1. Part 1. Book Reading and Note Making Techniques

   In this article we are going to discuss how
   making notes make your study easier and increase
   your grasping power. You will undergo some
   techniques of reading text books and making
   notes systematically.

2. Part 2. Good Study Habit Formation Techniques

   Education is a process of forming habits
   in the brain. In the formation of habits
   there are several principles that must be
   observed. As we cannot avoid forming habits,
   how important it is that we seek to form those
   that are useful and desirable.

3. Part 3. Concentration Building Techniques

   Nearly everyone has difficulty in the
   concentration of attention. Brain workers
   in business and industry, students in high
   school and college, and even professors in
   universities, complain of the same difficulty.

4. Part 4. Impression Retention Recall and Recognition Techniques

   Of all the mental operations employed by
   the student, memory is probably the one
   in which the greatest inefficiency is
   manifested. Though we often fail to
   realize it, much of our life is taken
   up with memorizing.

5. Part 5. Interest Developing Techniques

   Some persons notice that they take interest
   easily in certain things and they take
   interest in them so spontaneously and
   effortlessly that they think these interests
   must be born within them.

6. Part 6. Health and Fitness Techniques

   Mental ability is affected by bodily
   conditions. A common complaint of students
   is that they cannot study because of a
   headache, or they fail in class because
   of loss of sleep.

Central Board of Secondary Education is going to introduce grading system for all classes from next session that is year 2009-2010. This announcement was made by Sh. Vineet Joshi, secretary of the CBSE during National Sahodaya conference of principals, held recently at Bhopal.

The students who will pass their class 10 board examination in March 2010 will be awarded grades at the place of Marks. It will be implemented in classes 7, 8, 9, 11 and 12 also.

The grading system in schools was recommended many times earlier too. But due to one another reason it was not implemented.Kendriya Vidyalaya Sangathan is giving grades to the primary classes for last few years but it was not there for other classes. Some of the educational institutions in India were providing grades at the place of Marks.

The official announcement about implementation of grading system in CBSE board classes is an appreciable step. This news was published in expressindiadotcom.

Before you can successfully improve your time management skills you need clarity on what you want to use the additional time for. This is the most important but also one of the most difficult task and you should not rush but take enough time to accomplish this.

1. Private goals
   • Health: Keeping your body and mind in good shape over many year will require a lot of activities and possible giving up some habits such as smoking etc.
   • Family: Do want to marry and have children and how closely do you want to interact with the members of your family?
   • Friends: How important are friends for your life and how deeply do you want to involve your friends in your life. How much time do you want to spend with your friends?
   • Financials: How much do you want to earn and how much wealth do you want to accumulate by when?
   • Artistic: Do you want to acquire certain artistic skills and bring them to a certain stage (e.g. piano, literature, etc.)
   • Physical: Do you want to perform in certain sports or do you have ambitions in this field (e.g. run a marathon, etc.)
   • Experiences: Do you wish to make certain unique experiences (e.g. travel around the world, climb a certain mountain, etc.)
2. Professional goals
   • Education: Do you want to learn a foreign languages, complete a university degree, etc.?
   • Career: Is a professional career important to you and how much do you want push it also considering what you might have to give up on your private goals .?
   • Society: Do you want to improve the world and in what field?

Take a sheet of paper and write down your lifetime goals in those categories that matter to you. After you completed this exercise put the paper aside and review it after a week or so. Ask yourself again if this is really what you and also consider that some goals might be imposed to you by others or to fulfill other people’s expectation towards you. It took me a few months to become clear on what I really want and I can therefore only recommend to make a few loops until you are really sure about the final result.

In case you face major difficulties in identifying your goals for life, writing down the answers to the following questions might help you to become more concrete:

• If I died today, what would I wish I had done that I did not accomplish, yet?
• If I knew I had only six months to live from today, what would activity would be my highest priority?
• What do I want to be remembered for?
• What will be the benefit for me in achieving these goals?

