Planning your preparation days

You have decided to take up the Inter/Final exams and now you are sitting down to plan your exam preparation days. Preparing yourself to be immersed with books is no child's play.

So, you put a solid plan - 10 hours of studies squeezed amidst classes, you highlight weak/hated topics so that you can omit them as you do not want to waste time, think about results day and night and completely shut yourself from your friends/relatives/neighbours.

Perfect. Isn't it?
A big NO!

Let us first understand that you are preparing for a career path, a qualification.

The most essential thing here is to gain knowledge!

In the attempt to be able to score some extra marks we all forget the aspect of gaining knowledge. We skip topics, we try to by-heart topics, we blindly repeat sums, all that to ace the exams.That leads to obsessing over results and shutting ourselves from everything else till we achieve those results. This sounds like self induced punishment.

We might clear exams by doing the above, but it will be too late to realize the importance of knowledge post qualification and paying a price for that post qualification is definitely not wise.

With these thoughts, here is a plan for those who have lost in their first attempt:

1) If you have lost this exam within a margin of 5-10 marks overall/1 subject,then

1. You can take up the very next attempt. It is a small margin you have lost by, which you can easily make up if you identify where exactly you have lost it. So, the goal is to first identify that one unturned stone.
2. Go back to all those topics you found tough/you skipped. See if that led to the loss of marks in the previous attempt. If yes take it up again. If no, keep it aside for now to take it up after your exams. You need to know about them too for your qualification, remember?
3. Go through the question paper and suggested answers. Compare with what you know about exam preparation and learn how you are supposed to answer.
4. Reflect back - Where did you loose? Presentation? Legibility? Formats? Pay more attention to that.
5. If you are unable to arrive at an answer yet, then apply for certified copies. It is not necessary you apply for copies for all the subjects, you can apply for your weak subjects/subjects you scored less than 40. Remember, it is going to take sometime for you to receive the certified copies so do not wait for them to start your preparations.
6. Mock exams. Mock exams. Mock exams. You have already done the 'first studying' for your first attempt. If you have really studied all the topics and understood them, you do not need to revisit. You only need to fine tune your 'exam skills'. For that, mock exam is the answer.

2) If you lost by a huge margin, it is time to start your preparations afresh

1. First of all, do not loose heart. This attempt has helped you understand the course better. Now take some more time to prepare yourself better.
2. Start your preparations afresh with a changed attitude - Study to gain knowledge, not simply for marks. You have chosen a course which has immense knowledge, take that opportunity, learn & grow.
3. Do not hesitate to take up classes again for the subjects if you feel necessary.Do all that it takes to understand all the topics thoroughly now, this is your chance to redeem. It is recommended you choose online virtual classes now so that you can utilise time more efficiently.
4. Practise sums from various books of various authors. This is so that you expose yourself to various perspectives of one topic.
5. As you get closer to your chosen attempt, start taking up mock exams. Mock exams help you fine-tune your skills and give you the necessary confidence. It also works as a revision by itself. Mock exams should be taken up when you have finished your first studying and atleast one revision.

Students often face confusion while having to decide the month to take up their exams

Let us get this straight - There is NO relation whatsoever between the month and the toughness of the exam. You will often find these theories in the market, but please do not pay head to them.

Exam is a method to display the knowledge you have. Understand that the core idea here is to perform at your best for those 3-4 hours to put down all that you know about the subject.

So, it is important that you do not feel pressured while taking up an exam.

It is NOT required for you to take up your next attempt in the very next exam month. You may just end up taking exams once in every 6 months then. Remember - Taking some more months after your first attempt could convert your second attempt into your final successful one.

The decision maker is only and solely - You. If you genuinely feel that getting some more months could make a difference to your confidence then do not hesitate to take your next attempt after 1 year.

Always remember, you are training yourself to become a qualified professional. Pure Knowledge is what will take you there

You are studying now because you want to be able enough to perform audits, provide tax consultancy, perform forensic audit or handle finances of MNCs. And for all of this you need in-depth knowledge.Marks will come along.

Yes,professional courses are tough to crack. They are tough because of the vast portions and pass percentage. Do not make it tougher by punishing yourself. Take up the course 'so that you can prepare yourself to face challenges& make yourself stronger'. Take up the course because of 'the immense knowledge you can gain'.

Start your preparations with this objective - to learn and grow & NOT as a 'do or die'.

You will be able to study with much more dedication and enjoyment!

And, you will be surprised when you confidently call yourself a professional even before the results are out.