Plan your strategy for the board examinations It is advisable for these students to be systematic in their approach and utilise the vacation period constructively

Plan your strategy for the board examinations

It is advisable for these students to be systematic in their approach and utilise the vacation period constructively

Vacations have different implications for most students and those who will be appearing for Board examinations at the end of the following academic year. While enjoyment and entertainment generally become the priority for the former during the vacation period and sometimes even during the initial few months of the academic year, it is a totally different story for the latter. On one hand they are under pressure to ‘start studying’ and on the other, there is a fear of ‘burnout’ taking place if they try to take on too much pressure too soon. Some students feel that there is all the time in the world for them to begin studies - a whole year in fact - while others feel that there is hardly any time left for the exam. Academic experts point out that both these approaches are flawed. Ignoring studies till it too late and then setting impossible targets actually starts getting on their nerves of the students when they do begin to focus on the task at hand. They tend to go in for the ‘crash course’ method or limit the studies to ‘important questions only,’ both of which may seriously backfire later. At the same time, trying to wrap up everything in just two months of vacation can totally turn student minds off studies and they may find it impossible to regain interest afterwards. Even worse, they may be unable to remember all that they had studied after putting in so much intense effort when the crucial examination has to be attempted. The important thing is to strike a balance. Students who will be appearing for Board examinations next year need to be systematic in their approach and utilise the vacation period constructively without putting undue strain on their mental faculties. This is the time to start making preparations for study and schedule it in a serious manner so that they can avoid panic situations in future. Make a plan Prepare a time table before starting your studies. With a specific timetable or schedule, you will be able to keep a track of work that needs to be done within a certain timeframe. This should include all the subjects but not necessarily with equal priority. Assign more time for tough subjects and less for easy ones. At the same time, ensure that you also allot some time for entertainment and also that there are sufficient intervals between each subject to let the information settle in. With this, you will be able to manage your time effectively; allowing yourself to have more freedom while achieving your task. Ashish Jain, who scored well in his HSC Board examination, passing with distinction, shares, “I was not so serious about my studies during the first few months of my academic year, but later on started concentrating on them much more. Things were easier to cope with since I prepared my time table for studying on a daily basis. My entertainment and studies were also balanced.” Where to study You probably will think it doesn’t matter but it does. Choosing the right environment to study makes a lot of difference. Find a comfortable place so that you can concentrate on your studies and don’t get disturbed or distracted. Make sure the place you choose is well-lit and airy. Find yourself a comfortable chair - but make sure it is not so comfortable that you fall asleep! Keep all your study materials at one place together so you don’t have to go around searching for them and waste time in the process. Don’t choose a place that may not be available always for you. Avoid a place where you know you will be interrupted like near the television set. Also avoid choosing a place, which is either too hot or too cold or your mind’s going to be on the temperature, not on your books. Bhairav Kanojia, who just appeared for the HSC Board examinations, says, “I always prefer to study in a room set asoide for that purpose; that is the best place where I can concentrate on my studies without any distraction.” Ensure proper posture Sit in a proper manner while studying. Keep your spinal cord straight. Avoid studying on the bed or lying on the chair. Place your legs almost parallel to the ground but a little lower, otherwise it induces sleep. Even if you prefer slouching in an armchair or on the sofa, be alert that your legs are not above the head level. This will affect the blood flow direction and causes sleepiness. Poonam Dogre explains, “I always tell my son to sit in a proper posture while studying because he has a tendency of lying on the bed while reading books and I don’t want him to get into that habit.” Make brief notes Ensure you make notes while studying. Prepare small notes that are not too descriptive, keep them brief so that you can remember all points while doing revision with the help of the notes. An ideal note format should include all important formulae and figures and also other important points. It will be helpful if you use these notes for the revision during the exam as the time required is much lesser and in case If you find a particular topic difficult than you can refer for that portion in text book. Try to study one easy and one difficult chapter, this can help you to balance with your syllabus. Sunita Shetty, FYBAF student, shares, “I always make my personal notes while studying. These are very useful especially during exams and I always memorise the answers by taking the first alphabet out of each subheading and frame a word or sentence out of it. This makes the answer much easier to understand and remember.” Eat and sleep well The optimum hours for sleep are 6 hours especially in the weeks just before examinations. Make sure you sleep well, at least 6 hours a day but not more than 8 hours. Don’t fast to stay awake, it will affect your ability to retain information and use it during exams also. Prefer healthy and homemade food items. Have a glass of water before going to bed, this is essential to keep your brain cells charged. Anusha Patil, FYBMS student, says, “I always prefer to have a healthy diet during my exams and avoid junk food as far as possible. There is no point in studying hard if your health is down.” So be systematic and pace yourself to get optimum results while preparing for the next year’s Board examinations.