Once you have written down your goals you might also realize that some of these are conflicting. In such a case you need to set priorities and try to find a balance. Another option can be to achieve these goals at different times in your life. Some goals might have to be achieved relatively quickly whereas others could also be interesting at a later stage.

If you are in a long-term relationship I also recommend to discuss these goals with your partner and even children if they are old enough and concerned.

At the end of this process you should print the list of your goals in large letters and put them in a prominent place in your home where you will see them every day. This will help you to stay focused and to resist the temptation of every days distraction.

I also found an intersting website. where you can input your goals and also build a community with people sharing same goals. It also has a reminder function for each goal, where you can set how often you want to reminded for your goal by email.

As a next step it is important that you make a clear commitment to your goals. One one hand this means that you turn them into actionable items. On the other hand you can make a conclusion on many things you should not do or pursue anymore. Deciding on what you will not do anymore is of particular interest since these often are the things which distract you from achieving your goals.

In this article we are going to discuss how making notes make your study easier and increase your grasping power. You will undergo some techniques of reading text books and making notes systematically

Memory Empowerment : Book Reading and Note-Making Techniques

In this article we are going to discuss how making notes make your study easier and increase your grasping power. You will undergo some techniques of reading text books and making notes systematically.

Students, as a rule, do not realize that there is any skill involved in taking notes. Not until examination time arrives, they realize that there must be some system in note-making. A careful examination of note-making shows that there are rules or principles, which, when followed, have much to do with increasing ability in study.

Notes may be used in three ways: as material for directing each day’s study, for cramming, and for permanent, professional use. Thus a note-book may be a thing of far-reaching value. Recognition of this will help you in the preparation of your notes and will determine many times how they should be prepared.

In arranging an outline you will find it wise to adopt some device by which the parts will stand out prominently, and the progression of thought will be indicated with proper subordination of titles. The system here given may serve as a model:

A method that has been found helpful is to use a double-page system of note-making, using the left-hand page for the bare outline, with largest divisions, and the right-hand page for the details. This device makes the note-book readily available for hasty review or for more extended study.

Your notes should represent a summary, in your own words, of the author’s discussion, not a duplication of it. Students sometimes acquire the habit of reading single sentences at a time, and then of writing them down, thinking that by making an exact copy of the book, they are playing safe. This is a pernicious practice; it spoils continuity of thought and application.

Furthermore, isolated sentences mean little, and fail grossly to represent the real thought of the author. A better way is to read through an entire paragraph or section, then close the book and reproduce in your own words what you have read. Next, take your summary and compare with the original text to see that you have really grasped the point. This procedure will be beneficial in several ways. It will encourage continuous concentration of attention to an entire argument; it will help you to preserve relative emphasis of parts; it will lead you to regard thought and not words. Lastly, material studied in this way is remembered longer than material read scrappily. In short, such a method of reading makes not only for good memory, but for good mental habits of all kinds.

Ask yourself, when beginning a printed discussion, what am I looking for? What is the author going to talk about? Often this will be indicated in topical headings. Keep it in the background of your mind while reading, and search for the answer. Then, when you have read the necessary portion, close the book and summarize, to see if the author furnished what you sought. In short, always read for a purpose. Formulate problems and seek their solutions. In this way will there be direction in your reading and your thought.

Every book you take up should be opened with some preliminary ceremony. This does not refer to the physical operation of opening a new book, but to the mental operation.

In general, take the following steps:

1. Observe the title. See exactly what field the book attempts to cover.
2. Observe the author’s name. If you are to use his book frequently, discover his position in the field. Remember, you are going to accept him as authority, and you should know his status. You may be told this on the title-page, or you may have to consult Who’s Who, or the biographical dictionary..
3. Glance over the preface. Under some circumstances you should read it carefully. If you are going to refer to the book very often, make friends with the author; let him introduce himself to you; this he will do in the preface. Observe the date of publication, also, in order to get an idea as to the decency of the material..
4. Glance over the table of contents. If you are very familiar with the field, and the table of contents is outlined in detail, you might advantageously study it and dispense with reading the book. On the other hand, if you are going to consult the book only briefly, you might find it necessary to study the table of contents in order to see the relation of the part you read to the entire work.

