Competition among students is rising day by day and everyone wants to score best grades today, no matter how hard they have to work for it, but the present generation is ready to go beyond their capacities and score in some excellent grades. These days competition has reached such a height that the concept of the first division has taken a back seat and these days no one is looking for anything beyond 90%. These days’ students are even not satisfied with 90%, and there are many who just aim for the perfect score. Well, there is no harm in aiming high, everyone wants a good lifestyle and a better career and the young generation is also no hesitant to put in some excessive hard-work to achieve their goals. Well, the need here is not only to put in some extra effort but also with some normal effort, an effective work-plan. Effective planning to score best grades is must these days, in order to score well.
Raising test scores is a goal at the top of every student’s principal lists. It's a task that requires focus and a multi-pronged approach along with a sincere effort. Sitting for any sort of an exam can be a pressure-filled situation for both student as well as parents and need is to deal with this pressure effectively in advance so that it may not hamper the performance of the student during the examination. And talking to teachers even the brightest and most confident of students sometimes under-perform because of the issues related to the pressure. Stress or pressure to perform is not the only reason, but one of the many reasons that affect the grades scored in by a student. It is not just the amount of time spent in by student that matters these days, but need today is an effective studying technique to empower the student to perform well in any condition. Mindfulness training may help to boost standardized test scores and improve the working memory of a student.
In order to achieve the best results, there are a lot of tips that involves the things that students need to do before, during and after an exam. These things may seem to be very small but can have a very impact on the performance of a student in his exam. A lot of students put in some great effort towards their studies with a lot of hard work and studying hours but still are not able to manage excellent results and feel really sad when their hard-word doesn’t pay. As stated earlier, need today is not only to put in hard work but along with hard-work some effective technique also. To improve your results some useful techniques can be divided into three categories:
- Knowing your goal
- Things to do before the exam
- One day prior to the exam
- Things to do on the exam day
- Behaviour during the exam
These are a few things that a student has to keep in mind to study effectively. Small changes in your study plan can have some extraordinary results on your report card. Need today is for smart learning that comes in with panning. So plan well your goals and plan to achieve your goals.
Knowing your Goal
- It is really important to know your goal well. Proper knowledge about what you want to achieve and your action plan towards your goal is a must. You cannot plan your career path without deciding which field you want to be in and what are your future goals. So it is well advised that be clear in your mind about your goals and accordingly formulate a plan to achieve your goals. Once you know what you have to achieve sit down with a pen and paper and formulate an effective study plan that includes time for studying as well as leisure activities. Remember ‘all work no play makes Jack a dull boy’. It is very important to have time for recreational activities also as you need an overall personality to achieve big and also your health is equally important. There is no point in studying whole year if you cannot appear for your exam owing to health issues that you created yourself by ignoring your health. The human body has its own needs out of which socialization and fun plays an important part. Make sure that you include in time for fun and recreation too.
- Before you plan your study schedule, make sure you have your syllabus with you and you have consulted your teacher, senior or anyone that could help you out with the importance and relevance of the topics from examination point of view. Do not hesitate in seeking help, most of the people in our country feel really proud of helping others. Once you have your syllabus and you have knowledge of areas that are consistently there in exams, time well your study hours for all the topics and also give time for self-testing.
- Look out for different resources that may help you out to access the importance of topics as well as their weight in your exam. Among the most valuable resources, you have available to you when studying are previous tests. Looking over past tests can help you improve your exam results by helping you know what to study, how to best prepare for a test, and how to focus your in-class note taking to facilitate studying that material.
Things to do Before the Exam
- An examination is not about studying a few days prior to attaining some decent grades if you really want to achieve something big in your life, you need to have clarity of each and every topic and for this, you need to study all-round the year. It is better advised to study for your exam well in advance to avoid stress during the examination time and also to have a better understanding of topics. The mindfulness class emphasizing physical and mental strategies can help a lot to maintain focus on the present moment, in the face of interrupting thoughts and perceptions.
