process of selection in every field all the time. In the race for selection, it is the fittest that survive. We see that happening everywhere, everyday. In every sphere of life, people compete with each other to provide better products and services. This in turn means a better life for the common man. Exams play an important role in the process of selection of the best people.

Wherever there is competition, there is bound to be some tension. Doing away with exams is not a solution to end such tension. Competition is a part of life and cannot be eliminated. To counteract the tension linked with it, the solution lies in developing the correct attitude towards exams and in understanding how to be more competitive. If one can tackle exams positively, it is a definitee step towards becoming more competitive in life.

A Hurdle or Stepping-stone?

Many youth consider exams as a conspiracy to place hurdles in their path! To them every exam is a hurdle. These hurdles have been so placed that at every step some trip over them. Only a lucky few reach the finishing line. Or so such youngsters feel. This is not a positive attitude towards exams.

We need to view exams not as hurdles in life, but as stepping-stones to greater progress. Hurdles are placed at the same level. Even the finishing line is at the same level. In real life, those who succeed do not remain at the same level. They rise just as one climbs a staircase step by step. Therefore, we should perceive exams as stepping-stones to rise higher, just as we do in a staircase, slowly moving towards the top.

Look at how one makes progress in school, from kindergarten to the first, then to the second and onwards, up to the tenth and twelfth classes. Each student moves upwards as in a staircase. At the level of completing school there are many options. Each person selects an option in harmony with his skills and abilities.

Some steps are easy to climb. Others are not. It is the fittest that rise the fastest. So we should always remember that exams are not hurdles, but stepping-stones to success.

Life is an Exam

Although our immediate interest are the formal exams we encounter in everyday academic and professional life, let us not overlook that in due course everyone realises that living honourably is also an exam. Every individual undergoes tests at the hands of many people everyday. Our success depends upon our attitude. When we are positive, and take a positive outlook at what confronts us, we are successful. When we harbour doubts, we buckle.

In the same way, it is important that we learn to be positive whenever we enter an examination hall. Our attitude and confidence will take us towards success.

Exams are a Part of Life

A positive way of looking at the situation is to accept exams as a part of life. There are two elements involved in this situation: firstly, the individual who appears for the examination and, secondly, the examination. It is important that we understand all there is to know before appearing for the examination. It is equally important that we recognise our own strengths and weaknesses. When we are clear on this score, success follows.

Points to Ponder

An exam is a formal test of knowledge and skills.

Exams are a need of society.

The fittest survive in this world.

Exams help select the fittest.

Exams are not hurdles but stepping-stones to success.

Life too is an exam.

A positive attitude towards exams ensures success.

Mantra 1 : Step 2

Where Are You Going?

Do you know where you are headed? Most students do not. They simply study to go to the next higher class and because they do not want to be labelled uneducated. They want to have certificates and degrees to prove they have gone through school and college.

Can you imagine a football or hockey field without goals on either side? How will the teams play? Will they just keep moving the ball from one end to another? How will we decide the winner? Just like the players on these fields without goals, many students keep running about aimlessly with the ball! They score no goals - because there are none before them!

Lack of Goals

A major cause of low achievement is having no goals in life. Many youngsters contend that when they reach the appropriate age, the goals will appear before them. They will then score. Unfortunately, it never happens like that. Once a child begins to study, there should be a goal towards which he gradually moves. If you have nowhere to go, you will reach just there - nowhere! Just as a boat without a rudder cannot be steered towards its destination, similarly, we cannot be successful without a goal in life. Those who set out in life with definitee goals achieve much more than their friends who have no goals. This is a fact proved repeatedly.

Why We Need Goals

We need goals because they tell us where we must go. Unless we know where to go, we cannot reach there.

A very important aspect of setting goals in life is that when we accept a goal in our mind, we keep thinking about it and our mind releases a success mechanism. This success mechanism attracts individuals and circumstances that are in harmony with the goals before us. When a person decides to do a specialised course in a foreign country and makes it a burning desire in his mind in the form of a goal, he collects all the information about it gradually - details about the universities offering the course, their fee structure, the admission requirements, scholarships available etc. He studies the possibilities of employment during and after the completion of the course. If a goal were not there, none of this could be possible.

What Should Goals Be Like?

A person can have several goals for different things. However, as a student the goals that would be of immediate interest are educational goals.

First, the major goals must be fixed. It may be one such as doing an engineering degree from IIT, followed by an MBA from a top management college. Once the major goals are set, one can have smaller goals that lead to the major goals. For example, how do I prepare for the entrance exam? Should I study for it on my own, or at a good coaching institute? What institute would meet my needs? What would be the time schedule?

