Some succeed because
they are destined to; but most succeed because they are determined to.
Ultimately, all depends on how determined we are to be successful.
Grace Lichtenstein has rightly said, “Your opponent, in the end, is never
really the player on the other side of the net, or the swimmer in the next
lane, or the team on the other side of the field, or even the bar you must
high-jump; YOUR OPPONENT IS YOURSELF, your negative internal voices VS your
level of determination.” How true this is for each of you students who are on
the verge of taking yet another; but a very important examination of your academic
career.
The mindset however of most of you students is in the mode of
comparison with your friends and colleagues, comparison to compete
and outperform them. We fail to understand that winning doesn't always mean
being first; winning means you have done better than you have done before. After
all, our greatest glory is not in ever failing but in rising every time we
fall.
The greatest of human
innovations have always appeared unusual and out-of-the-box in the beginning.
However, over a period of time the same unusual innovations have turned out to
be the most necessary things for mankind as a whole. Be it the advent of
electricity or the mobile phones. Technology has always played a key role in
the progress of the entire human-race. ROBOMATE+ has been one such landmark
innovations in the field of Education. As your exams are round the corner,
there could be no better tool for revision than ROBOMATE+ Education App freely
available for one and all. Video lectures of expert faculties exactly as per
your curriculum / syllabus is available for every subject (chapter-wise &
module-wise). You just need to download it from Google Play Store on your
android devices (mobile phones / TABS) and view it online umpteen numbers of
times with basic internet facility / Wi-Fi.
Preparing For Exams:
By now most of you would be through
with your basic and first round of preparations. Start a revision program in
good time before the exams. Do not get stuck to a particular topic/chapter/subject
too long. Instead, repetitively view that specific module on Robomate+ App and move
on. Viewing the modules on Robomate+ and writing it down as per exam
requirement (as explained in video lectures based on exam curriculum) rather
than just reading out is a key at this hour.
One Mock-Paper A Day (A Month before
the Exam):
‘An apple a day keeps the doctor
away’ is what you have heard for good health. I would rather say, ‘One mock
exam a day keeps the stress away’. Even the best of the cricketers of the world
ensure rigorous net-practice before each match. They don't just see the
glimpses of their previous matches where they scored centuries. Writing papers
and solving them is like the net-practice. What you do is watch your previous
matches i.e. keep reading the same matter again and again and claim that you
are revising. It’s not how much more you revise matters; but how little you
need to revise and how much more time you can devote for writing mock-exams
matters more than anything else. Also ensure that you write paper at that time
of the day when you generally feel sleepier. This will automatically help you
to stretch your study hours without too much of stress. Ensure that you
artificially, set a time of 11am whenever you start writing a paper. This will
help your body-clock to get used to 11am-2pm time frame usually followed for a
board exam.
Organizing Your Space:
Organize your space even if you have
a small room to do so. Think about where you work. See if you can separate out
the places where you work from the places where you relax. Create a working
place (around a desk/table) which contains your books, papers, etc. Move all
distractions out of your work area pictures, music, TV and put them in your
relaxation area and vice-versa. This will help not just in a physical
separation but will also aid the same mentally.
Organizing Your Time:
You may divide the week into 21
units (3 per day). You may plan for about 17-18 units per week, as it has been
shown that ability to work effectively over a prolonged period decreases over
this level. Most of the times our plans go wrong because they were planned too
tightly and did not allow for sufficient flexibility; plans need plenty of
blank space to allow for the unexpected. Each unit of three hours duration will
accustom you for a ‘3-hours-at-a-strech’ concentration span useful for your
exam duration. Each module of Robomate+ is short, precise & to-the-point
(around 5 to 7 minutes only). Hence, one can easily revise and memorize 20 to
25 modules at a stretch with the help of your study friend Robomate+ Education
App in each 3-hours unit.
Motivation:
Some people struggle with a lack of
motivation. These simple strategies may help:
Plan rewards for yourself when you have achieved goals. Start with easier/more
interesting subject. Revising by viewing modules of easier subjects will really
help you generate interest in viewing video lecture modules of subjects which
appeared challenging for you in the past. The standardization of video lectures
with easy and lucid power point presentations matching with the teachers’
delivery of lectures will make you feel as if you are reliving the classroom
experience once again at the comfort of your home just a few weeks / days
before your exam (or if needed just a day before the exam).
