How to Excel in Competitive How to Excel in Competitive

Examinations Examinations
A Separate Presentation? A Separate Presentation?
How to Excel in Competitive
Examinations?
Well! Everyone seems to knows this. Well! Everyone seems to knows this.
Your typical stratey is iven in the next
sli!e.
"
Is this your answer? Is this your answer?
Well! Everyone knows this. #y stratey
is$
%n!erstan! all the concepts an! &un!amentals
well. well.
Prepare all the topics thorouhly.
Practice 'y repeatin !i&&icult an! lenthy
(uestions.
Stu!y more than )$*$+n+ hours a !ay. ,r more.
What more-..?
.
What More..?
Yes! Seems you are &ocuse! to your
stu!ies.
/ut the (uestion is a'out competitive
examinations. examinations.
What !i&&erences0 on preparation level0
you plan you are oin to make &or
competitions?
1hink--
2
Competitive Examinations are Competitive Examinations are
3i&&erent! 3i&&erent!
At school0 i& you stu!y more0 practice well0
you may et more marks than your
&rien!s.
4n your class0 you may 'e compare! to 4n your class0 you may 'e compare! to
some 56$766$756 stu!ents &rom all the
sections.
/ut0 in competitive examinations0 you
miht 'e one o& a million or so.
5
Competitive Examinations are Competitive Examinations are
3i&&erent! 3i&&erent!
At school0 you more or less know what
your co$stu!ent is !oin. 4s he or she
preparin 'y some particular ui!e$'ook0
or takin tuition &rom a oo! teacher0 or or takin tuition &rom a oo! teacher0 or
has 8oine! some correspon!ence course.
9ot only this0 you know a lot a'out your
co$stu!ents stu!y level an! can easily
compare with them to evaluate your
level.
)
Competitive Examinations are Competitive Examinations are
3i&&erent! 3i&&erent!
%n&ortunately0 this is not the case with
competitive examinations.
You nee! to look at these with a !i&&erent You nee! to look at these with a !i&&erent
point o& view.
*
:esult Analysis Show :esult Analysis Show
4n a competitive exam0 suppose the
topper ets 2.6 marks0 while the cut o&& is
7*6 marks.
1here are aroun! ;0666 stu!ents who 1here are aroun! ;0666 stu!ents who
clear the exam. While aroun! 760660666
appear in exam.
Every sinle mark can 'oost your rank 'y
.6 or more.
;
1ypical :esults 1ypical :esults <441=EE "66;> <441=EE "66;>
?
Analysis Analysis
1he .6 stu!ents &or one mark is &or the
selecte! stu!ents. 4n &act0 one mark may
alter your rank much more than that.
4t may even alter your possi'ilities to 4t may even alter your possi'ilities to
clear or not.
1he present presentation &ocuses on
1HA1 ,9E #A:@.
76
Conventional Stu!y Conventional Stu!y
77
Enineere! Stu!y Enineere! Stu!y
Sir0 i& you nee! 2 hours to sharpen your axe0
why !on+t you et a oo! sharpenin tool?
You may sharpen axe within a &ew minutes.
7"
Enineere! Stu!y Enineere! Stu!y
Axe Sharpein-.
7.
,nly har! work is not enouh. You nee!
to sharpen your tools <'rain> to et 'est
results.
72
#ental Preparation #ental Preparation
75
#ental Preparation #ental Preparation
#ental preparation is extremely
important &or ettin the 'est
per&ormance in examinations.
1his inclu!e trainin your 'rain to not et 1his inclu!e trainin your 'rain to not et
!istracte! easily !urin stu!y0 ac(uirin
necessary willpower to say no to your 1A
serial &or oin to stu!y0 an! o& course0
ettin accustome! to remain calm !urin
last minute
7)
Concentration Concentration
4t is a common pro'lem
that our min! starts
thinkin somethin else
while we are stu!yin.
1he thouht may 'e 1he thouht may 'e
any$ a son &rom a
recent movie0 a !ialoue
&rom a &amous serial etc.
9ext &ew sli!es show
some tricks to maintain
your concentration.
7*
O = One Think At a Time O = One Think At a Time
#ake your min! a !eal it canBt re&use. Yes0 the
min! takes 'ri'es. 4nstea! o& tellin it 9,1
to think a'out another topic0 assin it a
sinle task with start$stop time parameters.
4n case you are stu!yin linear motion0 an! 4n case you are stu!yin linear motion0 an!
your 'rain starts thinkin a'out some movie0
speak to yoursel&0 4+ll think o& movie a&ter
solvin these 5 (uestions.
