Entrance exams- the bane of students’ lives. The competition, the stress that it inevitably brings and the need to succeed, all of this is a terrible potion for preparing for one of these. Getting advice from all quarters of your life, from relatives to neighbors, also does not help. In such a situation, it becomes difficult to filter out the noise and retain the actual important information. Everything become white noise.
So here are some easy to follow and easy to understand tips to help you prepare for a professional entrance exam –
Look up previous years’ papers!
They will be your biggest friends. Reading and solving these previous year papers helps you get a better understanding of what will be asked, along with this, it also helps you gauge your own level of preparation. Knowing oneself is the first step in succeeding.
Solve
At some point, going over and over the same reference material will bore you. It will also not add to your preparedness. Instead, solve questions and MCQs, as many as you can get your hands on. Practicing will help you improve in every aspect. In fact, practice makes perfect.
Talk to experienced people
Talk to your seniors or people who have taken this exam! They often have useful insights that will help in your endeavour. They will be able to give you a perspective that only those who have gone through the exam can give. It will definitely prove valuable to you.
Study Schedule
Make sure to create a study schedule! Adhering to a study plan will help you remain on track and avoid any missteps or distractions. Being prepared will also help ease some of your anxiety. If you have already planned what to do, then half the battle is over. But remember to create a plan that can actually be executed. Create a schedule according to what you need and not according to what others are doing.
Strategize
Prepare an attack plan. Strategize the way in which you will answer the paper and practice this strategy until it becomes second nature. This will ensure that you make less mistakes. Also, having such a plan will help in calming your nerves.
Time Management
Time management might be the most important tip for preparation of an entrance exam. Allot proper time to study for each topic. Make sure that you do not allot too much time or even too little time for any single topic. Even while answering the paper, decide the time allotted to each question beforehand.
Know your strengths and weaknesses
Know your strengths and weaknesses. Try to devote time to improve yourself in each. Do not grow overconfident about your strengths, doing so might prove to be your downfall. Focusing on your strengths will help you improve your weak areas too!
Shortcuts
Make shortcuts. Shortcuts that help you remember the important facts and figures will be life-savers and will also help in revising before the big day. They can also help make learning more fun and interesting.
Stay motivated
While this may not seem like a tip, it is quite important nonetheless. Remember to stay motivated. Getting discouraged and disheartened will not help you. Remain steadfast in your path. Failures and missteps will occur, no matter how hard you try. Treat them as they are meant to be treated, as lessons and as such, learn from them and move on.
Rest
This might be the most important tip of all. REST. Working while exhausted is meaningless. A fresh and rested mind is much more useful than a tired and cranky one. Get at least 8 hours of sleep every night. This will do wonders for your mind and body.
Calm
Try not to get worked up the day before the big day and try to relax. Revising till the last minute will not help you but going into the exam with a calm mind will definitely help you more.
Keep moving
Whenever you do not understand a question, do not waste time on it. Move on to the questions you do know and come back to the questions you do not understand later. Do not agonize over time lost and instead make good use of the time left.
There were just some basic tips to help prepare you for some intense entrance exams. Remember that these exams do not determine your worth. Missteps are a part of life. Learn the lesson and move ahead in your path. All the best and give it your all!