08/08/2021

Tips to prepare for board exams – 10th and 12th Class

Hello, students…Exam season is around the corner with less than just two months to appear for the board exams. It is one of the most important phases of a student’s life especially those who are appearing for their 10th and 12th class board examinations. Good result in either exam often leads to a bunch of better academics opportunities for them. Especially students those who are appearing for 12th class board exams feel extra pressure as their result determines their future plans to a large extent. It’s a normal thing to have a little bit of pressure. Each student is different from the other. Many of you might have completed your whole syllabus by now and many of you might have not even started yet. But don’t worry if you work hard then you can still do a decent job in your exams. Here are the few basic tips you need to know about while preparing for your board exams. These might sound like little steps but if followed correctly, they can have a huge impact on your result.

1. TIMETABLE / TIME MANAGEMENT

Now the first step to study is to make your time table. It is the best way to study. Make a proper timetable according to your schedule. You should divide your subjects according to days of the week and allot a specific time for each subject to study. For example, you can decide you will study Chemistry and Biology on Monday for 3 hours each and Physics and Computer on Tuesday and so on for the rest of the week.

For example, you can decide you will study Chemistry and Biology on Monday for 3 hours each and Physics and Computer on Tuesday and so on for the rest of the week. You can decide the subjects and time according to your convenience. But make sure that you give at least 2 hours minimum for each subject (Don’t study for consecutive long hours. You must take a little break after every 35-40 minutes).

10th class students can study about 3 subjects daily and for 12th class students, it will be better if they choose 2 subjects daily. It will be even better if you study PCM/B (Physics Chemistry Maths/Biology) on separate days.

You can study Maths daily.

It is better to study tougher subjects like Chemistry and Physics or any other subject that you find tough in the morning as it will help you to retain the long-time memory of what you have studied.

You should set individual targets for each subject. For example, you can decide that you will complete one chapter of Maths today or one chapter or certain topics of Physics in one day.

Revise on the last day of the week what you have studied for 6 days.

Study at least 8 hours a day.

2. SYLLABUS

You must have a clear idea of your syllabus. You must follow what is taught in your class regularly. The best way to do it is to revise at home whatever is taught in class. Another important thing is that you stick to your syllabus textbooks provided by your board eg. CBSE or NCERT. Do not underestimate their value. Study according to your mentioned syllabus.

Many students don’t study their textbooks and directly run after reference books or sample question papers. That is not right. Yes, reference books are good and help us in getting good marks but you should study them only after you have completed your syllabus textbooks provided by your school or board. The board exams question paper always comes from within your syllabus textbooks and never in the history of board exams any question has come out of syllabus.

Once you have fully studied your textbooks then you can take other reference books to study.

3. SOLVE QUESTIONS AT THE END OF EACH CHAPTER

Once you have completed a chapter and revised it you might think you are done with that chapter. But you are not. Not until you have solved the questions given at the end of chapter or topic. Do not jump on to the next topic or chapter without solving those questions.

These questions will assess your knowledge about what you have studied. They will help you figure out and improve your shortcomings about what you have studied. They will also give you an idea of what type of questions to expect in exams.

Try solving those questions on your own. It is like a self-test. If you can’t solve a particular question then take help of your teachers.

4. LAST 10 YEARS

It is one of most important thing. It has become almost mandatory to study the previous 10 years question paper of board examinations. Such is its importance. Whether you are from CBSE, ICSE or any other board you must try to solve the last 10 years board question papers.

Instead of wasting your money on high priced other reference books you should study this. It will do wonders for you. Last 10 years is like a trailer before the release of the movie. It gives you the idea of what to expect in the board exams.

Solving these papers is like you have already appeared for the board exams before you actually do. But again should opt for them only after you have completed your whole syllabus. You should look at them as the final act of your preparation.

Solving 10 years will give you the idea of

What type of questions you could face in exams and what is their difficulty level.
Some questions are often repeated in board exams. This will give you a fair idea of important questions and you can prepare for them accordingly.
Once you have solved these questions it will tell you where you stand. You will know your level of knowledge and how ready you are for the exams. Knowing our shortcomings is actually our greatest strength as we know what areas we can improve on.

5. DONT UNDERESTIMATE LIGHT SUBJECTS LIKE ENGLISH, HINDI etc.

Now, this is one of the very common mistakes most students commit. Students are so obsessed with Maths, Chemistry Physics etc. that they often neglect light subjects such as English and Hindi and others.

This is not the right thing to do. Such subjects give us a huge chance to boost our percentage which is very important in this era of high cut offs where even a single mark can be the reason you can’t get admission into your favourite college.

Students often think that such subjects are easy and study them only just a few days before exams. This robs them of the chance to score high in these subjects and hence their overall percentage drops.

So give enough time and focus on these subjects as they can have a major impact on your result.

6. HIGHLIGHT IMPORTANT TOPICS AND QUESTIONS

Every subject has some important topics and questions which are more likely than others to come in exams. You should recognize and highlight them. Even better if you make separate notes of them so that you can easily locate them when you want to study.

Such topics usually include theorems and formulas.

7. KNOW YOUR WEAK POINTS

It is very important to know your weak points so that you can put extra effort to try to improve them. It is one of the best ways to improve your performance. Every student faces difficulties in some particular topics. You should always try to improve your knowledge about them.

While you can understand other topics orally the best way to understand difficult topics is by writing them down.

8. MAKE SEPARATE NOTEBOOKS FOR EACH SUBJECT

Always make brief notes of what teachers teaches you in class. Make separate notebooks for each subject as it will help you to locate your data easily. It will help you avoid a lot of confusion and mess.

Moreover making notes will enable you to understand the topics better and you will not need to carry heavy textbooks all the time to study.

Make sure that you have a separate rack or table where you keep your books.

9. REVISION

It is as simple as that. The study is incomplete without revision.

If you simply study without revising then you will forget more than half of it in just a few days. So make sure that you revise whatever you study daily. That is the right way to study.

I am repeating it again. REVISE WHAT YOU STUDY.

You should revise daily at night whatever you have studied in the day. Keep on revising at the end of the week what you have studied the whole week.

10. SELF STUDY IS THE BEST STUDY

It is a common practice among students to organize group study sessions during exams. Well, it is the worst thing a student can do to himself/herself. The only time you should study in a group is in school.

If you decide to study along with your friends then you will end up doing everything except study. You will gain nothing of significance and will end up wasting your precious time. You should always study alone and if you have doubts then always try clearing them through your teachers.

A student can study well when he/she is alone. It is better to have a separate room in your house to study where there are no distractions. You often understand better when there is peace around you.