Super 60

Understanding classes and being smart are not correlated.  Just because you don’t understand something being taught in class doesn’t establish that you are not smart. There are number of factors why we are unable to understand the material being taught in classroom. It may include – lack of interest in the subject, preoccupation of mind, short attention span, inability of trainer to be versatile in delivering the lecture, stress on the mind etc. Also, we all learn and understand differently, some understand pictorially, other need to just listen, others prefer self-reading, and many wish for combination. So, it’s not appropriate to compare yourself with others in class. So find out what is your way of understanding concepts and you will be able to enjoy your classes better.

If you are unable to understand your classes, you need to seriously analyse / introspect what your strengths, aptitude and skills are and work on it to your advantage

When you find it hard to focus, do not force yourself to study for long hours; instead, try to sit for shorter sessions of study and promise yourself that you will not be disturbed or lose focus for that time, however short that period is. Then, relax a bit and maybe reward yourself with something you like (may be a walk, a chocolate etc), and repeat the process. Slowly, you will improve and you can increase the timing for each sitting.

Procrastination is a very common problem among students. Just incorporate simple habits in your lifestyle and you could easily win this battle.

• Start with baby steps. Nothing can be achieved overnight. As you are a student, the first and foremost thing is to create a study plan for a week. Start with small target like 3 hours of study everyday in the 1st week. Take short breaks from study to get refreshed and relax.
• Practice self-denial. Learn to say ‘No’ to some of your feelings, impulses and urges. Limit your TV and social media watching. Switch off your mobile phone while you study. Resist the urge of surfing net while studying and many more. Make a mental contract with yourself to work for 3 hours without interruption.
• Use the activities you do to procrastinate to reward yourself. Suppose you day dream, study for two hours and give yourself a half hour day dreaming break. Or you watch television, study for two hours and watch half hour of television.
• Visualize the rewards. Project yourself in the future. Visualize your desired outcome. Think about the benefits you are going to get if you achieve the target.
• Accept your mistake and forgive yourself. Making mistakes is part of the process to becoming better. Sometimes our over anaylsys about our failures and mistakes results in delaying our work. The key is to acknowledge the mistakes with positive attitude and go ahead.
• Poor concentration can be one of the reason of being procrastinated. Healthy lifestyle increases your concentration power like taking sufficient rest or having a proper diet.
• Motivate yourself with reading inspirational stories or rewarding yourself after accomplishing the task. This will help you a lot to live a disciplined life. 
• Self-talk strategies facilitate learning and enhance your act. Self-talk can be used to instruct, to motivate, to build confidence, to regulate your emotion, to evaluate your performance. It helps you remain focused on your target. So, incorporate positive things in your self-talk, such as:

“I can study for next 3 hours without any distractions.”

‘I can achieve the target that I have set myself today.’

We understand that exams bring fear sometimes. These competitive exam preparations can become overwhelming at times but, it is your dream and you have to protect it.

    Few things that might help:

• Make crisp notes after thoroughly going through each chapter which will help you revise topics in a jiffy before exams. 
• Ensure to join some coaching and take up chapter wise test-series, which will channelise your daily schedule and daily practice.
• If possible do some group study with friends who are also preparing for similar entrance exam. It might be a good idea to sometimes sit and study together (if it suits your study style).
• Work on good time management. Daily make a target for yourself and see how you can achieve it. Analyse how you have performed, it will help you do a better time management and a sense of achievement in achieving your targets.
• Take small breaks in the middle and in those do not go for distractions instead refresh your mind with a good walk and get some oxygen or spend some time with family for a few lighter moments.
• Go for “concepts” of topics you study instead of rote learning. Understand the ‘why’ behind things, relate things to real life scenarios. The better grasp you have towards concept, the better chances you have to be solving the new questions that will be there in your exam.
• Take mock tests, which will help you practice for the D day. Take tests as if you would take a the real exam – phone off, no noise, timer etc
• Analyse the mock tests you take, this will tell you where you are going wrong. Practise similar MCQ’s from those chapters to ensure you are thorough with it and avoid similar mistake in next mock tests.
• Do not over stress yourself.
• DO NOT SACRIFICE YOUR SLEEP: Sleep helps in remembering things. It gives time to the brain to process the received information and retain it for long.
• Start your day with a positive quote. you can also write a motivational quote of your choice or ‘I can do it’ on a sheet of paper and stick it to the wall near study table and near your bed where you can see it as you wake up, it will condition your mind
• Try meditation to calm your mind – maybe 15 minutes a day, it will help you concentrate better
• Lastly, whenever you feel you are getting distracted, close your eyes for 2 minutes and imagine how wonderful it will be once you have cleared the exam. Imagine yourself with the White coat / apron and Stethoscope. You can do it. You have got what it takes to clear it, now just be persistent and go for it.

    Remember the goal is more important than your temporary fun moments.

Finally you need to improve on your accuracy and time management by constantly practising with Quarter, Half and Full portion tests once entire syllabus is completed and you start revising  at least 90 days before the final D-day.