- The students can integrate mindfulness into their daily activities and with a little focus during class can retain a lot. Small self-study session during evening or night after you are finished with your class can help you a lot in better retaining of the topics. It is also a fact that reduced mind-wandering in every way can lead to improved performance in your exam as well as enhancing your memory capacity. Hence it is also very important for the students to stay focussed and concentrated during their class.
- Once you got your study material and whole studying plan formulated, do the best you can to study the material effectively to give out best results. There are a lot of students who find studying with friends very helpful. Others do the best studying on their own. Some people learn best by reading, some by writing, and some by speaking the material out loud. Discover which style works best for you. Make your notes properly and highlight the important points by either using coloured pens of highlighters so that during the revision time you have an idea that this is something worth noting. Make sure that you have studied well whole year and also practised various mock-tests so that you are not new to the examination pattern. Do your preparation well.
One Day Prior to Exam
- Examination time can be some of the really stressful times that you have encountered. It is better to be prepared well in advance with your topics so that you are not under any fear or stress. Even if you are already a great test-taker you’re probably looking for that extra edge to create the best possible scores on your exams you do need to keep in mind few things that you need to do before taking an important exam. Your activities a day before can affect your performance in your exam to a great extent.
- A day before the exam, never try to bring in some new topics and just focus on reviewing the key Points. The day before your test is less than ideal to be first learning something and can be a very bad idea and may lead to a lot of confusion. If you are studying well all around the year then you would have already mastered the material, and it is just a matter of giving that material an extra polish a day before your exam. Stay normal and avoid stressing yourself, eat a well-balanced diet. Be sure to keep your body and your brain in peak condition by feeding it the nutrients it needs to perform at its best. Do not engage in anything that can lead to a stress situation. It is a better idea to motivate yourself a day before by picturing in mind your goals and how important your success is for you.
- A day before an important exam, a lot of students tense up also becomes forgetful at times and take shallow breaths. To maintain your cool, be sure that you breathe deeply from the diaphragm. This will help your muscles feel better and will help to clear your head and allow you to think better. If you are in a healthy state of mind, then only you can give your best in your exam. So make sure you practice healthy eating habit, have proper exercise and do not stress out a day before the exam, to give out your best during the exam.
Things to do on the Exam Day
- Examination day is a very important day, as this is the day that you have waited for the whole year. You have been studying whole year for this day and it’s your time to give out your best and your future is quite dependent on the performance you give in during your exam. This is the reason that most of the students at times get a bit stressed up and end up messing things. There is no reason for you to get stressed if you have worked hard. Remember, hard work never goes wasted. It is better to avoid the distraction of all kinds before you go to the examination centre and remain focused and motivated.
- Get up at a comfortable time in the morning, early enough that you reach your centre 30 minutes in advance and make sure that you have prepared you stationary in advance a night before and keep your stationery as well as admit card together at a safe place. Do not get up too early in the morning, and as soon you get up, behave normal and practice deep breathing to control your nervousness, also try mild exercise to stretch your muscles so that you have a good writing speed. Take your breakfast properly and have a balanced diet so that you do not feel low on energy during your exam. Avoid oily and fried food items.
Behaviour During the Exam
- Once you reach examination hall, ask the teacher to explain the directions if you don’t understand them. Budget your time well in advance according to the marks and use your watch to track the time. Don’t spend too long on any single answer. Read the questions carefully and make sure you answer the question that is actually being asked and not wastes time writing anything out of the required curricula. Answering a different question then the one asked does not help you score. Start with the easy questions first and gradually when you tend to gain confidence and fluency then you are ready to attempt the difficult part.
- Mark the more difficult questions so you know to come back to them later. Come back to the more difficult questions only after you have answered the ones which are easy for you. Do not get distracted by anything during your examination and no matter what is happening around, remain focused. Once you have attempted your paper make sure you go through your answer sheet to check out that you have attempted everything that has been asked and also everything that you have done is correct. Once you are sure of everything, handover your answer-sheet to the teacher on duty.
