Where are we coming from?
‘I came, I saw, I conquered...’.
This quote of Julius Caesar summarizes his military success in the 46th century B.C.
Again, in this pandemic stricken third decade of the 21st century, this phrase aptly captures the ubiquity of multiple-choice questions at different levels of school education and testing.
The student community enjoyed this pattern of examination the most, because their question papers no longer remained exclusive domains of questions - even the correct answers were mentioned therein, albeit camouflaged! Many students developed the understanding that the exercise to identify the correct answer can be maneuvered within the examination hall, thereby declaring classroom teaching redundant.
Where are we heading to?
With the announcement of the Term II schedule, the education system is destined to return to its roots - Subjective Assessment.
This time the question papers will showcase only the questions and not the multiple choices to choose the correct answer from. Those aiming for a good result will have to painstakingly develop a comprehensive knowledge base during the session.
So dear students, it's time we have recourse to traditional wisdom and time-tested learning techniques to ready ourselves for the all-important Term-II examinations. Let’s try discovering the role of each day in building a good result and to reinvent the role of teachers in achieving it.
Being empowered on the D-day:
We all realize the importance of the day of the examination and want to make every second of examination time count.
But consider this: just like the Moon has no light of its own and merely reflects the light of the Sun, your performance in the examination is a reflection of the amount of labour you have put in your routine study.
So, if you wish to buy a satisfying minute of writing your exam, the advance price you need to pay is hundred minutes of untiring and dedicated study during the session. (for derivation, see footnote)
If you think the cost is too high, I would say that you have not realized the importance of success in life.
The bottom line is that the exams are never too far. Each day affords you an opportunity to buy about five minutes of your exam time. Those who are able to buy the whole of the allotted examination time before it begins, have found a sure recipe for a cent percent result.
Sync your studies with your teachers:
Are you accustomed to looking upon your teachers as egoists concerned only with yielding authority over you?
Nothing odd, for your teachers thought about their teachers the same way!
But ask yourself, are you not oversimplifying their role? Think, what is at the core of their mind when they boss over you? Think, whose interest is served, if ever they are able to restrain you? With patience to prevail, you should be able to catch on to an undiscovered aspect of their personality – a zealous mission to see you succeed. They mean it!
So, it is in your best interest to sync your studies with your teachers. Let each of your teachers be your mentor for the subject concerned. Appraise your teachers about your plans and progress. Establish a long-term partnership with them with a common objective of achieving competency in that subject. Let their experience enrich your journey to academic excellence!
Footnote:
Preparation Time - 4 months of Term-II (Jan to April). 8 study hours daily implies 960 hours of preparation (8x30x4)
Exam Taking Time - 2 hours for each of the 5 main subjects implies 10 hours of exam
Ratio - 960 x 60 minutes : 10x60 minutes or rounding off to 100 : 1
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