18 Tips to Prepare for Competitive Exams

1. Tips to Prepare for Competitive Exams “Competitive exams can seem daunting, but if you employ smart strategies to prepare for the exam, the process can be much more manageable.” 1

2. Enroll in a Test Preparation Program Online To prepare for competitive exams, buy or find online test preparation materials for the specific test you are taking, take a diagnostic practice test to see what you need to practice, and then make a timeline and outline of your study plan. Learning general tips for studying, relaxation, and keeping healthy will also help you prepare for your test holistically. There are many online websites, some of them free and others at a cost, you can sign up with that will prepare you for the test you are taking. 2

3. Buy study materials Purchase your materials from book stores, online, or check them out from a library. Research the best study guides for the specific test you are preparing for and your needs. “There are different kinds of study guides you can buy depending on your need.” 3

4. Get Good Rest The Night Before You Test And On Studying Days Ensure that you get a full 8 hours of sleep before your exam. Getting a bad night's sleep can have a marked negative impact on your test score. Regularly not getting good sleep can create stress and cause you to get sick more often. 4

5. Backward Plan To Figure Out When You Need To Go To Bed or Get Up One technique that can help you get to bed on time is backward planning. Start from the time you want to be at your test site or studying the next day, and mentally go through all the things you need to do leading up to that time. Plan backward to figure out when you need to realistically be in bed by to get enough sleep. Consider how long it takes you to fall asleep, typically, and make sure you account for that time. Add some cushion time in your backward planning for your test day in case something unexpected happens, like you get lost trying to get to a test site. 5

6. Eat Brain Foods and Complex Carbs Eat complex carbs for brain power. If you are distracted by your hunger during your test or while you study, you won’t be able to focus as well. To combat this, on the day of the test and before you study, eat food high in protein, like eggs, and/or whole grains that will stick with you for several hours, like oatmeal. If you have a break during your test, pack a light snack, like an apple, that will keep you alert. * On the day of the test, eat complex carbohydrates like oatmeal rather than candy made up of simple carbohydrates and sugar. * Eat dark veggies and fruits for antioxidants that help your cognitive abilities. 6

7. Start an Exercise Routine To help with your mental well being as well as your physical health, try to incorporate about 2 ½ hours of moderately intense (power walking, cycling) exercise into your schedule per week. This will help you relax and concentrate on your test and studies. If you are interested in sports, often times there are intramural teams that meet at parks that you can play on for free or little cost. Inquire at your school or local parks department.[5]Consider renting a workout DVD from the library or doing a video workout online with friends or family every day or every other day. * Go on jogs first thing in the morning to give you energy. 7

8. Take A Diagnostic Practice Test Take a diagnostic practice test. Most competitive exams are composed of different parts. For example, the GRE is comprised of math, verbal, and essay components. In order to do targeted studying and practice you need to best prepare for the test, you will need to take a practice test to determine which areas of the test you need to focus on the most. In your test prep books, you can typically find diagnostic practice tests. There are also many websites, like collegeboard.org for the SAT, which provide practice tests for competitive exams. These online tests will score your tests for you. Take the practice test under test like conditions. This means time your test, put away electronics, refrain from listening to music, and sit in a desk/space that will be similar to the environment of the test. 8

9. Practice The Essay Portion of The Test If your test includes a writing portion, be sure to practice writing your essay in the time that will be allotted. Make sure you practice writing an outline and planning what you will write about during your practice as well. 9

10. Make An Outline To Structure Your Study Plan Make an outline to structure your study plan. You will need to make a realistic study plan based on what test you are taking, and the amount of time experts say you will need to do to prepare. Some competitive tests like the GRE take months to prepare for, for example. * Sit down with your study materials, and make an outline of the big topics/areas you need to study for the test. 10

11. Backward Plan Which Areas Of The Test You Will Study And For How Long. According to your outline, break down how much material you will need to study per session, approximately. Start with the most important material and work toward the less important material to make sure the important content gets covered before the test. 11

12. Use a Calendar App Like Google Calendar To Make a Schedule You can sign up for a Gmail account if you do not have one and want the app. Go to your Calendar app located in the apps directory in the upper right corner of your Gmail account. Go to "Create" and schedule an "Event" to put the study schedule on your Calendar app. Check and update your calendar regularly to remind yourself of your study schedule. Google Calendar has an email reminders option that you can use to remind yourself of your schedule. 12

13. Clear Your Plate Of Obligations In order to gear up for taking a competitive test, you should carve out room in your schedule for you to study regularly. Explain to your friends and family that you will be concentrating on preparing for a test. Take whatever steps you need to give yourself the time and space you need to focus regularly on studying. 13

14. Keep Track Of Your Progress By Taking Practice Tests. Every couple of weeks, or as often as recommended, take a practice test, and then go back through and look at the questions you missed. If your answer sheet tells you what kind of question it was, take note. If not, do your best to determine what kind of problems you are missing, and look for patterns in the mistakes you are making so that you know what to focus on in your studying 14

15. Study The Areas You Are Weak In “Take more time studying the concepts that you are having trouble with.” 15

16. Stay Focused On Your Outline The stress that comes from studying for competitive tests can be overwhelming at times because of the amount that you have to study. Make sure to combat that stress by concentrating on studying one lesson at a time. Remind yourself that you have to go through this test prep one step at a time, and don’t let yourself worry about mastering the whole test in a short period of time * Do not try to learn everything at once, cramming will not help you deeply understand the content you are learning. 16

17. Remove Distractions While You Study One way to make the practice of studying more manageable is if you set up a routine of removing all distractions from your study space. Looking at your phone or computer will break your focus and ability to study well. Make sure that you put all of your electronics away and that you are working in a space that will help you focus. For example, there should be no televisions or distractions in the background 17

18. Study In Different Spaces New research is showing that people retain more information if they study in different locations. You will be able to focus better when you change your scenery because it keeps your alert. For example, you can move from one room in your house to another when you find yourself losing momentum. Try to go to spaces that have a different feel. For example, you might want to switch between rooms painted different colors and/or with different lighting. 18

19. Reframe Your Mindset When You Feel Bored Consider the things you could learn from studying this material, and focus on the positive rather than dwelling on your feelings of boredom. Think about the potential ways you could apply this information to your life or find it useful. 19

20. Get Books for All Competitive Exam Head Office B-32, Shivalik, Malviya Nagar, New Delhi-110017 Phone Number: +91-11-26691021/1713 Sales Office B-48, Shivalik, Malviya Nagar, New Delhi-110017 Phone Number: +91-11-26692293/94 Content & Image Source 19

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