Burning the midnight oil

This is that time of the year when students all across the globe get a particular fever… yeah right the deadly Exam fever. The symptoms start in this way….

(Whole year we try to study or try and get near our books to start reading and understanding them but always there are lot of important and unavoidable circumstances C’mon how can we miss the  canteen chit chat, movies, internet, games, going out, chilling etc. and suddenly at the end of the semester , we come face to face to 10-20 days of study leave with the exams staring at us from the other end. 

We panic! We start searching for those books, we open them, read two - three paragraphs but can’t make any sense, we don’t understand a word from those books, we feel breathless, we start to sweat and finally give up…. Behold we have the deadly exam fever! ).

Don’t worry although it’s true that’s it’s never too late to start but it’s also true that the earlier we start the better it is

 We always end up spending long hours in front of the books the previous night studying for the next day’s paper. This eleventh hour preparation, where we have to finish revising the whole syllabus in three-to four hours is very similar to playing in a T20 match where one is expected to score maximum runs in a very short time.  

Seems difficult but it’s not, with a little bit of warm up practice & preparation (i.e. in your study leave) before this eleventh hour, one would be good to go & ready to face all the difficult deliveries with smashing success. 

 So let’s have a look at this warm up practice & preparation first.

1. First and foremost it is very necessary to organize our study area, keep all the notes of one subject together in proper order so that valuable time is saved during that crucial moment
2. Divide the available days of the study leave and make a time table for each subject. For this you may want to look at the portion of each subject and allocate days accordingly.
3. Make sure when you actually start studying, you are fresh, you are not hungry and mentally at peace.
4. Start with highlighting important points (this comes in handy during the night before exams).  After each chapter/section try and solve questions based on the topic. When you feel confident move on to the next topic.
5. Get hold of previous year’s/semester’s question papers. They help you understand the pattern of the questions plus you get an idea about the length of the paper to be solved.
6. Once you have completed a subject, try and solve 2-3 question papers with allotted time limit. If you get stuck with any particular question, do not worry move on to the next question. After you finish, go back to the unsolved questions, look up for the answers in the book and write them down. This will help you remember the answer next time you write.
7. Evaluate the paper yourself or even better get it done from your teachers (believe me they will be more than happy to see you actually studying and taking the right efforts), This will give you a rough idea about how well prepared you are.
8. Snack on brain food. Keep away from junk food and opt for a bowl of nuts instead. They're much better for the waistline and for the brain. You need to fuel your body while you study so make sure you eat nutritious food that has been proven to help your brain focus such as fish, nuts, yoghurt and blueberries

Now the night before the exam always remember to be calm and not to get over stressed with the pressure. Remember these points.

1. You have done the preparation so there is nothing to worry.
2. Get all the notes and just run through the highlighted points.
3. Check the stationary, you should have good stock of quality pens, pencil etc.
4. Do not stretch yourself with long hours at the desk. Ideally you should finish your studies before your regular sleeping time.
5. Eat well & sleep peacefully. Get up fresh and reach the exam hall well before time. If you are new to the place or if the exam hall location is new to you then it makes sense to visit the place a week before so that you are well accustomed to the route and the time required for travel.
6. While writing the paper keep checking on the time, draw margins and underline the important points.
7. Finish the paper little before the allotted time so that you get time to re-check the answers.

All the best!  And remember what David Bly (USA) said “Striving for success without hard work is like trying to harvest where you haven’t planted.”