HANDY TIPS FOR PARENTS AND STUDENTS

INDEX

Part 1

 1.  COMPETITIVE EXAMS

• Effective Tools
• Periodicity
• Limited Seats
• Types of Exam
• Aptitude Based Exams

2. PREPARATION OPTIONS

• Aptitude Testing
• Coaching
•  

Part 2

3. SYLLABI

• Source
• How to Tackle
• Get a Good Set of Notes
• Format
• Utilise the break time
• Youtube Videos
• Mock Tests
• Make Own Notes
• Current Affairs Magazines/ Newspapers

SOME ADDITIONAL POINTS

Author’s Note :-

Millions of students appear for hundreds of competitive exams every year. These exams ultimately decide your future. The ratio of number of seats to number of applicants is mind boggling. If you do not prepare systematically, you will never be able to get the career of your choice.  This blog gives you certain basic guidelines to be followed by parents and students. 

A must read for students from class 9th to 12th ,undergraduates and their parents. 

The Blog is in two parts. 

– COL AD

PART 1

COMPETITIVE EXAMS

Effective Tools : These are time tested and effective tools used by almost all reputed institutes and government departments to select candidates with right aptitude and academic threshold.

Periodicity : These are held six monthly like Defence Entrance Exams or annually like Civil Services, Medical and Engineering. Each examination has its own timeline from the date of announcement to declaration of final merit list. The timeline is generally available on the institutes’ or government departments’ website (Do check out).

Limited Seats : The number of seats offered by any is always limited. The ratio of seats vs candidates depends upon the popularity of the Course and reputation of the institute. FOR EXAMPLE, ON AN AVERAGE APPROXIMATELY 5.5 LAKH CANDIDATES APPLY AGAINst SOME 660 VACANCIES OF NATIONAL DEFENCE ACADEMY, EVERY YEAR.

Types of Exam : The exams are either Knowledge Based like UPSC Exam for Civil Services, Engineering and Medical or Aptitude Based like Defence, Management, Law etc.

Both types of tests have different preparation strategies. 

Aptitude Based Exams : These generally have Multiple Choice Questions(MCQs) which are to be attempted against time. These generally have negative marking. One way to score well in these is to attempt as many Mock Tests as possible. For example, two candidates answer the same number of questions correctly, but the one who has less wrong answers will be placed higher in merit. The key to success doesn’t only lie in knowing what to answer but also in what to skip.

How should one go about preparing for any exam? I would like to give my own example here, to highlight the importance of preparation and other factors which play a role in shaping your future.

Here is my story :- 

MASTER AMARDEEP TO COLONEL AMARDEEP

I had appeared for NDA written exam in after Class 11^th in 1987 but I  could not clear it. As a result I gave up, which was a wrong step.

I have, over a long time, analysed my faults and these are as under :

When I appeared for the exam I was not even aware of the syllabus.

• I just had a single guide book. I did not prepare and assumed that my academic knowledge was enough. I had stood first in my schools in Class 10^thand thus, rated myself as a good student.
• I was not aware of the coaching institutes. Nor did I or my parents knew the importance of professional coaching for such exams.

After class 12^th, I dropped out from normal routine for one year to prepare for the engineering entrance exams. For this, I took specialized coaching in Physics, Chemistry and Maths. The cost of tuition at that time (in 1988) was approximately Rs 3000 per month.

Nowadays, the coaching for any exam has become a costly affair. This will have to be factored in the financial planning by the parents.

I appeared in the last attempt of NDA and cleared the exam.  I had scored 270/300 in Maths and 232/ 600 in General Ability. Thus, my performance in Maths helped in obtaining the cut off marks.

Valuable lesson is to pay attention to subjects like English, History, Geography, Civics and General Knowledge, for which no special coaching is required.

I was fortunate to clear SSB in the first attempt itself, that too with two days of coaching (that cost me another Rs 3000) , as I was too busy preparing for the engineering entrance exams.

