Make sure you stay motivated, and not overwhelmed

Hyderabad: After immersing yourself in gathering and pouring over every bit of information that you could access for over six months now, it’s time to put your learning and hard work to test. However, remember that this is not the end of the road. So, it’s best to stay calm and take one step at […]

Hyderabad: After immersing yourself in gathering and pouring over every bit of information that you could access for over six months now, it’s time to put your learning and hard work to test. However, remember that this is not the end of the road. So, it’s best to stay calm and take one step at a time.

You’ve dutifully dedicated your time completely to collecting, reading and remembering all the material that you managed to find. Now is the time to remain confident, brush up your knowledge (gained over the past few months) and put your learning to use.

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Yes, the thought of a life-changing exam can be daunting but remember, “you don’t have to see the whole staircase — just take the first step” and the path tends to become easier. Don’t be worried or scared thinking you still have more syllabus to cover. Think of how far you’ve reached and how much subject knowledge you’ve gained so far.

Over the next few days, a few simple tricks can help keep your energy and confidence levels up. Understand that there is no need to rush as you set about revising the syllabus for the competitive exams. Try the following tips to stay motivated and not feel overwhelmed or disheartened:

• When revising the syllabus, study smaller portions in one sitting and don’t try to cram every bit of information in your head.
• As you’ve been doing earlier, don’t study for more than 1-1/2 to 2 hours at a stretch.
• Continue to take regular breaks so that your mind feels re-energised, and not saturated!
• Follow the 5 ‘R’s for success — read, record, recite, review, and reflect.
• As the exam date gets close by, let yourself focus completely on core material and important points which you made notes of.
• While studying or revising, do not forget to shift between different subjects or topics or categories. For example, after revising a memory-heavy subject like history or biology, try logic and formula-based subjects like mathematics or physics – but only after a break.
• If you’re still finding a particular topic or subject difficult to grasp, you can make it a bit easier to learn by reading aloud and writing down key points.