The final week before the board exam can be a stressful time for ICSE and ISC students. Good preparation always helps to beat a major part of this stress. Students need to follow a clearly structured learning plan and revision strategy to crack the exam and come up with trumps.
Semester 2 has an altogether different approach. Many students waste time in figuring out the choice questions in the paper. To prepare well and clearly understand the concepts, one must read the textbooks thoroughly. Make mnemonic acronyms for better memorizing and create mind maps or diagrams to visualize how the concepts you’re learning relate to one another.
– A disciplined study regime goes a long way in ensuring good preparation. Split your study sessions. Do not try to cram a lot of information at the last minute, learn it through a smarter way of illustration. Check out the syllabus and the scope of syllabus very minutely. Declutter the physical space and keep handy only the study material of the next exam subject.
– A 10-15 minute break is a must after every 1 hour of study. It will refresh you and you won’t feel fatigued. At the end of the day make sure you attempt a practice test. It will boost your morale.
– For the English literature test, do make it a point to read the texts thoroughly. Practice mock test papers and memorize keywords and phrases from the text. Prepare well for very short answer questions as well.
– For the English Language test, it’s advisable to go through the pupil performance published on the council’s website. Students taking the ISC test should practice homonyms. They should select words which have more than one meaning and make sentences bringing out different meanings. For the ICSE test, students should practice notice writing and email and make sure to be precise. Practicing past exam papers makes one confident.
– In the Geography exam, do highlight the key points. The reasoning questions should be emphasized and maps need to be done thoroughly. Try to answer all sub-parts of a question together.
– In the History exam, MCQs will be of 8 marks; so revise each unit at least twice or thrice and try to remember dates, names and places in sequence. Solve previous year’s papers and Pupil Analysis related to World History. Make notes of key terms as this will enable quicker and easier revision to enhance your understanding of the topics.
– Students taking the Commerce/Accounts/Economics test should go through the sample papers and board papers thoroughly and practice. It’s important to be clear about the format of the paper, so that you may study accordingly.
– For the science exam, one must have a customized approach for each subject. As far as Chemistry is concerned, students must remember…what, when, how for all the concepts. Reactions should have skeletal plus balance. While attempting numerical questions in Physics, make sure you give the formula, substitution and put the values.
Answer the questions with the same unit given and use keywords in reasoning. For the Biology exam, memorize the scientific terms and diagrams. Do not ignore simple topics by taking them for granted. Practice all the previous year papers.
– To best prepare for the Mathematics exam, practice the questions from previous year question paper (topic wise). Prepare one formulae sheet and revise it every day.
– Even as one follows a planned strategy to crack the ISC and ICSE exam, do remember to take care of your physical and mental health. Stay calm, focussed, and positive. Study hard, prepare well, and be confident while taking the exam. Good result will naturally follow. All the best.
(The author is Coordinator – Senior Secondary School, Seth Anandram Jaipuria School, Kanpur)