It's a battlefield and the place is ruthless. It does not matter now how young you are. It is the matter of the best man reaching the top; it is not only the test of intelligence, but also how one scores on the parameters of resilience, tenacity and quick thinking. There is increasing pressure on today's youth to find his or her place under the sun and anything that is achievable and of consequence shall have to be fought for. Making a mark requires efforts of another standard altogether. Competitive exams have become customary for selection to various professional courses in our country. In spite of the shortcomings of such a system, competitive exams are a reality for the multitude of students who appear in them each year.
Students need to scrap their way through a tightly guarded route to the precious seats in top order institutes if they intend to arrive anywhere in life. The process of selection everywhere is becoming extremely knotty. There are screening tests to determine those who can compete for the handful of coveted slots further and then, of course, there are several rounds to gauge various facets of one's personality. There are various means adopted and filters put in place to ensure that the worthiest and the best are picked out of a whole jumble of candidates. The demand for seats is quite overwhelming but the supply is only limited. The effect of this lopsided scenario is that the contest becomes closely fought.
Many a times one reads the success stories of candidates who have earned their victories, according it to various reasons. However, the one mantra that never fails to repeat itself without exception in each candidate's story is: well planned, consistent preparation. There is no substitute to hard work. It could be any exam, in any field of work—civil services, medicine, management, engineering etc. The truth remains that the approach has to be similarly shaped. Remember that the journey of a thousand miles begins with but a single step. Here is a looking at what it takes to crack the exams that seem tough, and how best to get started.
Knowing yourself
It does not take much to get lost in the confusing mix one has around, especially at the age bracket that sits for the competitive exams. There may be a cousin who looks impressive in the new uniform after clearing his defence services exam, an uncle who looks distinguished and well heeled after significant number of years in the merchant navy, a doctor aunt who receives all the kudos and goodwill with her contribution to well being of people, a businessman neighbour whose house seems to be bursting at the seams with wealth! It is easy to form notions about a career by looking at the superficial level and get excited into making a decision.
However, without probing deeper one may not be able to make a right decision. What must also be kept in mind is that not only should one explore externally about the careers in detail, there has to be a good amount of effort going into looking inward…knowing yourself. What is it that excites you? What subjects do you enjoy? What do you have a knack for? What are the skills that come naturally to you? Could there be a career that involves these factors? Because if it does, not only is there a good chance of success, there is also the great advantage of being able to enjoy what you do!
The uniform may look impressive but are you capable of enduring the training, staying away from family, putting your life on the line for the nation? The air hostess job may seem glamorous but can you stand the rigours of frequent air travel, are you comfortable serving strangers? The doctor may command a lot of respect but his skills and effectiveness calls for a consistent working on—academically as well as in practice, there are years and years of study and well it is a dedicated life. Merchant Navy may have spelt a lot of money earlier but it also meant living out of the suitcase and being at sea.
It makes sense to be aware of career choices at the level of class ten. If the youngster is able to make an assessment of his likes and dislikes; shortcomings and strengths, there is nothing like it. It may seem a little less likely with the few years they have seen, but these days it is very much possible. With these factors in mind one can opt for a course of study that will pave a smooth way to the career of
liking. If the clarity is still elusive, one may choose subjects that leave the spectrum of choice quite open while still equipping him or her to move forward.
Scouting the environment
One has to identify the exam that needs to be cracked to pave way for career realisation. One must zero in on the institutes that offer quality education and where one can achieve one's dreams. The detailed brochures and prospectus must be procured so that a realistic perspective of the demands of the course can be assessed in terms of academic input as well as financial impact it would be making on your pocket. There will be numerous institutions for popular fields of study. One must avoid being hustled by the "playing it safe mindset" and fill up every form that seems available.
There is a focused and linear goal and then there is the scattered vision. One often loses the resolve and focus when so many situations cloud rational thinking. What one may be able to achieve working with fewer choices will be definitely more qualitative and worthwhile than what one achieves after grappling frantically in all directions. And all this is better done a year or two before you actually intend to take an exam. Understanding the syllabi and practising the format may be a tougher ballgame than most think…which is why they are the competitive exams and a handful are able to clear them.