   Education is a process of forming habits in the brain. In the formation of habits there are several principles that must be observed. As we cannot avoid forming habits, how important it is that we seek to form those that are useful and desirable. In acquiring them, there are several general principles..

Memory Empowerment : Good Study-Habit Formation Techniques

Education is a process of forming habits in the brain. In the formation of habits there are several principles that must be observed. As we cannot avoid forming habits, how important it is that we seek to form those that are useful and desirable. In acquiring them, there are several general principles.

1. Guard the pathways leading to the brain.
   Nerve tissue is impressible and everything that touches it leaves an ineradicable trace. You can control your habits to some extent, then, by observing caution in permitting things to impress you. Many unfortunate habits of study arise from neglect of this. The habit of using a “pony,” for example, arises when one permits oneself to depend upon a group of English words in translating from a foreign language. Nerve pathways should then be guarded with respect to _what_ enters. They should also be guarded with respect to the _way_ things enter. Remember, as the first pathway is cut, subsequent nervous currents will be directed. Consequently if you make a wrong pathway, you will have trouble undoing it.
2. Go slowly at first to prevent undesirable pathways
   This is an important principle in all learning. If, when trying to learn the date 1453, you carelessly impress it first as 1435, you are likely to have trouble ever after in remembering which is right, 1453 or 1435. As you value your intellectual salvation, then, go slowly in making the first impression and be sure it is right.
3. Make an assertion of will
   Vow to yourself that you will form the habit, and keep that resolve ever before you.
4. Make an emphatic start
   Surround yourself with every aid possible. Make it easy at first to perform the act and difficult not to perform it. For example, if you desire to form the habit of arising at six every morning, surround yourself with a number of aids. Buy an alarm clock, and tell some one of your decision. Such efforts at the start “will give your new beginning such a momentum that the temptation to break down will not occur.” When men decide to swear off smoking, they choose the opening of a new year when many other new things are being started; they make solemn promises to themselves, to each other, and finally to their friends. Such customs are precautions which help to bolster up the determination at the time when extraordinary effort and determination are required.

   In forming the habits, take pains from the start to surround yourself with as many aids as possible. This will not constitute a confession of weakness. It is only a wise and natural precaution which the whole experience of the race has justified.

5. Seize every opportunity to act upon your resolution
   If you wish your resolves to be firmly fixed, you should act upon them speedily and often. Particularly at time of emotional excitement one makes resolves that are very good, and a glow of fine feeling is present. Strictly speaking you have not really completed a resolve until you have acted upon it. Many repetitions will be required before a pathway is worn deep enough to be settled. Seize the very earliest opportunity to begin grooving it out, and seize every other opportunity for deepening it.

   Nearly everyone has difficulty in the concentration of attention. Brain workers in business and industry, students in high school and college, and even professors in universities, complain of the same difficulty. Attention seems in some way to be at the very core of mental activity, for no matter from what aspect we view the mind; its excellence seems to depend upon the power to concentrate attention.

Memory Empowerment : Concentration Building Techniques

Nearly everyone has difficulty in the concentration of attention. Brain workers in business and industry, students in high school and college, and even professors in universities, complain of the same difficulty. Attention seems in some way to be at the very core of mental activity, for no matter from what aspect we view the mind; its excellence seems to depend upon the power to concentrate attention.

In judging the intelligence of people with whom we associate every day, we regard one who is able to maintain close attention for long periods of time as a person of strong mind. We rate Thomas Edison as a powerful thinker when we read that he becomes so absorbed in work that he neither eats nor sleeps.

If you wish to become a good student, you must prepare conditions as favorable as possible for study. Choose a quiet room to live in, free from distracting sounds and sights. Have your room at a temperature neither too hot nor too cold; 68 F. is usually considered favorable for study. When reading in the library, sit down in a quiet spot, with your back to the door, so you will not be tempted to look up as people enter the room. Do not sit near a group of gossipers or near a creaking door. Having made the external conditions favorable for study, you should next address yourself to the task of eliminating bodily distractions.

