Time management is essential to crack the competitive exams
The author stresses on the importance of time management while attempting examinations
A common complaint that can be heard from students after appearing for their exams is that they are unable to complete their paper, within the given time frame. One of the key reasons behind this is that equal amount of time is not given per question, which delays completion of the paper. At such an occasion, time management is crucial to help students reach their goal within the given set in time. The following are a few key pointers to help students manage their time efficiently to crack those competitive exams.
Planning and Preparedness
Planning is key to competitive exams’ preparation like JEE Main. A structured and detailed plan not only will help the students in having a better focus on their subjects but also will help them to have an overview of the syllabus in one go.
Planning should be done at the initial stage, revision stage as well as while appearing for the exam. This helps in gaining more confidence towards completing the exam within the allocated time, while also allocating enough time for revision. Prioritizing the ‘to-do’ list will ensure that all tasks are completed within the stipulated time. Revision once will not be sufficient, as it is important to link different concepts to be able to target the right kind of questions, without any doubts. By being prepared at an early stage, will help students appear more confident nearer to the date of the examination.
Understand the pattern
Having a thorough understanding of the question paper pattern is a must. Both boards and JEE Main follow a specific paper pattern. In order to score well in JEE-Mains it is important that the students have a thorough knowledge about the pattern and can use it strategically to score well. This will help in division of time and will help them analyze their preparation for the test. The students need to note the differences between the board exam paper pattern and the IIT pattern so that they do not get confused between the two. Note there are no step marking in IIT’s.
Maintain Calmness
The pressure to bring out good results during the exam, might lead to a lot of stress for the student. It is important for students to remain calm during their time of preparation as well as while appearing for the exam, as often, stress too plays a negative role in the performance. Additionally, stress reducing activities such as playing games, reading, among other such activities adopted by the student.
Division of Time
At the time of writing the exam, the biggest fear that a student has is “Will I be able to complete my paper?” Division of time is crucial at such a juncture wherein the student needs to allocate a small amount of time for the easy questions, a moderate amount of time for the moderately difficult questions and a good amount of time for the difficult questions. Deadlines should be set for each question thus allowing the student to focus on the tougher sets. Students must ensure that sufficient time is spent on revision. Mock test papers and previous year test papers of JEE Main will help the students polish their concepts to ensure better results. According to the experts, students need to dedicate a considerate amount of time for revision and preparations closer to the date of the exam. Even while studying for board exams, students should practice on the previous year's papers to gain a better understanding. This will enhance the study process of the student.
Easy to Hard
While attempting the exam, it is important to keep a lookout for those questions which would be judged as difficult, against those which are easy. By working on the easy questions at the first go, it will help allocate enough time to complete those questions which are difficult and would need more time to complete. A few keys such as a thorough idea of tables from1-50, cubes from 1-25 and periodic tables from 1-36 on their fingertips, helps students save at least 16 seconds on each response.
With proper time management, as well as being prepared mentally, will help students ace the exam with confidence and come out with flying colours.
The author is Prof. Uday Nath Mishra, Chief Academy Officer, Basicfirst
