Tips on Keeping Up the Motivation Levels for Joint Entrance Examination

A student's life is filled with examinations, more often than not the information to remember is overloaded and time, short. Besides the stress, the above statement is true, more so for students who are taking an examination like Joint Entrance Exam (JEE). A student taking JEE must not only prepare for the test but also must focus on their Boards examination.

To do well, besides juggling time and studying for both the exams, a student must keep themselves motivated for a period of at least 2 years. A student often starts with great enthusiasm and zeal to ace the exam with flying colors but keeping themselves motivated for 2 years is not easy and the amount of information doesn't make things simpler. This is a common scenario that takes place in a student's life when he/she comes face-to-face with difficult topics or when it's just that day when things don't seem to keep moving as it should. The feeling of monotony or getting stuck in the same situation can seep in easily and then comes the need to pick themselves up.

These are the situations that can push a student to the verge of giving up. When the situation of ‘everything is lost’ arises, one should try something new:

  • Forming groups: If solitary monotony sets in, one can form a group of like-minded people to bounce off ideas. This will set things in motion.

  • Question self: When a topic is done, one should try to self-question regarding the same. Create questions of the topic like an examiner, as this will be a different take on learning and an engaging technique. The questions created can also be used later as a revision tool. 

  • Are books the only way? No. It's the age of online coaching, podcasts, and webinars. There are plenty of such sessions online to help one prepare for an exam like JEE. One can try these out to break the shackles.

  • Shuffle/Change the schedule: It's good to have a set schedule when one is preparing for such examinations, but having a stringent schedule can lead to boredom. Everyone needs a change in life and repetitiveness can leave a sour taste. To get out of such situations, one can look to juggle stuff around. A student, without compromising study hours can change his/her study time to stir things up and keep things fresh.

  • Break it down: Students usually get stuck when they come against a difficult topic and they see no way out. It is important to get it done rather than getting everything done in a day. One can break the topic down and make life easier itself.

  • Take time out for other activities: Infusing time for other activities in the daily schedule will keep a student fresh. It's a myth that students need to bury themselves in books to ace an exam. Too much of anything never yields the desired result. That also means that too much of other activities will hamper studies, so smart scheduling is required. It's good to get some fresh air from time to time or ordering a different type of cuisine once in a while, or meeting other humans.

The stress of these examinations and the weight of expectations can take a toll on students. When desired results don't yield, it is crucial to change the way things are getting done.

Categories: College Life   Tags: exams, Joint Entrance Examination, JEE

Written Assignments vs Exams. Are Sitting Exams Becoming A Thing Of The Past?

Critics of tests and exams often argue that such assessment tools are neither valid nor reliable. They hold that a student's performance on standardized tests is a better measure of the examinee's attention span and understanding of the test makers' logic rather than a measure of content mastery. Judging a student's understanding of a semester's worth of information based on a 60 minute exam seems especially unfair to students with test anxiety.

Though written assignments eliminate some of those concerns, exams remain a standard assessment tool for good reasons. Most teachers use a combination of both tools to fairly evaluate each student. Consider the unique benefits of using exams and written assignments:

Benefits of Exams

Sitting exams ensure that students are not receiving outside help. In the technological age, plagiarizing is becoming easier and easier. In a controlled setting, students must draw upon their own resources to prove that they understand material.

Many jobs require high-stake performance evaluations. Though you will likely never have to identify lines from Chaucer's Canterbury Tales, you may have to memorize the product codes of every fruit and vegetable in a grocery store.

Exam grades are easier to quantify. Assigning a grade based on responses to multiple choice questions is easier than creating and using a rubric for a writing assignment. Exam grades are viewed as more objective and therefore are easier to explain to angry students and parents.

Exams are inevitable. Testing starts in elementary school. In order for the government to collect national samples, standardized testing methods are as simple and objective as possible. Teachers are encouraged to shape their curriculum around state instruments, so they create tests to prepare students for bigger tests. The PSAT is practice for the SAT, high school exams are practice for college exams, and college exams are practice for the GRE, LSAT and MCAT.

Benefits of Written Assignments

Students can take time developing their ideas. Proponents of written assignments argue that test anxiety puts many students at a disadvantage. A smart student can easily get a bad test score if they are sick or having a bad day. Written assignments take more time and energy, so they are a better assessment of a student's understanding.

Though exams can test higher order thinking skills, written assignments always do. Written assignments can be open-ended; students can pick their own topics, allowing them to apply what they are studying to things they are actually interested in. The research process helps students get a more comprehensive understanding of material than simply memorizing facts.

Writing is a dying art. Many high paying occupations require writing, so students who excel at writing will have a strong competitive edge in the job market.

Should teachers expect all students to perform equally well on exams and written assignments? Should teachers assess students only by their strengths? Teachers should ponder these questions while bearing in mind that high stakes exams probably are not going anywhere anytime soon.

Richmond University are the American University in London offering Batchelor degrees in history and psychology, as well as good number of postgraduate subjects.

Categories: College Life   Tags: exams, written assignments, sitting exams

Top 8 Rules on How to Pass an Exam

Every student knows and with tremor waits the period when he/she has to take the exams. Probably that only 5-10% of students is sure in their knowledge and is not afraid to fail it.

How not to fail the exam, not to spend extra nerves and to get positive result? Let's discuss simple rules for "lazybones" and "grinders" to make examination period pleasant.

  1. Try to visit more than 90% of all lectures and make notes during semester. Remember, this is your 50% success to get as minimum your “honestly earned” satisfied grade. At least your lecturer will know you by sight. If consider that you deserve a “B”, be ready not only to visit classes but also to take part in discussions, make notes and for sure to make your home assignments. It’s not worth saying that for an “A” you should study everyday and use all your possibilities and wish to overcome laziness.

    Conclusion: the more active you are in a studying process, the more success you will get on your exams.

    Remember: studying is your non-payable work for definite period of time and the more efforts and time you invest the more you will get in future career.

  2. Start to get ready for the exam within a month to real exam date. The more time you devote to the studying process the better you are going to be prepared for the exam. Make sure you go over all the material provided by your professor and understand that you understand it fully.

  3. Consult sample college essays.There are a great majority of websites offering sample college essays for students. This is a great opportunity to browse relevant topics pertaining to your subject, get fresh ideas, and memorize some facts.

  4. Dont study anything in the last day and night before the exam. Try to relax, go to bed earlier than usual, drink your favorite tasty tea or listen to the music for better dreams and the most important – don't be nervous.

  5. Be dressed appropriately for the exam. Wear comfortable clothes such as jeans and shirt but don't overuse cosmetics and perfumes.

  6. Stay calm and confident in yourself while passing the exam. Answer the questions consistently, but don’t be in a hurry. If you do not know the answer, take your time to think a little bit or skip it and move forward, you can always go back to it at any time.

  7. Plan your time effectively. The main rules – don't be in a hurry and don't get stuck on one question.

  8. Don't use crib sheets. They don't help you but distract your attention and waste your time. You can’t concentrate your mind on questions, but only how to reach it out from the pocket.

Note that successful exam passing is built on basement founded from the beginning of the studying. It is better to study a bit every day than everything for the short period of time.

Categories: College Life   Tags: how to pass an exam, exams, college essays