Better time management is an important skill to have for every student, but is essential for class XII students, especially those preparing for competitive exams. Most competitive exams such as JEE and NEET also consider your board exam results, so, it is important to score well in both. It is difficult to juggle between preparation for such major exams, and students often get overwhelmed by the portions that lies before them — they don’t know where or how to start. Here are some tips that could help you manage your time better:
Fundamentals
Your boards help build theoretical knowledge and understanding of formula derivation, whereas competitive exams test your fundamentals through difficult problem-solving. One is closely connected to the other. While approaching a chapter, look at it as one unit. Pick one chapter, ideally the one you dread, and start studying the fundamentals. Understand the derivations and theoretical aspects of the chapter. This will be useful for both exams. Then, study the same chapter from your competitive exam syllabus, where you explore it in greater detail and apply your knowledge, by solving complex problems.
Slot your time
A day might have 24 hours, but with school, classes, and extracurriculars, you have only limited time dedicated to self-study. A question that’s asked too often is, ‘How much time should I study every day?’. There is no definite answer; it varies with every student’s grasping power, however, six hours is recommended. Split these six hours into slots of two hours each, and pace your studies.
Timetable in advance
Making a new timetable every day is counterproductive. You end up wasting a lot of time planning and not doing as much. You need to be able to look at what you will be studying, for at least a month. By splitting your day into slots, you have already made it easy for yourself. You can assign a different slot for each subject or you can assign slots for learning, revising and attempting tests. Ensure your timetable is flexible enough to account for surprise tests or any other unforeseen circumstances. No timetable will work unless you exercise discipline and maintain it. Within three weeks of sticking to it, you will be able to decipher whether the timetable works for you or not.
Revise
Any competitive exam syllabus also requires you to be thorough with your class XI portions. Once there are six months to your competitive exam, start setting out ten slots in a week where you re-learn your class XI portion and test yourself on it. Since it is something you have already learned before, it won’t take up too much of your time.
Take breaks
Stress is your biggest enemy and the only way to deal with it is to take a break. But, how do you know how many breaks are too much? Simple, each time you finish a slot, take a 15-minute break. You can do what you please during that time, but the idea is to turn off the thoughts of studying completely.
Countdown
If you are worried about falling behind, or you are unsure about how you should map out the months approaching your exams, here is how you can divide your time to account for both boards and competitive exams.
12 months:
Start learning theory, understand every concept in detail and solve basic, as well as complex problems from boards and competitive exam syllabi. Spend 70% of your time learning and 30% solving problems.
Six months:
Attempt part tests for three or four chapters every day to see how well you have understood the concepts. Revise your class XI portions. Attempt test series and mock tests for your competitive exam.
Three months:
You should have completed your portions by this time. You need to devote the following three months solely to revision and tests. Use 20% of your day to revise and 80% to practice.
A month:
February should be all about your boards, only a few revision slots should be reserved to look at your competitive exam notes.
Try to solve as many questions as possible to ace your competitive exam. Attempt as many mock tests and make sure you thoroughly revise your notes. If you manage your time well, you can ace both exams with ease.
The author is VP, Educational Content, Toppr.com.
