Studying Changes

Studying Changes.

This post is basically about how I studied for exams. Everyone has different ways of studying, so what you I tell you isn't necessarily the way you have to study, but it's a way you could study if it suits you. The reason I'm writing this part is because the way I studied after moving to India was different from the way I studied in US. If you find that you don't need to change the way you study then that's great, but most people find it a little difficult to adjust after their shift. You'll probably need to study more in India, and here's why.

Reason you have to self study more in India:

In the US, most of the content was easily understood, or the teacher helped you understand it easily, and there wasn't too much that was too complicated. The teachers I had taught in an intuitive way and so I learnt the concepts easily in class itself and I didn't need to study much at home. Once I came to India, because I was in a higher grade I had to study more, and the other part was because the contents and teaching were different. In some parts of some subjects, understanding the concept takes priority, and if you have a teacher that'll teach it in such a way that you can understand and not forget, then there really isn't a need to study much for that part. However, if that part isn't clearly taught, or you still don't understand after asking the teacher your doubts,  then self study is the only thing you can do. And the other parts, where the content itself was mostly memory based, the teacher can only dictate it in class and tell you to study it, and you'll have to study it at home on your own. For me, 50% came from class and listening to my teachers. 40% came from studying, and 10% from awareness during the exam. That extra push from a 70 to a 90 marks can only come from studying harder. 

Another reason for me to study more was my Board, ICSE and ISC, where marks are given out of hundred rather than A, B, C etc. If your school is ICSE and academically competitive, then studying harder can make a big difference. This is because, every mark counts. If you get an A, it could mean anywhere from a 100 to a low 90, but that doesn't matter, since they're both A's. However, If you get a 100 in ICSE it's much much much better than getting a low 90. So an extra bit of studying can go a long way in certain Boards.

I'll be explaining mainly how I studied, not for regular school exams, but for the Board Exams (at the end of 10th and 12th Grades). School exams are important, just not as important as the Boards. As long as your teachers are happy with the way you're performing during the regular school exams, you should be fine. Normally people don't study as much for the school exams as the Boards, because of its importance. Once you do start to seriously study for the Boards, then the following points will be more relevant. 

Since my results have been good, many of my classmates, other students and even parents frequently ask me the same question: "How do you study?" In my experience there are two ways of studying: the Extended way and the Focused way. The Extended method is what many people do, which basically studying for a long time, like 8 to 10 hours a day, right before the exams. The Focused way, is to do a little studying studying everyday, like an hour, then, before the exams, study 5 - 6 hours a day, with regular gaps in between. The Extended method works really well for people who can concentrate for extended periods of time. The Focused way is better for people who are willing to vigorously study and focus for brief periods (an hour) at a time. It's better if you try out both methods and see which one suits you. I tried the Extended method in 10th Grade and ended up with 96.2%. However I used the Focused method in 12th Grade and got 98.25%. I paid attention in class, rarely missed a school day, studied a bit after school, and before the Boards, studied a total of 5 - 6 hours a day, with regular 30 to 60 minute breaks in between to cool off. But when I studied, I studied seriously and I studied smart. I felt that studying smart rather than studying hard was more effective, considering the way the system is. To study smart, for each subject, is important and here's how I did it:

• Math: The main thing of course is practice. Find practice problems and try them on your own. If you can get it right on your own, then it will be easier to remember how to solve such problems during the exam. Following this, I got 98 in 12th.

• English: Literature - Make your own detailed answers about the theme and characterizations in the story. If you can, try and memorize the shorter poems, because that can help a lot. Try to remember cause and effects, in Shakespeare, so that you can answer questions like, "What caused Leonato to shout at Claudio?" and "Why did the heroine faint?" and so on.                                                                                          Language - you can find lots of grammar practice, in books or online,  and out of ten, try to get at least 8 or 9 right. Reports and letters are fairly easy, because most of the marks come from remembering the guidelines. Compositions are a little tricky, because examiners shy away from giving full marks. There are usually options, such as descriptive, argumentative, abstract compositions as well as story writing. I usually went for story writing and if you feel you're creative enough to think of  story on the spot, then story writing will be easy. Or you can write a story beforehand, and manipulate it during the exam to fit the question. To see an example of a story I wrote using that method click read more; it's after the physics definitions. The final English score in ISC isn't given separately as Literature and Language, but together, as English. Following this method I got 96 in 12th.

• Physics, Chemistry: The textbook was over a 1000 pages, but actually there were basically 3 things to learn, formulas, definitions and derivations. I made a list of the 3 and studied from that rather than textbook. Since I regularly practiced numerical problems in class, I was familiar with solving problems of that type. I studied from the lists as well as the textbook, and I felt that it really helped. If you scrutinize the previous years' Board Papers, then you realize that they usually only ask questions from a set of around 300 - 400 questions. If you practice these questions, and eventually get all of them right, then a 100 in these subjects isn't too difficult. Using this method I got 96 in Chemistry and 99 in Physics in 12th Grade. For example, here's a list of all the definitions I learnt for 12th Grade ISC Physics.