ATTITUDE TIPS
As is said "It's the Attitude, not only the Aptitude
that decides your Altitude." Most of the tests happen to be manageable, but it's
all about how you tackle them. It's the competition and the pressure that makes
the difference. If you have the right focus and are ready to put in consistent
efforts, you can definitely clear any exams, may it be the toughest one or the
easiest one.
As Vivekananda said "Believe in yourself and the world would be at your feet".
A few tips to keep in mind for the sincere aspirant:
Have a Positive Approach: Keep in mind that you
can do it, and this mantra will certainly bring positive changes in you. Do not
look back; you are not going that way.
Focus on the Goal: Keep a sharp focus in your mind
on what you want to do. Break apart a big goal into smaller goals, and keep accomplishing
these smaller goals in short periods. You'll see for yourself that the big goal
is within your reach.
Work on Communication Skills: It does not matter
that how much you speak in Group discussions or Interview. The differentiator
here is how well you convey your ideas to the group or to the Interviewer.
Develop Diverse Reading Habits: It really helps
while solving Reading Comprehension passages. It works in two different ways -
firstly, awareness of diversity of topics, and secondly, the big reason, developing
a good reading speed.
Work on your Body Language: Body language is the
subtle and silent indicator of your persona. A negative body language can destroy
the chances of an otherwise intelligent person.
Broaden your Horizons: Start thinking with an open
mind. Just as we can't see with closed eyes and can't hear with closed ears, similarly
we can't think without an open mind.
Golden Tips
However well prepared one may be for the test, his/her success is ultimately
determined by the techniques adopted in taking these tests. The following tips
may be useful in this regard.
Proper pattern of attempting the questions: A candidate
should resolve in mind the time that can be allotted to each section and to each
question. Some questions are especially designed to be time wasters; when these
are encountered a candidate ought not to spend more than a reasonable amount of
time trying to work them out and when one cannot, such questions should be marked
in some way and left to be reviewed later if time permits. Lingering on such questions
will eat away the time and consequently one may not be left with sufficient time
to attempt all the questions. Candidates should bear in mind that there might
be simpler questions further on.
Candidates should not allow a difficult question to weigh
on them: If one allows oneself to be psychologically affected by a tough
problem then one is likely to spoil the rest of the questions too.
To guess or not to guess: By all means one should
go ahead and make an intelligent guess. Even in tests with penalty points, it
is better to make a well reasoned guess rather than leave a question unanswered.
Wild guessing should however be avoided.
Speed: This is one of the critical elements in
most entrance tests. In these admission tests, speed is of the essence. Through
proper time management, a candidate can answer the optimum number of questions
in the given time. One good way to improve speed is to practice numerous questions
with the timer on.
Train for the test: Candidates should thoroughly
acquaint themselves with the structure of the test, the time limit and the level
of difficulty (if possible) of the test they plan to take.
Work backwards from the options: In all your entrance
tests, the questions are objective type and you can save a lot of time working
backwards from the options. This technique gained from first-hand experience can
definitely save you at least 5-7 minutes in a 30 minute test and must be gainfully
employed wherever possible.
Consolidate strong points and strengthen weak ones:
One should consolidate areas of strength to such an extent that one does not lose
even a single mark in questions of those areas. Simultaneously, one should work
on the weak areas so that one can gain as many marks as possible.
Read the instructions carefully: Most of the entrance
tests of Indian universities/institutes have different instructions for a particular
set of questions. Candidates should watch out especially for tricky words like
"Least resembles", "Most resembles", "All of these except.", "None of these except.",
"Opposite of the opposite of.".
Candidate should take a good night's sleep before going for the actual
test. Take this point very seriously.
Don't study anything just prior to your exam. Keep the mind light
and fresh.
Tips to non-math candidates
First try and get comfortable with numbers. There are some basic tools
that will help you to tackle the math section.
1. Learn Tables up to 30 × 30
2. Learn Squares up to 30
3. Learn Cubes up to 15
4. Learn Square roots up to 10
5. Learn Cube roots up to 5
6. Learn Reciprocal Percentage Equivalents up to 20
Always think and arrive at an answer on your
own, look at different ways to arrive at an answer because the first method may
not always be the fastest. Math is a constant learning process, so practice is
the mantra.
Right from the beginning, try to do all the calculations mentally
and say goodbye to your calculating devices. Take this point seriously. This may
lead to a lot of grumbling in the beginning but if you stick to doing calculations
mentally, within a fortnight you'll start saving a lot of precious time. This
is very helpful especially while solving Data Interpretation questions which,
at times, don't require exact calculations but very large and approximate calculations
instead. Those who don't resort to doing calculations mentally in Data Interpretation
may find the section just too tough.
Besides mastering the theory conceptually you should also have all
the direct formulae at your fingertips. This can be a major step towards improving
your scores.
Caution : The tips given above are of general nature. Minor variations
are always possible depending on the person. Hence, take the advice with a pinch
of salt.