Devising a Plan
The candidate has to assess in all seriousness how badly he wants to get the seat. There are thousands and in some cases as the civil services, a couple of lakh aspirants, slowly weaving their way through. The candidate must be quite sure of his level of motivation. Without a high level of motivation, no one can go through the rigorous preparation process. Thus, one must be absolutely determined to put in best efforts in the endeavour.
After having sorted that out, one must set inspiring goals, but limit oneself to setting few short-term goals and as many long-term goals as you want. Few short-term goals ensure that they are achievable without being unrealistic. The latter kind of goals may end up frustrating the individual as they will be hard to achieve. Tell yourself that you will do the first chapter of the physics manual. Gradually, as you pick up pace along the week, you may include chemistry or maths too. 'Gradually' is the key word here followed by 'consistent effort', after the discipline has been achieved. Large inspiring goals put your subconscious mind to work, creating paths of achievement. As you set short-term goals, choose goals that are contributory to realisation of your larger goal. Your goals should also inspire you and review you as a person.
The more specific your goals, the more focused your mind becomes. Zig Ziglar, one of the most acclaimed motivational speakers, asks his audiences a question which might be of great consequence to each individual standing at the crossroads: "Do you want to be a meaningful specific, or a wandering generality?" Also, be sure to have a tough conversation with yourself, determining how desperate you are to achieve your goal and whether you are willing to give it what it takes to reach there.
Setting big, specific, measurable and inspiring goals can be a daunting task. It is not necessary for a person to be clear on how to achieve these goals; one should want to achieve them. A lot of people fail to achieve their goals in life because they tell themselves they don't know how. This is just an excuse for inaction. The truth is, when we focus on what we want with passion, the way to get there becomes evident. Each step taken with sincerity takes us closer to the goals.
Students mostly flounder because of the different approaches of the various competitive exams. It is basically a process of elimination. Many a times the competitive exams for different institutions offering similar education may not conform to the same pattern and students at times have difficulty in preparing for more than one exam. In the school and college level exams one can mug up and write the paper. But for the competitive examinations, one needs speed, accuracy and a quality of intelligent guesswork—a combination that can be acquired by a great deal of practice.
After the preliminaries have been met with one needs to take a stalk of the time one has before the exam. It is always a wise thing to take cover before the showers begin—if you have been wise enough to prepare a year or two in advance, there is nothing like it. You can adopt an extensive approach to your studies. This begins with the comprehensive and all encompassing study of the textbooks available and recommended for the prescribed syllabi. Selection of the right study material is extremely important. One should not go for short-cuts in the form of solving number of Multiple Choice Questions (MCQs). The answers vary greatly and you may not know what the correct answer if you have not read the standard textbooks.
The correct approach would be to understand the chapters/concepts in detail and later practice with sufficient number of questions. A very common problem plaguing the students concerns balancing the school studies with competitive exam study. There is a simple solution to it. It can work if the person can look at it as an integrated whole rather than two assignments to deal with. General academic studies can be incorporated within the scheme of one's competitive exams' preparation strategy. Each chapter is better regarded as a concept to be understood than as a quantum of information to be mugged. Segregating it as two separate works adds up the task.
In case you are short of time but are confident of having a go at the exam, an intensive study strategy works the best. You should sift the chaff from the grain and be able to focus on the areas that will cover the largest parts of the syllabus safely. Instead of doing an in-depth study, one may opt to do practice sessions with MCQs and notes. However, even here there will be no gain if the commitment is partial.
The necessary evil
This is one of the biggest dilemmas and a source of worry for most students preparing for competitive exams—to join a coaching institute or not! The perception today among the students is that without having stint at a coaching institute it is virtually impossible to crack a competitive exam. So is it really that they hold the key to success?
The primary requirement of any exam is proficiency at a level in basic subjects, the information for which is available through textbooks. There are various correspondence courses and other coaching institutions serving as supplementary and complementary material to the textbook material. There are the top notch ones for whom providing the guidance sincerely is the raison d'être. And then there are the money making machines that can be found dime a dozen. It pays to visit these centres and talk to some of the faculty as well as students already enrolled there about the strategy followed and the previous results before signing up at one of these places.
Though it may appear to be the done thing, students must assess on various para-meters: whether it is worth the while to fall in line with others and jump into the bandwagon. One has to see one's own calibre, time consumed in shifting from one venue of coaching to other, affordability, getting your money's worth as well as assessment of reality. There has to be a real joy derived out of learning and one has to be driven from the inside to aim for a certain exam. If one is doing it just because it is socially held prestigious, it may end up in being utterly wasted.
