It is not impossible to swot up everything till the last minute, but cramming everything in this time is certainly not advisable and shouldn't be made a habit. After all, it takes drop by drop to fill the pitcher. Thus the tips will work only if you have done your syllabus and now we are taking about the revision. To offer some more support, here are few ways you can master the last minute study.
Organize your time:
he best way to organize your time is to plan it in an hourly format. You might be thinking that this will be a waste of time, but be reminded, that failure to plan is planning to fail. Organizing your time will contribute greatly to studying at the last minute because if you are constantly in a panic-ridden situation it will cause you to further procrastinate things. You may also give yourself a deadline for revising individual topics but you need to focus on whether your revision is an effective revision or not.
Understanding the importance of study materials and practice manuals:
The books provided by the institutes are often ignored by the students because they remain engrossed in the notes provided to them by their teachers, but this should not be the case. Exams especially of subjects like Costing, Financial Management, Taxation and Accountancy (both group 1 and group 2) are mostly on the lines parallel to that of Practice Manual. You will often find questions which are similar in nature of your Practice Manual in exam. So definitely complete your study material and Practice Manuals.
Never underestimate any topic:
Do not skip any chapter or topic untouched or unrevised. Cover as much as possible because one cannot expect the possibility of topics from which question can be asked in CA exams. Always remember that questions can be asked from anywhere in the syllabus.
Must go over the RTP:
The RTP of the institute plays the fundamental role in helping you understand the likely topics that are going to be asked in exams, also it is the best material to practice the questions on particular topics. You can also try other test series. PREPCA Test series is the one which I would recommend. Their answer-wise detailed report helps a lot.
Focus on your weak spots:
Because you are studying at the last minute, you will not have time to go through all of your class materials or your study notes. Instead you should go for the topics you struggle with or have trouble recalling. In this way you can do multiple revisions of the topics in less time.
Prepare a last-minute review notes:
You should prepare some last-minute review notes that focus on the key concepts and terms that you struggle with. You may write these notes on a piece of paper and review them once at night before bed and once in the morning before exams.
Assess yourself regularly:
Everyone wants to pass but only some of them actually make it. Everyone does preparation in their own way still some of them only crack the exam. What do these some students do to pass? The answer is giving test series. Do not get so busy learning that you forget to assess your performance on a regular basis. Before appearing for exams, you should have attempted at least 5-8 mock tests or test series with properly timing yourself for it.
Investment in marks:
Every single chapter have topics which demands less time but gives high return in terms of marks are blessing in disguise. DO NOT SKIP SUCH TOPICS.
For example 'Management and Administration' chapter of Intermediate Law is an easy chapter plus also demands less time but are frequently asked in exams. Similarly 'Reconciliation' of CMA is the simplest chapter of the whole syllabus though frequent questions are asked on every next attempt from this chapter.
Review summaries, rather than full notes:
It is a good idea to read over summaries such as mind maps, or one-page bullet point summaries of each topic. If you have not prepared those then doing this can be a good way to review the topic and check your understanding. This method is more effective for practical papers as well as theory papers too and you can do multiple revisions by making your own hand-written notes. After all a 700 pages can be easily summarized into a 150 pages book and then reading a 150 pages book is lot more easier than reading a 700 pages book.
Must review amendments:
The institute releases certain amendments which are applicable in your exams roughly a month before the exams, many students do not consider them important and tend to skip out on them or take them very lightly, but this is not how CA exams work. Amendments are important from the point of view of exam and thus must be done sincerely.
Scan through scanner and follow-up with your starred questions:
Scanner is the most important book from exams prospective. In a nutshell, scanner is a compilation of past 10 year examination questions. Solving a scanner in last few days will definitely boost your confidence.
Now coming to the marked questions, remember those questions that were hard to get and even more difficult to solve? Yes exactly those. I hope you have marked some questions while studying and solving or had written V.V.I in some questions which you found were bit difficult than the rest. Go through those questions again.
Do not cry over split milk:
Do not discuss the paper that has gone. Instead of chitchatting at the exam center after exams, go home and fight for those extra 2 marks which you might miss in the next paper. Also discussing the paper makes a negative impact on your next paper.
Don't panic:
Yes, it's easier said than done, but it's important to calm down and study on because it is not the time to freak out.
Simply, take deep, slow breaths and focus on the necessary task. It you're studying but still feeling stressed, give yourself a short break before coming back to it.
Your brain needs to relax especially when you have to load up on information in a short amount of time.
Sleep or not to sleep:
Sleep pattern changes from person to person. You'd definitely be giving up a lot of sleep but trust me it'll all be worth.
Just make sure you don't fall sick. Else a little sleeplessness is fine.
Try audio or video aids:
You may also lean on audio or video aids to help you study at the last minute, especially if you tend to learn better from video and audio cues. Using audio or video aids may also help you recall information more quickly and more effectively than reading information from a page.
Finally, think positive:
You have done your revision, and it will be fine. It is, after all, only an exam, and not the end of world. A positive attitude is likely to help you more than anything else tomorrow.
Perhaps the most important tip, whether this is ending or the beginning of your revision is DON'T PANIC! It definitely won't help and is likely to seriously hinder your abilities to concentrate. Stay calm and all will be better. After all, it's just an exam.
Good luck and believe in your own!
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