The most disturbing of these in study are sensations of fatigue, for, contrary to the opinion of many people, study is very fatiguing work and involves continual strain upon the muscles in holding the body still, particularly those of the back, neck, arms, hands and, above all, the eyes. How many movements are made by your eyes in the course of an hour’s study! They sweep back and forth across the page incessantly, being moved by six muscles which are bound to become fatigued. Still more fatigue comes from the contractions of delicate muscles within the eyeball, where adjustments are made for far and near vision and for varying amounts of light. The eyes, then, give rise to much fatigue, and, altogether, are the source of a great many bodily distractions in study.

In trying to create conditions for efficient study, many bodily distractions can be eliminated. The study chair should be easy to sit in so as to reduce fatigue of the muscles supporting the body; the book-rest should be arranged so as to require little effort to hold the book; the light should come over the left shoulder. This is especially necessary in writing, so that the writing hand will not cast a shadow upon the work. The muscles of the eyes will be rested and fatigue will be retarded if you close the eyes occasionally. Then in order to lessen the general fatigue of the body, you may find it advantageous to rise and walk about occasionally. Lastly, the clothing should be loose; especially there should be plenty of room for circulation.

But in spite of our most careful provisions, there will still be distractions that cannot be eliminated. The only thing to do then is to accept as inevitable the presence of some distractions, and to realise that to pay attention, it is necessary to habituate yourself to the ignoring of distractions. In the accomplishment of this end it will be necessary to apply the principles of habit formation already described. Start out by making a strong determination to ignore all distractions. Practice ignoring them, and do not let a slip occur. Try to develop interest in the object of attention, because we pay attention to those things in which we are most interested.

If deficiency of knowledge is the cause of your lapses of attention, the obvious remedy is to turn back and study the fundamental facts; to lay a firm foundation in your subjects of study.

Of all the mental operations employed by the student, memory is probably the one in which the greatest inefficiency is manifested. Though we often fail to realize it, much of our life is taken up with memorizing.

Memory Empowerment : Impression, Retention, Recall and Recognition Techniques

Of all the mental operations employed by the student, memory is probably the one in which the greatest inefficiency is manifested. Though we often fail to realize it, much of our life is taken up with memorizing. Every time we make use of past experience, we rely upon this function of the mind, but in no occupation is it quite as practically important as in study. We shall begin our investigation of memory by dividing it into four phases or stages–Impression, Retention, Recall and Recognition. Any act of memory involves them all.

There is first a stage when the material is being impressed; second, a stage when it is being retained so that it may be revived in the future; third, a stage of recall when the retained material is revived to meet present needs; fourth, a feeling of recognition, through which the material is recognized as having previously been in the mind.

Much of the poor memory that people complain about is due to the fact that they make first impressions carelessly. One reason why people fail to remember names is that they do not get a clear impression of the name at the start. They are introduced in a hurry or the introducer mumbles; consequently no clear impression is secured. Under such circumstances how could one expect to retain and recall the name? Go slowly, then, in impressing material for the first time. As you look up the words of a foreign language in the lexicon, trying to memorize their English equivalents, take plenty of time. Obtain a clear impression of the sound and appearance of the words.

Education as it takes place through the agency of books and instructors; most learning depends upon the eye and ear. Even yet, however, you learn many things through the sense of touch and through muscle movement, though you may be unaware of it. You probably have better success retaining impressions made upon one sense than another.

The majority of people retain better things that are visually impressed. If you find that you have greater difficulty in remembering material impressed through the ear than through the eye, reduce things to visual terms as much as possible. Make your notes more complete or tabulate things that you wish to remember, thus securing impression from the written form. If, on the contrary, you remember best the things that you hear, you may find it a good plan to read your lessons aloud. Many a student, upon the discovery of such a preference, has increased his memory ability many fold by adopting the simple expedient of reading his lessons aloud. It might be pointed out that while you are reading aloud, you are making more than auditory impressions. By the use of the vocal organs you are making muscular impressions, which also aid in learning.