Before the exams
There is an old saying that goes "rest before test, is the best". And there is much truth to it. It is only natural that there will be a lot of doubt and fear creeping in the minds of even the best of students. And the panic makes it worse. There is a last ditch effort to cram whatever possible up to the last minute and this is definitely not a good idea. What you have not been able to achieve in a year or six months of preparation, you certainly will not be able to in a day.
Give yourself a day off, to gain composure, rest the mind and relax. It is an absolute must if you wish to be able to think logically and coherently with the exam paper in front of you. Arrange and pack your required items for the exam the day before—pen, roll number, identity card, calculator if allowed and such like things. Saves time and fumbling on the D-day.
Candidates react differently to the situation before them outside the exam venue. However, whatever you do should not make you uncomfortable. Control your emotions and feel at ease. Let your rational mind take over. Take deep breaths and compose yourself. Stop and think that you need to gain mileage out of what you already know and not lose out on that in thinking about what you have not
studied or waste precious energy in thinking about 'what if's'.
Sometime the candidates mark the incorrect option though they know the answer. It is an error that stems from not being careful. The candidate should have been more alert. It is important that one be absolutely alert to the real meaning of the question. It so happens that on a cursory look two questions may appear to be the same and yet they are absolutely different. For instance, when was the Constitution of India adopted? And when was the Constitution of India enacted? Appear to be almost the same but their answers are not the same at all. The Constitution of India was adopted on November 26, 1949 but was enacted on January 26, 1950.
Exams and stress
In daily life, there could be a natural choice—the use of two kinds of coping strategies, positive or negative. Positive coping includes time management, proper nutrition, healthy relationships and social support, regular exercise, recreational activities, sufficient sleep, vacations, meditation, relaxation techniques, a sense of humour, auto-suggestion, self-hypnosis, creative visualization, massage and yoga, to name a few. Negative coping includes smoking, drinking, drugs, food, tranquilizer and stimulants like tea and coffee. It does require a little effort but once you have conquered your mind, the exams are like a piece of cake.
Life is an exam at all steps and it is an assessment of how many effective decisions you can take consciously and in a level-headed fashion. All the best and take the bull by the horns. It is a risk worth taking.
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| | Things to Remember
- A well worked strategy, diligence and a fired ambition are the keys to achievement of your aim.
- Candidates should go through the syllabus in detail.
- One should look over the previous year question papers and analyse the question papers pertaining to different chapters. The analysis will give an idea how the questions are asked.
- One should make out the areas where the thrust has been given over the year.
- Give more emphasis on the areas from where
- maximum questions have been asked.
- Collect the standard books which cover the maximum topics. This exercise should be done as early as possible.
- Focus on reading and assimilating what you have zeroed in on. There will be as many suggested lists as many people wanting to clear it.
- Persistence pays. Whenever you feel bogged down have faith in yourself and the almighty.
- Have your goals clear. Have one aim and work at till you have put in your best.
- Practice as many model question papers as possible before the exams. Follow the time frame with sincerity.
- Be realistic. You will know how much time you have to be able to complete the syllabus. Divide time accordingly.
- Never underestimate a subject/topic.
- Start with a positive approach and visualize the best happening to you.
- Discipline and time management are crucial. No one got anywhere without adopting the two.
- Have confidence in yourself. A negative self-image can be very detrimental to your preparation.
- Do not look at how much your counterparts have achieved. Instead try to make the best out of them.
- It is important to have a source of recreation/
- enjoyment. Something like sports, music or other art forms. Regular exercise every day helps to refresh the mind and maintain a healthy body.
- The journey to the end is often arduous, especially with exams like the civil services. Patience and dedication will see you through.
- Talk to your friends, parents, mentor, or any person who makes you feel happy and boosts your self-confidence. It helps in staying put on the path.
- Do not concentrate on the result. Enjoy the journey. Enjoy learning.
- Do not invest your emotions into the exam completely. Remember that you are more important than the end result. Save yourself the depression that follows from such an approach.
- The result is not a statement on your abilities. There are only a limited number of seats. An exam and its outcome cannot spell the dawn of fortune or the end of the world. Just treat it as an achievement and do not let it become the be all and end all of your existence.
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