"How to pass Examinations"

Oinam Anand*

—This article is exclusively written for the students who are appearing Higher Secondary and High School Leaving Examinations start from the 29th February and 3rd March respectively.—

More than fifty thousand students (15 thousand plus in Class - XII and 24 thousand plus in class X) get cracking to cross the hurdles of Higher Secondary and High school leaving certificate examination this year. They are burning their midnight oils, these days for those examinations and the result of these examinations will steer their future course of study. Here are some tips about how to prepare before examination and how to write the answers in the examination hall.

Study is a long and continuous process to train our mind, to bring out knowledge about a subject and thereby bring creativity out of our mind. Studying helps to increase our knowledge and understanding and it teaches us how to think clearly about problems.

We cannot learn to study effectively overnight. Number of students who find a great deal of enjoyment through continuous and comprehensive reading is quite less these days. The majority of the students start looking around for reading something important and for some help with help books at the very last minute.

As I have been in the profession of teaching for the last 25 years, I have noticed two different stages in which a student prepares reading in the course of the study; I) those students who are still at the beginning of the academic session, who are keen to plan ahead and make constructive use of their time. II) those students whose preparation time has largely run out and who are looking for ways of using what time is left to them most effectively.

As the examinations of class XII and class X are due from this weekend onwards, the emphasis should be on using the limited time available in a constructive way. I do not want to give anyone the idea that there is one way of studying successfully, one recipe of passing examinations.

We can be as individual in our study habits as in any other areas of activity. At the same time, what works well for one person does not necessarily work for another. It is always easy to give advice and not always easy to take it even when we want to .

So the main aim of this piece of writing therefore is to offer ideas and suggestions for helping the students to study more effectively, with less stress and I hope students will help themselves with more enjoyment to build on whatever foundation they already have.

First, there should always be a curiosity to achieve something or to pursue a course of study after the coming examination. Without curiosity, there would never be the questions to which we seek answers, or the dreams that call out to be fulfilled, or the change and innovation that we often intensely pine for.

For example, a student appearing class XII examination in Science Stream, aims for Medical or Engineering Course of study after the examination, he should have the curiosity to pass the examination at least with qualifying marks. After that he has to create something of his own and of his society. This is creativity that is only in human beings. So creativity has its roots in curiosity.

Organisation of time :- This is the easiest possible thing to do in theory, perhaps the most difficult thing to carry out in practice. When students are attending their regular classes at school, they won’t have a great deal of choice about the time table of reading.

Study will largely have to be done in mornings and evenings. If morning and evening are encroached upon by coaching and private tutions, only two or three hours are available during night.

It is worth getting up earlier and putting in an hour or two before breakfast in the morning. Morning is fresh for mind. A student may find, he can do as much in the one hour in the morning as he would in two hours in late evening or night.

For continuous reading, if a student is reading, the best result comes from working in short bursts, not more than 30-45 minutes at a time, with few minutes break in between each bursts. But care should be taken that those few minutes’ break not turn into a half-hour for attending visitors, ironing clothes and telephoning a friend.

In the examination hall :- Do not strive to create panic in yourself. Think it as a simple routine matter in your classroom test.

Good handwriting is of very importance in examination. But for those students who have poor handwriting, care should be taken that your handwriting is legible enough to the examiner. Then there will be no difference.

Style of presentation of the format of the answer script is very important. Nowadays most of the students use different shade of colour pencil to mark margins of the answer paper and in between answers of each question. It is a good exercise. Enough space should be left at the upper and end portion of the answer script so that the examiner can tally the carried marks of each question. Question nos should be written clearly and prominently at the left side of the answer.

The first page of the answer script should arrest the attention of the examiner and show him that you are at ease with the questions of the subject. If the examiner is impressed enough in your skill and talent in the first page itself, then he will liberal in awarding marks specially in essay type questions carrying 7 or 8 marks.

If you are sure that you can answer all the question, then start your answer from question 1,2,,3 etc. upto the last. This will be very convenient for the examiner in mark tally and he will get the impression that you are a good student and he will overlook your minor mistakes.

Students often committed undue mistakes and thereby irritates the examiners. It is happened most at the time of answering sub-questions. For example question no. 5 has four SA question carrying 2 marks each and the sub-question are divided as Q.5 (a),(b),(c),(d).

A student writes his answer of Q. 5 (a) and (b) and he starts another question, say Q. No. 6 or 7. After some pages he again write his answer of Q. 5 (c),(d). This practice should be definitely avoided. Instead you can leave some space blank in continuation of the question. If you have time fill it again or if you haven’t leave the space blank.

The duration of the two or three hours allotted for the subject should be clearly managed that at least 5 or 6 minutes is found at the end to check your answer script and satisfy yourself that all is done well.