To improve ability to form visual images of things, practice calling up visions of things. Try to picture a page of your history textbook. Can you see the headlines of the sections and the paragraphs? To develop auditory imagery, practice calling up sounds. Try to image your instructor’s voice in saying something. The development of these sense fields is a slow and laborious.

Another important condition of impression is repetition. It is well known that material which is repeated several times is remembered more easily than that impressed but once. If two repetitions induce a given liability to recall, four or eight will secure still greater liability of recall.

After you have impressed the poem you are memorizing, do not immediately follow it by another poem. Let the brain rest for three or four minutes until after the first impressions have had a chance to “set.”

In memorizing material like the poem of our example, should one impress the entire poem at once, or break it up into parts, impressing a stanza each day? Most people would respond, without thought, the latter, and, as a matter of fact, most memorizing takes place in this way. Experimental psychology, however, has discovered that this is uneconomical. The selection, if of moderate length, should be impressed as a whole. If too long for this, it should be broken up as little as possible.

According to another classification, there are two ways of memorizing–by rote and by logical associations. Rote memorizing involves the repetition of material just as it stands, and usually requires such long and laborious drill that it is seldom economical. True, some matter must be memorized this way; such as the days of the week and the names of the months; but there is another and gentler method which is usually more effective and economical than that of brutal repetition. That is the method of logical association, by which one links up a new fact with something already in the mind. It is sometimes thought that if a person stores so much in his memory it will soon be so full that he cannot memorize any more. This is a false notion, involving a conception of the brain as a hopper into which impressions are poured until it runs over.

The fidelity of memory is greatly affected by the intention. Students make a great mistake when they study for the purpose merely of retaining until after examination time. Intend to retain facts permanently, and there will be greater likelihood of their permanence.

We retain facts after they are once impressed. The ability of retention purely depends upon the way it is impressed onto the brain. A well impressed fact may retain for longer time than improperly impressed fact.

Recall is the stage at which material that has been impressed and retained is recalled to serve the purpose for which it was memorized. Recall is thus the goal of memory. When you are memorizing anything to be recalled, make part of your memorizing a rehearsal of it, if possible, under same conditions as final recall. In memorizing from a book, first make impression, then close the book and practice recall. Imagine yourself facing the audience. Practice aloud so that you will become accustomed to the sound of your own voice. The importance of the practice of recall as a part of the memory process can hardly be overestimated. One psychologist has advised that in memorizing significant material more than half the time should be spent in practicing recall.

Whenever a remembered fact is recalled, it is accompanied by a characteristic feeling which we call the feeling of recognition. It has been described as a feeling of familiarity, a glow of warmth, a sense of ownership, a feeling of intimacy. As you walk down the street of a great city you pass hundreds of faces, all of them strange. Suddenly in the crowd you catch sight of some one you know and are instantly suffused with a glow of feeling that is markedly different from your feeling toward the others. That glow represents the feeling of recognition. It is always present during recall and may be used in great advantage in studying.

A growing feeling of pleasure is the sign which notifies us that we are growing interested in a subject. Some persons notice that they take interest easily in certain things and they take interest in them so spontaneously and effortlessly that they think these interests must be born within them.

Memory Empowerment : Interest Developing Techniques

“I can’t get interested in History.” This illustrates a kind of complaint frequently made by students. In this article we are discussing how interest may be developed in an “uninteresting” subject.

A growing feeling of pleasure is the sign which notifies us that we are growing interested in a subject. Some persons notice that they take interest easily in certain things and they take interest in them so spontaneously and effortlessly that they think these interests must be born within them.

Actually, we acquire most of our interests in the course of our experience. Since interests are largely products of experience, then, it follows that if we wish to have an interest in a given subject, we must consciously and purposefully develop it.

