How to Crack the exams..

Plan Properly: Devise a personal strategy that ensures there is enough time for revising at least thrice before the exam date.

Do work hard: Pitch your ambitions very high. Work hard. Nowhere does success precede work except in the English dictionary. Do not rest content with a mere pass, but aim to secure a high rank.

Constant Study: Keep a constant touch with the subject. This means not only studying the institute’s study materials (this should top your pecking order) but also reading at least one textbook for each subject. That apart, read revisionary test papers, financials magazines, trade journals and case law digest. Attending classes helps lay a strong foundation.

Comprehension: understanding the basic concept is more important than referring to several books and working out scores of problems. This way you understand a concept for life. Structured working, rather than working by rote is critical. Quality, rather than the quantity, of study is important.

Emphasis: every subject is vital. For this, the starting point is a SWOT analysis of oneself. Yes, identify your strengths and weaknesses. Work on the strong-holds and iron out the weak links. Concentrate on subjects where you feel diffident or deficient. Do not procrastinate on this, for when time runs short, the terror mounts!

Reading is an art: develop the art of reading. Learn to skip judiciously so that too much of time is not spent on areas which are not significant. The saved time can then be used to read more.

Making Notes: prepare your own notes. This is better than just marking on books. For, writing leaves a lasting impression on the mind about what is read. Compress your notes with each passing month, such that in the few weeks before the exam your notes thin down to 30 pages per subject!

Specific orientation: the theory and practical (problem based) subjects call for different styles of preparation. While practical subjects like Accountancy, Cost Accounting and Taxation require speed, accuracy and conceptual clarity, theory subjects like law and Auditing need brevity and completeness. Hone your skills in practical subjects as it helps boost the aggregate.

Exam Preparations: Preparation for the exams starts from day one. On an average, spend at least 8 hours a day in the three months prior to exams. Consistent hard work carries more weight age than raw intelligence. During preparatory days, at least one theory and one practical subject should be read a day. Have at least a month`s time for revision. Rigorous use of scanners pertaining to the last ten years is critical. Take practice tests in order to help judge your ability to manage time, as also to check your writing skills.

Exam Techniques: approach the exams with a positive frame of mind. Keep your cool before and during the exam. Attempt easy and known questions first. In the case of theory questions, don`t beat about the bush. Answers should be to the point. While quoting sections and case laws help, it is better to keep away from them than to quote wrong sections or wrong case laws. In practical subjects, it is not always necessary to complete the problems in full, since the marks are given for each right step.

Regards

Balu