A&ter 5 (uestions0 your min! may &oret the
movie.
7;
O = One Think At a Time O = One Think At a Time
Still canBt et other concerns out o& your
hea!? Write them !own on your to$!o
list so youBre &ree to &oret them. 9ow0
you !onBt have to use your 'rain as a you !onBt have to use your 'rain as a
Cremin!erC 'ulletin 'oar!0 which means
you can ive your un!ivi!e! attention to
your top priority su'8ect.
7?
Say D9,+ to 1A E Fames Say D9,+ to 1A E Fames
9o0 9o0 9o0 9o0 9o! 4 am not sayin you
shoul! not watch 1A.
However0 you must !evelop a capa'ility to
8ust switch o&& imme!iately whenever
your 'rain or!ers. At most interestin your 'rain or!ers. At most interestin
time !urin a serial0 8ust at last ame 'all
at a cricket match0 ather capa'ility to
turn your hea! aroun! 8ust to miss it.
You shoul! not 'ecome slave o& 1AG 1A
shoul! 'e your slave.
"6
U = Use Your Hands as Blinkers U = Use Your Hands as Blinkers
What i& you want to switch to telephoto &ocus?
What i& you have to prepare &or a test an! you
nee! 766H concentration? Cup your han!s
aroun! your eyes so you have Ctunnel visionC an!
are lookin solely at your text 'ook. Placin your
han!s on the si!e o& your &ace 'locks out
surroun!ins so they are literally Cout o& siht0 out
han!s on the si!e o& your &ace 'locks out
surroun!ins so they are literally Cout o& siht0 out
o& min!.C 1hink a'out the importance o& those
wor!s.
:emem'er0 usin your han!s as 'linkers every
time you want to narrow your &ocus teaches your
'rain to switch to Cone trackC min! an!
concentrate on your comman!.
"7
Dont Forget! Dont Forget!
""
3o Calculations 9ee! more 1ime? 3o Calculations 9ee! more 1ime?
Are you one o& those stu!ents who &in!
numerical pro'lems an! calculations
!i&&icult?
Are you &on! o& usin calculators too Are you &on! o& usin calculators too
o&ten0 an! are worrie! that calculators are
not allowe! in examination hall?
Are you a&rai! that low calculatin spee!
may result in a loss o& sini&icant time in
the exam?
".
%n!erstan! Your /rain %n!erstan! Your /rain
1ake a simple test$
A!! * I ? in your min!. How much time
!o you nee! to solve this?
#ultiply ; J ) in your min!. 3o you nee! #ultiply ; J ) in your min!. 3o you nee!
much time?
9ow0 a!! ".* I 77) in your min!.
Stuck! 9ee!in more time. Why?
"2
How ,ur /rain Works? How ,ur /rain Works?
We are very oo! in
'asic operations like
a!!ition0 su'traction0
multiplication an!
!ivision. !ivision.
/ut0 the num'er we
keep asi!e <carry>
&or usin later on0 is
!i&&icult to save K
retrieve.
"5
How ,ur /rain Works? How ,ur /rain Works?
Lortunately or un&ortunately0 we are
aware o& this0 an! take a!!itional steps so
the store! num'er is easily availa'le when
re(uire!.
")
re(uire!.
4n other wor!s0 we can say our :,# is
oo!0 'ut :A# is not so oo!. ,r
pro'a'ly0 sen!in !ata to :A# an!
retrievin it is a slow process.
Similar Pro'lems Similar Pro'lems
#any o& us have ma!e stupi! mistakes 8ust
!ue to this.
:emem'er when a (uestion aske! a!! "*
an! .*0 an! you have a!!e! "* an! 5* in an! .*0 an! you have a!!e! "* an! 5* in
your note'ook or somethin similar.
1his is a clear case o& &orettin a num'er
within a &raction o& a secon!.
"*
What Can We 3o? What Can We 3o?
So0 this is a part you nee! to 'e extra
care&ul &or calculations part.
As most competitive examinations !o not
allow stu!ents to use calculators0 make a allow stu!ents to use calculators0 make a
ha'it to practice numerical pro'lems
without a "al"ulator!
";
4mprovin :A# 4mprovin :A#
With 'rain you cannot 8ust et a hiher
capacity :A# car! an! replace it.
Practice with some Dmental a'ility+ an!
Deneral reasonin+ type worksheets. Deneral reasonin+ type worksheets.
Slowly an! slowly0 you will start &eelin
the !i&&erence.
"?
What Can We 3o to 4mprove What Can We 3o to 4mprove
Calculation Spee!? Calculation Spee!?