Following steps should be taken to develop interest in a particular subject:

1. In order to develop interest in a subject, secure information about it.
   Let us take one example that is quite common the interest which a typical young girl takes in a movie star. Her interest in him comes largely from what she has been able to learn about him; the names of the productions in which he has appeared, his age, the color of his automobile, his favorite novel. Her interest may be said actually to consist, at least in part, of these facts. The more information you collect about the subject, the more interest you develop around the subject.
2. In order to develop interest in a subject, exert activity towards it
   In trying to become interested in a particular, keep actively engaged in it. Read book after book dealing with the subject. Apply it to your studies in other subjects. Try to help some other student in the class. Take part in class discussions and talk informally with the instructor outside of the classroom. Use your ingenuity to devise methods of keeping active toward the subject. Presently you will discover that the subject no longer appears cold and forbidding; but that it glows warm with virility; that it has become interesting.

   Student may develop interest in any subject if he but employs the proper psychological methods. That he must obey the two-fold law–secure information about the subject (stating the new in terms of the old) and exert activity toward it. That when he has thus lighted the flame of interest, he will find his entire intellectual life illuminated, glowing with purpose, resplendent with success.

   Mental ability is affected by bodily conditions. A common complaint of students is that they cannot study because of a headache, or they fail in class because of loss of sleep.

Memory Empowerment : Health and Fitness Techniques

Mental ability is affected by bodily conditions. A common complaint of students is that they cannot study because of a headache, or they fail in class because of loss of sleep. So patent is the interrelation between bodily condition and study that we cannot consider our discussion of study problems complete without recognition of the topic. We shall group our discussions about three of the most important physical activities, eating, sleeping and exercising. These make up the greater part of our daily activities and if they are properly regulated our study is likely to be effective.

• FOOD.–It is generally agreed that the main function of food is to repair the tissues of the body. Some of the important questions about eating are, how much to eat, what kind of food to eat, when to eat, what are the most favorable conditions for eating?

  The quantity of food to be taken varies with the demands of the individual appetite and the individual powers of absorption. In general, one who is engaged in physical labor needs more, because of increased appetite and increased waste of tissues. So a farm-hand needs more food than a student, whose work is mostly indoors and sedentary.

  The most favorable distribution of foods for students is a predominance of fruits, coarse cereals, starch and sugar and less prominence to meats. Do not begin the day’s study on a breakfast of cakes. They are a heavy tax upon the digestive powers and their nutritive value is low. The mid-day meal is also a crucial factor in determining the efficiency of afternoon study, and many students almost completely incapacitate themselves for afternoon work by a too-heavy noon meal.

  The heavy meal of a student may well come at evening. It should consist of a varied assortment of foods with some liquids, preferably clear soup, milk and water. Meat also forms a substantial part of this meal, though ordinarily it should not be taken more than once a day.

• SLEEP. — It has often been said that sleep is a more imperative necessity than food. It is quite likely that some students indulge in too much sleep. This may sometimes be due to laziness, but frequently it is due to actual intoxication, from an excess of food which results in the presence of poisonous “narcotizing substances absorbed from the burdened intestine”. This theory is rendered tenable by the fact that when the diet is reduced the hours of sleep may be reduced. By all means do not indulge yourself in long periods of lying in bed after a good night’s rest. Sleep is a state in which the tissues of the body which have been used up may be restored. For this reason, a mid-day nap is often effective, or a short nap after the evening dinner. By thus catching the cells at an early stage of their exhaustion, they can be restored with comparative ease, and more energy will be available for use during the remainder of the working hours.
• EXERCISE.–Brain workers do not ordinarily get all the exercise they should. Particularly is this true of some conscientious students who feel they must not take any time from their study. But this denotes a false conception of mental action. The human organism needs exercise. Man is not a disembodied spirit; he must pay attention to the claims of the body. Indeed it will be found that time spent in exercise will result in a higher grade of mental work.

  If you undertake a course of exercise, by all means have it regular. Little is gained by sporadic exercising. Adopt the principle of regularity and rhythmize this important phase of bodily activity as well as all other phases.

