Its time for the SSC (X) and HSC (XII) exams. As a student you are feeling the chill. I completely understand how difficult is this time for you but there is nothing to worry if you have worked over it. Exams are far easier than we think.
Here are a few tips for preparing for exams and getting through them.
1. Know the Exam
Find out as much as you can about the exam.
- What is the weightage of marks allotted to each chapter?
- Will there be a choice of questions or compulsory questions?
- How much will each question be worth?
- How long answers and short notes are to be written?
2. Seek Help
Talk to your teachers or pick the brains of other students.
3. Gather and Compile Your Notes
Check that you have all the relevant books and notes separate for each subject. Read through the syllabus and use it to organise the information you’ve collected. This should be done as early as possible. Do not change your notes at the last moment otherwise you may lose confidence. Write your own summaries of each chapter.
4. Check Past Question Papers
Get your hands on any old exam papers from the subject and familiarize yourself with the structure and format. Your school library might have past exams on file or else you may find them on the internet.
Practice answering the questions within the specified time limits and check your answers against your notes to make sure you’ve got them right.
5. Where and When?
Check your exam timetable for details on when and where you’ll be sitting the exam. Make sure you have everything you’ll need to take with you (e.g. hall ticket, calculator, pencil, ruler, etc).
Try to do some study at the times your exams will be on. Like if you have your exam in the afternoon, it’s a good idea to skip your afternoon nap and study in the afternoon.
6. No Experimentation
Stick to what you already know when studying the night before an exam. You’ll only make yourself nervous if you try to learn new information. Review your notes or test yourself on key points.
7. Don’t discuss
Don’t talk to other students about the exam just before the exam. It could confuse you or make you lose confidence in yourself. The same goes for after the exam.
8. Reading Time
Allow a few minutes to read the question paper before you start writing. The way you use your reading time could make or break you in the exam. Use it to plan your writing time and start thinking about some answers. Check how much each question is worth.
Plan how much time to spend on each answer and the order in which you’ll answer them. Start with the questions you’re most confident with.
9. Break the Questions Down
A great tip for any exam is to break the questions down to make sure you really understand what you’re being asked. If you don’t answer the question properly you won’t get full marks for it. Look for the key parts in the question and these will give you clues on how to answer it. Even if you don’t know the full answer there might be some points which you can answer. Attempting that also will earn you some marks as each and every step or sub question has marks allotted to it.
10. Come Up with Your Own Strategies
Remember – these tips are only some of the things that you can do to get the most out of your exams. There might be other things that work even better for you.
Ask around – find out what your friends do for their exams – maybe some of their tricks will work for you too! Maybe your teachers have some good recommendations too.
Whatever it is, whatever strategy, when you find something that works for you, put it into practice and good luck!
Ab Samad 
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