Improving Concentration:
People vary in how long they can concentrate
so experiment and find a work pattern that suits you. If you are finding it
very difficult to concentrate, start off by setting yourself a small,
manageable goal. As you achieve your goals, gradually increase what you set out
to do. In this way you can train yourself to concentrate more effectively.
Active Learning:
Try to revise in an active way; do
not just read notes / books through, but perhaps view a video lecture module
from Robomate+ and make a list of key points. Some people find it helpful to
use memory aids such as memorizing a ‘trigger-word’ which is associated with a
chunk of information, making a trigger word out of the initial letters of key
points or names; or finding a way of visualizing information. This is where
Robomate+ will be extremely useful and handy for every student. The exact
method used in a classroom by an expert teacher is absolutely replicated in the
video lectures. In-fact one can repeat as well as increase / decrease the pace
of viewing a particular module as per individual requirement which is not quite
possible in a classroom thus making the entire learning experience active and
interesting.
Sleeping Better:
Don't work in or on your bed; keep
bed for relaxation and sleep. Switch off before going to bed: stop working at
least an hour before you intend to sleep and spend the time doing something
more relaxing eg. Listening to music, talking to a friend, having a bath, doing
relaxation exercises, taking a stroll. If you stick to a regular bed-time and
waking-up time, it will be easier to maintain good sleeping patterns.
On The Day of the Exam:
Most students goof up at the very
end. THOMAS EDISON has rightly said, "Many of life's failures are people
who did not realize how close they were to success when they gave up". We
try and do the most complex and forget the simplest things. Revising everything
leads to probably remembering hardly anything. Try to minimize your study on
the day of exam and be as normal as you can. Go to the exam hall in the most
casual manner and ensure that even the writing instruments like pen, pencil,
etc. are used earlier by you, so as to get used to them. Most of us buy new
instruments at the start of our examinations which is not quite correct.
Remember, even the best of batsman ‘season their bats’ by playing a few strokes
during net practice before playing a match. Finally the time will arrive for
which you have burnt the mid-night oil throughout the year. Always remember, it
is those three hours that will matter the most. After all, it's how you perform
in the match that matters; not how you prepared for it! GO GET IT. YES YOU CAN!
If You Start To Panic During An
Exam:
In an examination situation it is
not uncommon for one's mind to go blank for a moment, or to be confused by a
question put in an unfamiliar way. First, pause for a few moments; put your pen
down and sit back; slow your breathing down a little. Let your body relax. Push
upsetting thoughts to the back of your mind and re-focus your attention on
relaxing, and then back on the exam itself. No matter how bad the anxiety
feels, do not leave the exam as the anxiety level will fall within a short span
of time. Panic is always for a limited time and the symptoms will reduce in a
short while. When you are able, get back to work; remember that it is better to
put something down rather than nothing.
After the Examination:
Before the day of the exam, it can
be a good idea to decide what you are going to do immediately after the exam
ends. Standing around and joining in with others' delight or dismay is almost
always discouraging. If you have something already planned you can simply leave
others to do the post-mortem, while you go and do something more enjoyable. Stephen
Covey has rightly said, "Live out of your imagination, not your
history."
Summing it up…
I would like to say that
these are only certain parameters which you can ponder upon. Ultimately, when
we learn to swim, we are just taught hand and leg movements. These tips are
like that. What will actually matter is your determination to swim across the
ocean of examination and emerge victorious on the other side of the shore. I am
sure you can and you will succeed on your path towards glory.
Always remember,
If you think you are beaten, you are. If you think you dare not, you
don't. If you want to win, but think you
can't, it’s almost an inch you won't. If
you think you'll lose, you're lost; for out in the world we find,Success begins with a fellow's will; it’s all in the state of the
mind. Life's battles don't always go to the stronger and faster man,But sooner or later the man who wins is the man who thinks he can.
Compiled ByShrenik Kotecha