  The student should relax at intervals, and engage in something remote from study. To forget books for an entire week-end is often wisdom; to have a hobby or an avocation is also wise. A student must not forget that he is something more than an intellectual being. He is a physical organism and a social being.

Examinations serve several purposes, the foremost of which is to inform the examiner regarding the amount of knowledge possessed by the student. In discovering this, two methods may be employed; first, to test whether or not the student knows certain things, plainly a reproductive exercise; second, to see how well the student can apply his knowledge.

How To Prepare Effectively For Examinations Part 1

Examinations serve several purposes, the foremost of which is to inform the examiner regarding the amount of knowledge possessed by the student.
In discovering this, two methods may be employed;

1. first, to test whether or not the student knows certain things, plainly a reproductive exercise;
2. second, to see how well the student can apply his knowledge.

But this is not the only function of an examination. It also shows the student how much he knows or does not know. Again the examination often serves as an incentive to harder work on the part of the student, for if one knows there will be an examination in a subject, one usually studies with greater zeal than when an examination is not expected. Lastly, an examination may help the student to link up facts in new ways, and to see them in new relationships. In this aspect, you readily see that examinations constitute a valuable device in learning.

But students are not very patient in philosophizing about the purpose of examinations, declaring that if examinations are a necessary part of the educational process, they wish some advice that will enable them to pass examinations easily and with credit to themselves. So we shall turn our attention to the practical problems of passing examinations.

Here are some tips on how to study for examinations:

1. Some students seem to think that they can slight their work throughout a course, and by vigorous cramming at the end make up for slighted work and pass the examination. This is an extremely dangerous attitude to take.
2. An advantage of cramming is that at such a time, one usually works at a high plane of efficiency; the task of reviewing in a few hours the work of an entire course is so huge that the attention is closely concentrated, impressions are made vividly, and the entire mentality is tuned up so that facts are well impressed, coordinated and retained. These advantages are not all present in the more leisurely learning of a course, so we see that cramming may be regarded as a useful device in learning.
3. The facts should not be seized upon singly but should be regarded in the light of their different relations with each other. Suppose, for example, you are reviewing for an examination in mediaeval history. The important events may be studied according to countries, studying one country at a time, but that is not sufficient; the events occurring during one period in one country should be correlated with those occurring in another country at the same time. Likewise the movements in the field of science and discovery should be correlated with movements in the fields of literature, religion and political control. Tabulate the events in chronological order and compare the different series of events with each other. In this way the facts will be seen in new relations and will be more firmly impressed so that you can use them in answering a great variety of questions.

Now some tips for students in examination hall:

1. Having made preparation of the subject-matter of the examination, the next step is to prepare yourself physically for the trying ordeal, for it is well known that the mind acts more ably under physically healthful conditions. Go to the examination-room with your body rested after a good night’s sleep. Eat sparingly before the examination, for mental processes are likely to be clogged if too heavy food is taken.
2. Having reached the examination-room, there are a number of considerations that are requisite for success. Some of the advice here given may seem to be superfluous but if you had ever corrected examination papers you would see the need of it all. Let your first step consist of a preliminary survey of the examination questions; read them all over slowly and thoughtfully in order to discover the extent of the task set before you. A striking thing is accomplished by this preliminary reading of the questions. It seems as though during the examination period the knowledge relating to the different questions assembles itself, and while you are focusing your attention upon the answer to one question, the answers to the other questions are formulating themselves in your mind. It is a semi-conscious operation, akin to the “unconscious learning” discussed in the chapter on memory. In order to take advantage of it, it is necessary to have the questions associations will form and will come to the surface when you reach the particular questions.
3. During the examination when some of these associations come into consciousness ahead of time, it is often wise to digress from the question in hand long enough to jot them down. By all means preserve them, for if you do not write them down they may leave you and be lost. Sometimes very brilliant ideas come in flashes, and inasmuch as they are so fleeting, it is wise to grasp them and fix them while they are fresh.
4. In writing the examination, be sure you read every question carefully. Each question has a definite point; look for it, and do not start answering until you are sure you have found it. Discover the implications of each question; canvass its possible interpretations, and if it is at all ambiguous seek light from the instructor if he is willing to make any further comment.
5. It is well to have scratch paper handy and make outlines for your answers to long questions. It is a good plan, also, when dealing with long questions, to watch the time carefully, for there is danger that you will spend too much time upon some question to the detriment of others equally important, though shorter.
6. One error which students often commit in taking examinations is to waste time in dreaming. As they come upon a difficult question they sit back and wait for the answer to come to them. This is the wrong plan. The secret of freedom of ideas lies in activity. Therefore, at such times, keep active, so that the associative processes will operate freely. Instead of idly waiting for flashes of inspiration, begin to write. You may not be able to write directly upon the point at issue, but you can write something about it, and as you begin to explore and to express your meager fund of knowledge, one idea will call up another and soon the correct answer will appear.
7. After you have prepared yourself to the extent of your ability, you should maintain toward the examination an attitude of confidence. Believe firmly that you will pass the examination. Make strong suggestions to yourself, affirming positively that you have the requisite amount of information and the ability to express it coherently and forcefully. Fortified by the consciousness of faithful application throughout the work of a course, reinforced by a thorough, well-planned review, and with a firm conviction in the strength of your own powers, you may approach your examinations with comparative ease and with good chances of passing them creditably.