1ry to practice calculation spee! with
class .$2$5 worksheets. 3on+t shy!
#ake a taret to solve such one hr.
worksheets within say 76$7" minutes. %se worksheets within say 76$7" minutes. %se
a stopwatch to note !own your time.
A&ter some time0 try to solve these 8ust in
your min!0 without actually solvin the
pro'lems with pen an! paper0 'ut write
only the answer &or checkin later.
.6
:emem'erin 1hins :emem'erin 1hins
.7
."
..
.2
,ther Preparations ,ther Preparations
.5
Environment Environment
#ake sure you$re "om%orta&le M ensure
that your chair an! !esk are at the riht
heiht &or you.
'hut out distra"tions as mu"h as
(ossi&le M Nistenin to music can help0 (ossi&le M Nistenin to music can help0
especially i& itBs instrumental music. You may
even use noise like ocean waves0 or &allin
rain <prerecor!e!>. 1his is calle! white noise.
1his stea!y 'ackroun! noise can !rown out
other noise0 helpin you &ocus 'etter an!
inore !istractions.
.)
9utrition 9utrition
Drink water M Nack o& water can make us &eel
tire!0 irrita'le0 slow0 or even sick. When our 'rains
!onBt have enouh &lui!0 they canBt operate at
peak per&ormance. Stayin hy!rate! is an easy way
to help improve your concentration !urin the
!ay. !ay.
)at Healthy M4tBs much har!er to concentrate
when youBre hunry0 so eat a well$roun!e! meal
'e&ore you o to stu!y. You can also help your
concentration throuhout the !ay 'y keepin
healthy snacks at your stu!y ta'le. Almon!s0
whole$rain crackers0 &resh &ruit0 an! veeta'les
are oo! choices.
.*
/rain Exercises /rain Exercises
When the 'rain
is tire!0 we
cannot learn
thins well0 an!
our capa'ility our capa'ility
!rops. 4& we can
enhance our limit
o& ettin tire!0
we !e&initely can
per&orm 'etter.
.;
F = Fi*e #ore +ule F = Fi*e #ore +ule
:ea! &ive more paes. Linish &ive more
math pro'lems. Work &ive more minutes.
=ust as athletes 'uil! physical stamina 'y
pushin past the point o& exhaustion0 you
can 'uil! mental stamina 'y pushin past can 'uil! mental stamina 'y pushin past
the point o& peak stress. Continuin to
concentrate when your 'rain is tire! is
the key to S$1$:$E$1$C$H$4$9$F your
attention span an! 'uil!in mental
en!urance.
.?
Stu!y a While when Your /rain Stu!y a While when Your /rain
3oesn+t Nike 3oesn+t Nike
4& you are tire! a&ter a cricket match0 or
too relaxe! while watchin a movie0
&eelin sleepy a&ter a heavy meal0 or too
hunry0 it is o&ten !i&&icult to stu!y. hunry0 it is o&ten !i&&icult to stu!y.
1rain your 'rain to 'e capa'le o& stu!yin
even at that Otouh timesP. Su!!enly0
!ivert your min! &rom the Dpro'lem+ to a
short 'ut 'rain stormin D#aths pro'lem+.
26
Sleep to Wake Sleep to Wake$ $up 1ime up 1ime
1ime 'etween your sleep an! when you wake
up is extremely important.
3evelop a ha'it o& imme!iately leavin the 'e!
a&ter you open your eyes.
1his ha'it helps you comman! your laQiness in 1his ha'it helps you comman! your laQiness in
,9E,LL mo!e. A&ter sleep0 it is !i&&icult to run
imme!iately0 'ut such practices help your 'rain
to run imme!iately a&ter rest.
27
Stu!y in 9oise Stu!y in 9oise
4t is o&ten !i&&icult to stu!y while hearin
some son0 news or someone is talkin
alou!.
Lor short !urations0 try stu!yin while
such !istractions are there to !eviate such !istractions are there to !eviate
your min!. 4& possi'le0 play some
recor!in initially at low volume0 an!
increase volume in each sittins slowly.
Such exercise will help your 'rain sayin
9, to !istractions.
2"
:emain Cool :emain Cool
#any o& the stu!ents et irritate!0 tense
while the exam is 8ust to &inish. 4t is in the
same way0 you o&ten 'ecome tense while
your &avorite cricket match is near an en!.
1ry to remain cool throuhout the exam. 1ry to remain cool throuhout the exam.
