General Guidelines for Competitive Examinations

“Do your work with your whole heart and you will succeed - there's so little competition.” Elbert Hubbard

There is so much said and done on tips and tricks on how to clear competitive examinations but some ground principles or guidelines still prove useful. In developing countries like ours, one needs to be prepared to face competition not only once but in many phases of life. Following tips comes handy and serve the general purpose.


1)      Set Targets

To begin with, set up a desired score (say-95%) or the order of rank (say within-1st to 50th rank) you wish to achieve in the competitive exam. This gives clarity of thoughts and also serves as a constant motivation factor.  Some students write their targets on their notice boards or put up posters which help in keeping them focused.

2)      Definite plan to make up the target

Once the target is set, assess your present level of performance, i.e figure out, given the state of your preparation, how much score/rank you can achieve. This can be affirmed by solving a previous year exams papers within the stipulated time and evaluating the answers yourself by referring to the answers key released after the exam. Having known your performance and the required standards, you can list down your improvement areas and start working on them. 

3)      Amendment of plan to achieve target

Your study time table need not be static. You can amend your time table from time to time keeping your target in mind. Cover the subjects keeping syllabus in view. Some chapters may appear tough and time taking, but it is advisable to give a long sitting and cover them briefly. The briefly covered chapters become easy for your mind to process next time. Even it is advisable to have group studies on topics which may appear monotonous or difficult. During the preparation be sure to practice thoroughly any mathematical, statistical problems or formulas if any in the syllabus. Even practice the chemical structures present. Try to make short notes of important topics and formulas lists which you need to memorize so as to revise easily and in lesser time.

 4)   The Importance of Revision

Once syllabus is covered go for revision as many times as possible with constant evaluation of your performance by solving previous question papers after each revision. Habituate to complete the paper at least 15 minutes earlier than the stipulated time. If the exam is MCQ’s type, it is less strenuous to answer but if it is subjective, even practice writing essays as it enhances your writing speed, hand writing, grammar and mental skill required to write. Remember that without proper revision it's of no use to cover huge amount of syllabus. 

5)      Have Right Mindset

Take inspiration, support, suggestions from elders and friends. This is very important to derive strength to complete the entire process to successfully clear competitive exams. Suggestion from previous achievers can be very helpful. Have coaching sessions or attend some group studies or preparatory exams to help you mould your vision and thoughts towards success.

Visualise your success, frequently and be optimistic, because everyone were like you before they had their success in competitive exams.