Examinations are a part of our education system. No matter how much we know, we will be judged by what we have written in examinations. That’s why it is necessary to understand the writing style and pattern for getting good marks. All the hard workers may not get fruitful results.

How To Prepare Effectively For Examinations Part 2

Examinations are a part of our education system. No matter how much we know, we will be judged by what we have written in examinations. That’s why it is necessary to understand the writing style and pattern for getting good marks. All the hard workers may not get fruitful results. We need to plan our study and analyse the examination pattern, marking scheme and the subject content. Here are some tips that will help the students to prepare well for examinations.

Do:
1. Count the number of subjects you have and the number of days left for the exams to start.
2. Give a certain amount of time for each subject, giving more time to your weaker subjects.
3. Set aside some time for mathematics everyday. Solve similar type of problems over and over again.
4. Study two-three subjects everyday to avoid monotony and boredom. However, if you prefer finishing your revision subject wise, that is entirely up to you.
5. Make a timetable and try to stick to it. The timetable must be practical and adjustable.
6. Give yourself a break every hour so. Walk about a bit, stretch, Do a light exercise. Get back to your table. You can take a little amount of normal water in between. This will keep you fresh and he will be able to sit for longer time.
7. Don’t slouch. A bad posture can be very tiring as it puts undue strain on your muscles..
8. Have a proper study table if you can. Your chair should be placed properly. The height of chair and study table should be in proper ratio..
9. Eat your meals at regular times. Take more salads and fresh leafy vegetables..
10. Get enough sleep. Your body is young and growing. Give it enough rest for at least seven hours..
11. Get up early. Your mind will be fresh and absorb information and it is really the best time to study..
12. Keep the radio and TV set aside from your life till examinations are over. There is time enough after the exams to watch your favourite programmes..
13. We disciplined and strict with yourself..

Don’t:
1. Don’t study your favourite subjects at the cost of others..
2. Don’t jump from tropic to topic. Cover each topic thoroughly before you go onto the next one..
3. Don’t d have endless cup of coffee. They don’t do you any good at all.

In the examination hall-here are some tips:
1. Read the paper thoroughly before you start to answer..
2. Be sure you understand the question properly..
3. Keep 10 minutes for revising your answer sheet. Divide the rest of the time between the questions to be answered..
4. If you are not able to complete your answers within that time, leave it for the time being and go onto the next question. Come back to that later if you have few minutes spared..
5. Answer first the questions that are easy for you and go back to the hard ones later.
   Answer all the questions required to be answered by you, even if answer some of them only partially..
6. Do not leave out any question, particularly if it is a compulsory question. You will be denying yourself that set of marks straightway. A partial attempt will at least in was you partial marks.