Ask yourselves imme!iately a&ter mock tests0
or class tests etc.0 OWas 4 a'le to remain cool
!urin the whole exam?P
4& you wish0 learn a couple o& DY,FA+
techni(ues &or the same.
2.
:emain Cool0 ,therwise You+! :emain Cool0 ,therwise You+!
Leel-.. Leel-..
22
/rain Exercises /rain Exercises
%se 'rain exercises in &orms o& ri!!les0
puQQles etc.
25
Time #anagement Time #anagement
1ime #anaement plays an
important role in Competitive
Examinations now a !ays.
Without time manaement Without time manaement
you !on+t et enouh results
even with stu!yin the 'est.
So ive &irst priority to time
manaement an! make 'est
use o& availa'le time.
2)
/o!y Clock /o!y Clock
3o you know each one o& us
has a clock in our 'o!y.
Practice to &eel its presence.
:emin! yourselves several
times while oin to sleep0 times while oin to sleep0
O4+ve to wake up tomorrow at
*R66A#P. Set alarm at *R65A#
in case you !on+t wake up.
Within some !ays0 you shall
'e a'le to wake up without an
alarm.
2*
/o!y Clock /o!y Clock
4n a similar way0 i& you know your exam is
sche!ule! at 76R66A# to 7R66P#0 make a
practice to stu!y at !urin this time at
least 76$75 !ays 'e&ore exam. least 76$75 !ays 'e&ore exam.
1his will make your 'o!y clock tune! to
exam time0 an! you+ll 'e a'le to per&orm
'etter.
2;
,now Your 'trength and ,now Your 'trength and
-eakness -eakness
Your strenth an!
weakness play an
important role in
competitive exams. competitive exams.
4t 'ecomes
extremely important
to have your '-OT
analysis !one.
2?
SW,1 Analysis SW,1 Analysis
Strenth
O4 can stu!y lon hours without 'reakP
O4 have oo! comman! over ,ranic ChemistryP
O4 love solvin numerical pro'lemsP
Weakness
O4 8ust cannot resist skippin C43 or action serialsP O4 8ust cannot resist skippin C43 or action serialsP
O#o'ile ames are my passion. 4+ve score! more than 70660666
in D1emple :un+P
,pportunity
OExtra class 'ein oraniQe! in our school to improve our
stu!iesP
1hreat
O4n!ia$Pak match live telecast tomorrow. 4+ve to loose my &ive
hours o& stu!y time.P
56
57
SW,1 SW,1
Havin un!erstoo! your strenth an!
opportunities0 you et more con&i!ence in
you.
Similarly0 i& you have liste! your weakness Similarly0 i& you have liste! your weakness
an! threats0 you may take necessary steps
to overcome many o& these.
SW,1 helps not only in exams0 'ut
everywhere in your li&e.
5"
Complete Your #atrix Complete Your #atrix
5.
Strateies Lormation Strateies Lormation
52
1ime #anaement &or Exam 1ime #anaement &or Exam
%n!erstan! the pattern o& Exam
Evaluate the pattern
Stu!y how can you et the 'est
Practice your stratey. Practice your stratey.
However0 'e prepare! &or su!!en
unexpecte! chanes.
55
%n!erstan! the Pattern o& Exam. %n!erstan! the Pattern o& Exam.
,& course0 most exams are 'ase! upon
your per&ormance in o'8ective tests.
You are suppose! to choose an option
out o& &our or &ive availa'le an! !arken its out o& &our or &ive availa'le an! !arken its
circle.
4n some exams0 there may 'e more than
one options an! to et marks only an! all
o& the correct answers shoul! 'e circle
!arkene!.
5)
Pattern o& Exam! Pattern o& Exam!
1he a'ove points hol! oo! &or most o&
the competitions. /ut there is somethin
else to look at.
A close look at a typical exam looks like$ A close look at a typical exam looks like$
5*
Exam Pattern Evaluation Exam Pattern Evaluation
756 (uestionsG . Hours
Averae timeR *" secon!s per (uestion
4& you re!uce time &or rea!in an! un!erstan!in a
pro'lem0 you et averae )6 secon!s only.
1ypical time re(uire! &or solvin$
"5 (uestionsR 675$625 secon!s per (uestion
*5 (uestionsR 6.6$7"6 secon!s per (uestion
.6 (uestionsR *5$.66 secon!s per (uestion
"6 (uestionsR 756$)66 secon!s per (uestion
5;
Stratey Stratey
"5 (uestionsR 675$625 secon!s per (uestion
*5 (uestionsR 6.6$7"6 secon!s per (uestion
.6 (uestionsR *5$.66 secon!s per (uestion
"6 (uestionsR 756$)66 secon!s per (uestion
4!enti&y the (uestions which take less
time to solve. time to solve.
