Every year, lakhs of students appear for competitive examinations, such as IIT and NEET, to secure a seat in the top colleges of the country. While the number of aspirants is increasing every year, only a few students are able to achieve their goal. With the competition getting tougher, students have become more conscious to begin their preparations early.
Early preparation often benefits students in competitive exams as it not only provides them with an ideal time to analyse their abilities but also gives them a better grasp of the concepts.
Many students nowadays, are joining coaching centres and are taking various special courses from as early as Class 9 which helps them in striking a balance between the competitive exams and school curriculum.
Moreover, the concepts and topics introduced in Class 9 curriculum form the basis of the content which needs to be prepared for the entrance exams conducted after Class 12.
Therefore, it is advisable that the preparations for engineering or medical entrance exams begin right from high school.
Some of the benefits of early preparation are:
Better planning
Students in Class 9 have less pressure and more time to get acquainted with the pattern of the examinations.
Starting early also assists students in analysing their strengths and weaknesses and accordingly they can prioritise their time for studying the subjects. While preparing at the last minute, students often rush to complete the syllabus and are not able to overcome their weakness due to which they lose marks in the exams. It also ensures that the students are prepared well in advance for the Class 11 examination.
Since Class 11 syllabus often undergoes changes, an early strategy prepares them to get used to hardships.
Solve mock test papers
Mock tests give an insight to the students on the actual exams. Solving the papers regularly ensures that the students are able to tackle pressure situations.
Solving mock tests helps the students in building strategies, better time management and gives more time for performance review and doubt clarification. It also ensures that students acclimatise themselves to the pressurised environment. Competitive exams usually assess the overall knowledge that students have gained in their entire schooling up to Class 12. This often becomes too stressful for students who burn the midnight oil to score well.
However, with more time in hand, students do not require to cram their timetable with plenty of subjects, instead, they can prepare a balanced schedule with enough breaks to refresh their mind.
A healthy body and a refreshed mind are the key elements towards achieving a good academic score in the competitive exams.
It also acts as a confidence booster and ensures that the students remain motivated during the course of their preparation.
Early preparation lays a strong foundation and helps them in building an approach towards scoring well in the competitive exams.
Competitive exams require a lot of hard work and dedication. They should have a proper discussion with their parents to analyse their mental ability to handle the pressure.
(The author is with BASE Educational Services, Bengaluru)