GATE 2023

What differentiates a person who aced a competitive exam from a person who failed?
In this article, we bring you a few critical factors which achievers have. It is important to note that competitive exams are different from regular college and school exams. Let us see why it is so before jumping into the critical factors.

Lesson one: In a competitive exam the benchmark is always other; preparation is relative.

Example:
Two men are walking through a forest. Suddenly, they see a tiger in the distance, running towards them. They turn and start running away. But then one of them stops, takes some running shoes from his bag, and starts putting them on.
“What are you doing?” says the other man. “Do you think you will run faster than the tiger with those?”
“I don’t have to run faster than the tiger,” he says. “I just have to run faster than you.”

Hence, instead of preparing anything and everything, your preparation should only be more than that of your competitors.

Lesson Two: Narrow your focus.

School and Higher education are to gather knowledge and wisdom; however, in the competitive exam preparation your focus shall narrow down to securing more marks (than others). Sometimes, it’s best to just mug up some figures and words without knowing the purpose – do it just to get an edge over others.

Previous year question papers and syllabus are the best resources for filtering out the important topics.

Start with full pace, be consistent:
Plan a daily, weekly and monthly target of the syllabus to be covered. Be consistent in meeting the targets in the desired timeframe.
Tip: You can be consistent only if you set realistic timelines and tasks; don’t overburden yourself. If you do not start with full energy and definitive timelines, in a few months you will be fatigued.

Practice makes you perfect:
Regular practice of the exam questions is a must. If the exam is descriptive, practice by writing answers as you write in exams. If the exam is based on MCQs, then practice Mock Tests. Do all practice in a time-bound manner. If the exams happen in a computerized environment, go for online mocks.

Eat that frog:
“If it’s your job to eat a frog, it’s best to do it First Thing in the Morning. And if it’s your job to eat two frogs, it’s best to eat the BIGGEST one first.” — Mark Twain.
Author Mark Twain, famously said that if you eat a live frog early in the day, you can go through the rest of the day knowing the worst is behind you. The frog is like your worst/most difficult task, and you should do it first thing in the morning. Do the tougher task early in the day when your mind is fresh and energy level is high.

Be confident:
Two aspects here:
Firstly be confident in yourself. You will go through cycles of crests and troughs in confidence while preparing, but don’t be overwhelmed by such emotions.
Secondly, be confident in your knowledge. You may not know everything, but be thorough in whatever you read.

Be accurate before being fast:
There can be nothing worse than getting an easy problem wrong, which others get right, just because you made a silly mistake while being too fast. Students try to be quick while solving problems, resulting in low accuracy during mock exams and hence feel demotivated. Remember, always focus on accuracy first, with due practice your speed automatically increases. Shift your focus on increasing speed after you have achieved consistently high accuracy(80% and above).

Smart work is the Key:
Just studying everything does not help. Study what is most required. Hard work without smartwork reduces efficiency, gives lesser output. Just studying everything without practising is a total waste. Students think of completing syllabus before writing mocks. This leads to the inability to judge your level of preparedness.

Plan Strategically:
It is significant for you to customize your study plan as per the exam, chalk out the important topics for the respective exam, topics with higher weightage, etc. and focus more on them. Remember, always have the competitors in mind. Also, understand your strengths and weaknesses, polish your strengths and work on weaknesses.

Join a test series :
Writing mocks is the single most important element to achieve success. It is well known that top rank holders appear for a huge number of mocks and analyze their progress. You can easily get all India mock test series at GATEFLIX at affordable prices. Testing yourself against other test takers all over India, gives you the most realistic picture of where you stand.

Synchronise yourself:
Once you know the time of the exam, make sure to cultivate a habit of writing mocks at that time interval. It takes about over 21 days to form a new habit. Don’t be accustomed to habits like sleeping or smoking in that time frame.

Having a Right Peer Group:
Studying with peers can help you identify your mistakes in knowledge and strategy. Being with a good peer group leads to healthy competition. Be friends with people who have the same goal as you and are better than you.
Always remember, “If you are the smartest person in the room, then you are in the wrong room”.

Read Newspapers:
Read the newspaper daily. Irrespective of the exam you are preparing for, it will help you in developing knowledge, reading habits and vocabulary. Reading for an hour daily is advisable, with special focus on 5 pages which are front page, editorials, business, international and sports.

Invest and Commit:
Invest in good courses available online/offline. Once you invest your money, it makes you more determined. You should invest in books, notes, test papers, etc.

Stay physically and mentally fit:
A healthy body and a healthy mind will keep you stress-free. Find time for your hobbies and take regular breaks to stay relaxed. Don’t give up your sleep for studying. You may take a talk or workout regularly, whatever keeps calming.

Last but not least, don’t be scared of the competition, you need only one seat.