How much time will it take &or you to
decide? 5s0 76s or more?
1he more time you take to !eci!e0 the
less you et &or solvin.
How to practice this?
5?
:api! Attack :api! Attack
1ake a sample paper0 with say 766$756
(uestions.
1he #aximum 1ime coul! 'e "S or .
hours. hours.
Assin yourselves only .6 #inutes0 an!
solve as much (uestions as you can. Neave
the !i&&icult ones.
4ncrease your score with practice.
)6
:api! Attack :api! Attack
O:api! AttackP helps you to i!enti&y an!
taret weak enemies <sorry! (uestions> to
et the 'est score.
1his will 'e help&ul in less time 1his will 'e help&ul in less time
consumption in solvin &irst two type o&
pro'lems0 an! you et more time &or
remainin ones.
)7
:elatively Noner Tuestions :elatively Noner Tuestions
You may practice relatively loner
(uestions to take lesser time. Tuite o&ten0
one or two options can 'e rule! out
without much calculations. without much calculations.
Locus on these !urin practice.
#ake a practice to re$evaluate wron
answers !urin your practice sessions to
i!enti&y what was the reason you chose a
wron answer.
)"
Stupi! #istakes Stupi! #istakes
#any stu!ents select wron answers 8ust
as they slippe! some unit0 some !ecimal
point or similar small issue in (uestion.
4& that is the case0 improve! 4& that is the case0 improve!
).
1ouher Tuestions 1ouher Tuestions
1ouher (uestions is a section many
stu!ents start too early0 ivin relatively
lesser time to earlier me!ium touh
(uestions. (uestions.
As a result0 the time loss in these
(uestions !oes not yiel! much0 compare!
to situation i& the same time was allotte!
to previous types.
)2
1ouher Tuestions 1ouher Tuestions
However0 some stu!ents are much
(uicker in typical pro'lems. 4& you are one
o& those0 !on+t worry.
1he ultimate aims shoul! 'e$ 1he ultimate aims shoul! 'e$
)5
%ltimate Aim 3urin Exam %ltimate Aim 3urin Exam
9o'o!y cares how many (uestions you
attempte!. Your score will !epen! only on
correct answers.
4& there is a neative markin0 !on+t 'lu&&. 4& there is a neative markin0 !on+t 'lu&&.
%se your capa'ility to (uickly i!enti&y the
pro'lem whether you can solve it0 or you
have to D&iht+ with it.
))
Lill ,#: Sheet Properly Lill ,#: Sheet Properly
#ost exams use ,#: sheet &or
answerin the (uestions.
Some answers0 occasionally0 et re8ecte!
as the stu!ents has not !arkene! the as the stu!ents has not !arkene! the
correct circle properly.
Some others0 waste more time in
!arkenin the circles.
Fet some 'lank ,#: sheets an! practice
on these in your mock tests.
)*
#y 'est wishes-- #y 'est wishes-- #y 'est wishes-- #y 'est wishes--
);
A&out the AuthorR
/orn in 7?);0 3 @ Sinhal is /.E.0 #.E. <Pulp K Paper0 7??.> &rom 3ept. o& Paper
1echnoloy0 %niversity o& :oorkee <now 4410 :oorkee>. He was certi&ie! as Certi&ie!
Enery Au!itor in "662 with /ureau o& Enery E&&iciency.
With nearly ) !oQen pu'lications0 he has emphasiQe! on !evelopment o& low cost
technoloies an! manaement practices &or (uality an! pro&ita'ility improvement.
With pu'lications on enerymanaertrainin.com an! paperonwe'.com0 he has 'een
constantly contri'utin to 4PP1A<4n!ian Pulp K Paper 1echnical Association>. He is
also servin 4PP1A as a mem'er o& E!itorial /oar! an! Executive Committee.
An initiative 'y 3 @ Sinhal0 a cy'er campain initiate! aainst un8usti&ie! taretin An initiative 'y 3 @ Sinhal0 a cy'er campain initiate! aainst un8usti&ie! taretin
o& paper in!ustry 'y O4!eaP mo'ile0 in their O'ir.eeP a!vertisement campain0 a&ter
which this a!vertisement was taken o&& air.
He has also mo!erate! a Yahoo roup0 O/a(erTe"hnologyP with nearly .)6
mem'ers &rom 4n!ia an! a'roa! to !iscuss pro'lems relate! to pulp K paper
makin.
He can 'e contacte! at !eveshksinhalUmail.com
)?