Even smaller goals can be bifurcated. One can have a long-term goal to be achieved in five years or more. There can be smaller goals for each year. Still smaller goals can be fixed for achievement every month or even week by week. Dedicated persons work to daily goals set every morning. As one covers the distance step by step, long stretches are covered without any fatigue. This is the magic of goal setting.

Criteria for Goal Setting

When setting goals, one must dream big. Small goals bring small results. Big goals ensure big results.

Goals must be challenging. It is the element of challenge that spurs one into action and brings out the best in a person.

Goals must be achievable. For example, a student who has a low interest in academics should not set a goal of becoming a college professor.

Goals must be fexible. If a goal is not flexible, one can get into a rut. For example, we may set a goal to secure an engineering degree from IIT. If for some reason admission is not available, we should not lose hope, but join another institution. If they are capable, graduates from other institutions make it equally big.

Goals must be time-bound. If they were not time-bound, they would lack motivation. A certain amount of work must be done in a fixed amount of time.

Ensuring We Reach Our Goal

If we want to reach our goal, it must become a burning desire within us. This is possible only when we think about it all the time.

When we forget our goal, we must be reminded about it.

To remind yourself about your goals, write them down in bold.

Display your goals on a tent-card on your writing table or paste it on your dressing table.

Discuss your goals. When you tend to forget them, your relatives and friends will remind you about them.

Review your goals from time to time. If you are on course to achieve them, fine. If there are hurdles, consider how you can cross them. When you set out on a journey with determination, you will surely reach your destination.

Does Our Work End After Setting a Goal?

No, it doesn’t. Setting a goal is only the beginning. Once a goal is set, we must prepare a plan that considers our strengths and weaknesses. It must consider the resources at hand and those that need to be arranged. The plan must also consider the hurdles we are likely to face. A timeframe must be adopted and regular evaluation of the progress must be made. Only then can we be certain that the goal will be reached.

Things to Do

Set long-term career and academic goals. Note them on a tent card and place them on your study table.

Set goals for the current year. Note down whatever you wish to achieve.

Break the annual goal into half-yearly goals, quarterly goals and monthly goals.

Learn to work on the basis of daily goals set every morning.

Here is an exercise you must do everyday:

Sit comfortably in a chair with your back straight.

Close your eyes. Take a deep breath.

Verbalise your goal. Repeat it five times.

Visualise that you have achieved your goal.

Visualise the happiness you experience after achieving the goal.

As you enjoy the happiness, thank God for His blessings.

Open your eyes, still breathing deeply.

Points to Ponder

Most people work without any goals.

To succeed, we must have goals.

We can have long-term and short-term goals.

Goals must be challenging, achievable, flexible and time-bound.

We must remind ourselves of our goals everyday.

We must plan to achieve our goals.

Mantra 1 : Step 3

Motivation

Achievers are self-starters. This means that when a person wants to achieve a definitee goal, s/he has the motivation to strive for it. A motive is a goal towards which actions are directed.

To motivate means to provide one with a motive to achieve something. What could be a better motive than to excel in exams? When one adopts this as a goal, one begins to be motivated for success. With each success this motivation grows. One becomes enthusiastic, lively and involved, besides developing an absorbing interest in work.

Motivation is a strong driving force. While on the one hand it can take one to extreme religious devotion, on the other it can generate a strong feeling within a person to even disregard death. It is such motivation that compels the youth to serve at the national borders or achieve unbelievable feats. In a war a soldier is so charged up with emotion and motivation that he even disregards death.

To excel in exams is not an extreme kind of motivation. However, to excel implies to perform exceptionally well and that means to succeed. Success is one of the greatest motivators. Each success takes one a step higher to yet another success.

How do we keep ourselves highly motivated? Dream big! Visualise success at all times. Think of the things that success brings with it. Do remember that success never comes of its own accord. It results from consistent hard work. Over the years, you will realise that hard work is a small price to pay for success.

In everyday life dedicated work brings appreciation and praise. That is extremely motivating. The love of your near and dear ones is also very motivating. The affection of the parents, brothers and sisters, other relatives and friends ensures a great sense of love and belonging.

The greatest source of motivation is being in harmony with our own selves. When we are at peace with ourselves, we are motivated. A fair balance of work, pleasure and rest is relaxing. Youngsters must be involved in outdoor activities as much as they are in academics to maintain a fair balance and achieve their goals. These activities may seem of no use, but they balance the mental effort and keep one motivated.