What next if you have not done well

Gunja, a 17-year-old XII class science student, took her pre-board examinations last week and ended up doing bizarrely very poor. Unlike the expectations of her parents, she could gain only 80 percent of aggregate marks in all the subjects. 

It was very disgusting and alarming for Gunja, the girl who has earnestly been dreaming to become an IAS officer since her innocent childhood. Even her parents were very disappointed with what had happened to their daughter’s results in the pre-board examination.

Especially for Gunja this result appeared to be what we may call the end of the beginning of the much-dreamt and much-aspired promising career of her life. But is it really so for the life of Gunja and thousands of the girls of her ilk if pre-board examination results go against what one has planned?  No. Never.

In fact, the pre-board examination results serve as an eye-opener for the students. Because the pre-board examinations are dress-rehearsal which must be seriously taken care of before the finale of the final board examinations. That is why even if you have not fared as per your capability and failed to stand as per the expectations of various stake-holders then it is never the matter of any worry and frustration. 

Forget the bad performance of the pre-board examination as the nightmare and brave this failure confidently. Always remember that you still have the golden yet irretrievable chance to improve upon your performance and by dint of sheer hard labour you can make U-turn change in the life of both yourself and your parents.

Analyse the results 3600 and find your achilles’ heels

The pre-board exam results serve as the truest report card of both the strength and weaknesses of an examinee. Analyse the results of each subject very minutely and honestly.

Possibility may be such that you must have done very well in a few subjects while in some of them you must have done abjectly poor. Identify the subjects along these lines of ‘Done very good’ and ‘Missed to do very good’. Getting this home work done very painstakingly means getting half of the work done and finishing half of the journey to the preparation of the final examination of the board. 

Finally, chalk out revised plan to give more time to the subjects in which you have not done satisfactorily well. You can reduce time on the subjects in which you have done exceptionally very well to compensate with those of the subjects with poor performance.  

Be specific and start mending the problems only now

Some students always fear mathematics while some suffer from inborn phobia of language. If your pre-board examination performance was badly affected due to these two factors, then it is right time to rectify them. 

Mathematics here means numerical problems. For solving numerical questions exactly correct, students need to labour hard and put themselves to the regular practices. Numerical questions are good marks gainer in a subject and with diligence and consistent practice students can correctly solve them and achieve good marks. 

In so far as building and refining lingual capability is concerned, it is a bitter fact that no task can and has ever been accomplished overnight. You must practice rigorously to learn the language. In addition, you need to read at least one English newspaper very seriously. This reading practice would greatly help you to learn the various sentences structures and correct usage of words.

Get ready for the preparation of chapter-specific-study

Once the pre-board examination is over, examinees are left with very less time to prepare for the board examination. Taking the paucity of time availability into consideration, now it is not feasible to go through the subject wise preparation.

You must have by now known which chapters in a specific subject failed to deliver you good marks. That is why it is logical now to focus upon only those chapters very intensively and seriously which remained unprepared earlier. General preparation at this critical hour would not be of very significant help.

Stop ignoring mock tests …they are essential

Mock test is comprehensively a test from the entire syllabus taken by a student in a seemingly familiar yet examination-induced-tense atmosphere. The sincere practice of taking at least two mock tests in each week would prove to be very beneficial for the examinees. 

Apart from holistic subject wise preparation, mock tests’ most important function is to teach and train the students about the various treatises on time management. It also helps increase the level of accuracy in answering the questions. Mock test also helps a student to know the syllabi thoroughly, besides getting them updated with the knowledge of the latest question pattern.

Clear the cobwebs of confusion and dilemma, if any

Many of the students keep suffering from a chaos which is characterized by confusion and dilemma with regard to the clear understanding of various concepts of syllabi.

Ask yourself very honestly whether you still have any confusion or ambiguity in the understanding of a particular topic or concept. If it is so, it is the last chance to remove and clear away it, otherwise you will be left with no other alternate chance to correct and clear them.

Last but not the least

There is generally a gap of a few weeks between the end of the pre-board examination and that of commencement of the board examination. So this gap period, the golden time period from the perspective of preparation of the examination, must be most judiciously and intensively utilized.

Do not forget

1. To compile all formulae which you need to use while answering the numerical questions.
2. To solve as many questions from various exercises of the various subjects.
3. To revise the syllabi at regular interval.
4. To make a separate fair notes of the various terms and concepts with their definitions used in all subjects.
5. To revise drawing charts graphs and diagrams with exact labeling.
6. To relax whenever you feel mentally tired or bored.
7. To prepare very seriously for the answers of the objective types of questions.
8. To chalk out study schedule.
9. To solve at least previous 5 years’ question papers.
10. To keep realistically assessing your level of preparation of the examination.
11. To see your friends and discuss the topics and concepts which give you trouble to get mastery over.
12. To stop comparing yourself with your friends. This habit of comparing yourself would make you more disappointed and frustrated.
13. The fact that marks do matter for a promising career but at the same time you must remember the much-ignored fact that marks, grades and divisions are never the matter of life and death for a student.
14. Life still exists beyond the so-called much-professed glamour of marks.