Posted on by Successlynk
It is common that most aspirants feel anxious about exams.There are quite a number of candidates who enter the exam hall nervously, freeze up when they encounter a question they can’t answer and sabotage the entire exam. It’s not that they have not spent time studying. They may be knowing most of the information to clear the exam. Then why couldn’t they perform well? They may have not taken time to build confidence.
People who do extremely well on exams have unfaltering confidence. They remain calm and keep focused on what is needed to do. They will be able to use all of their knowledge and skills during exam. You too can develop this confidence level;however,there are no shortcuts.You require hard work, discipline and direction to develop confidence. Here are a few suggestions to improve your self-confidence and manage any anxiety you may experience during your exams.
- Plan your preparation: Nothing can replace your preparation. You need to get good study materials and read them. Write notes. Be a part of a study group and discuss key points or clarify doubts.Follow a study routine.Devise a study plan with the following questions in mind.
- When will you start studying?
- How many hours can you allot each day and each week to study?
- What are your weak areas/ topics?
- How can you strengthen the weak areas?
- When will you review your notes?
- How many practice exams will you do and when?
- What are the possible distractions and how can you minimize them?
- Stimulate an exam environment to the best of your ability: Remember the purpose of your exam. Your competitive exam is conducted not only to test your knowledge but alsoto test your ability to work under pressure, meet deadlines and come up with solutions to problems. So, simulate a test environment. Go for practice tests. Check SuccessLynk site for the practice tests. Space your practice tests so that you get enough time to learn what you need to know. During practice tests avoid interruptions. Be honest. Follow the exam rules. Use similar kind of stationary and material. Get dressed up in similar way. Practice during the same time that the real test will be.Remember, you’re not trying to memorize the questions of the exam, but trying to get good at taking the test.
- Do not fear pressure, embrace it: During practice tests, get used to working under pressure. You may not find enough time to answer all the questions. The more you practice, the better you will be able to answer the questions in a time slice. Try to get good at quickly assessing the difficulty of a question. This will help you to determine whether to attempt or skip it.
- Practice strategies: Do not attempt any practice test just to get it over with it. Consciously practice the strategies you have learnt. In the multiple-choice questions eliminate incorrect choices before looking for the correct answer. Before attempting the exam, scan each question and rate its difficulty. Answer all easy questions first to build confidence and save time.Often the time spent answering one difficult question could be used to answer five easy questions. In a pencil/paper test, mark the questions you skipped and return to them in the end. In a computer-based test, you will be able to mark a question, but may not be able to gauge its difficulty. Then note down more information about the questions you skip to a notepad.
- Expect surprises: There may be questions in the exam which you cannot answer. Be prepared for such situations. Otherwise this can negatively affect your performance for the remaining exam. By expecting things like this to happen to you, you will be able to keep your confidence levels at higher level.
- Take care of self: On the exam day, your mind and body have to be at their peak performance. Have healthiest of foods. Have good sleep. Stay hydrated, but don’t over hydrate. Meditate or do deep breathing exercises. They are proven stress relievers and can help you before and during the test.
Don’t practice until you get it right. Practice until you can’t get it wrong. All the best!
Posted in competitive exams, Exams Preparation