I joined NDA in June 1989 and was commissioned in June 1993 from IMA.

THOUGH I AM TALKING OF 30 YEARS BACK, THE LESSONS FROM MY STORY ARE  TIMELESS AND SELF EXPLANATORY. I DID NOT REPEAT THE MISTAKES WHEN MY SON REACHED CLASS 10^TH.

Here’s his story. 

We got his Biometric Aptitude Assessment Test, also called DMIT, (it costs between Rs 5000 to 7000)  done when he was in Class 10^th . Based on this detailed assessment, despite him scoring a perfect 9 in the final exam, we got him Humanities in Class 11^th.

He joined weekend Coaching Classes (Law Prep, Jaipur) for Law Entrance Exams in Class 12^th ( though ideal would have been along with Class 11^th). The cost of the year long course is approximately     Rs 70,000. He also subscribed for a Correspondence Course from IMS (www.ims.com for Rs 10,500).

He Scored 90% marks in Class 12^th (with just 30 days home tuition for Economics doubts) and also cleared the three reputed Law Entrance Exams. We had applied for 5 exams. Based on his Class 12^th performance, he was directly offered Law seat by another 3 institutes.

He is presently undergoing the integrated BBA LLB COURSE at Pune from the college of his choice.

PREPARATION OPTIONS 

Get the Aptitude Testing Done : If you are clear about the career choice, preparation can start early. Get your (child’s) Aptitude Assessment done. Its worth the fees as it helps in making an informed choice. Such Aptitude tests (both biometric and psychometric) are being offered by a number of professional firms. It is best for children to take this scientifically designed test on passing class 8th, but definitely before choosing the streams, ie, Science, Humanities, Commerce etc. You can find the sites of a number of career development facilitators on the internet. (The cost of such tests, Biometric or Psychometric, ranges between Rs 3000 – 6000).

A number of Career Counsellors are also available, both offline and online and their services can be availed.

Coaching

Option 1: The foundation courses for Engineering and Medical entrance exams start as early as when the student is in class 9^th/ 10^th. This costs a lot more but eases the pressure on the child. The ballpark figure is approximately Rs 70000-100000 per year.

Option 2: The other option is regular coaching in Class 11^th and 12^th. Some institutes do offer combined academic and professional exam coaching, where the child does not go to the school. This again is a costly option.  The pitfalls of not attending school and the benefits that accrue thereof must be clearly thought through before exercising this option.

Starting your preparation after 11^th, builds undue pressure on the student as the student’s, school’s and the parents’ focus is on the Board Exams. Thus, starting the coaching at this stage may not go down very well with every student.

Option 3: Another option is to take a break after Class 12^th, go to Kota, Delhi, Chandigarh, Dehradun etc and just prepare for the exam. This too is very costly (tuition fees, boarding and lodging and frequent travel) and some of the candidates tend to lose focus, as they are either staying in PG accommodation or hostels. There is no assurance of success at the end of one year.

The gamble/risk of losing one full year at this critical juncture in life may have to be decided by the parents and the child. However, it is also to be noted that one year of preparation will hold the student in good stead somewhere, so even if the child is not successful, it should not be considered as a waste of time.

Option 4: For some exams like Management, Law etc, on-line or Correspondence Courses (Distance Learning) are also a good option. One can top it up by subscribing for Crash Course (of 45 days to 3 months duration) after the board exams.

Hard work is the key in all the options. The earlier you decide, the better will be the chances of success.

For Undergraduates too, it’s better to start the preparation from 1^st year itself.

Recommendation : My recommendation is one year of Distance Learningand Own Time Preparation followed by 1 or 2 years of classroom coaching. Pressure can be avoided by adopting a long term strategy. That means that once you have made the broad career choice, the coaching must start as early as possible.

The Blog being too long has been broken in two parts. We take a short break here. I will be with you soon with the Part 2.

Take Care.

– Col AD