Exam Preparation Tips for Beginners
Just studying more doesn’t mean you will score more. Many students keep studying non-stop but still cannot answer basic questions from the first chapter. It’s not about how much you study—it’s about how well you study. Especially in the science stream, scoring 96% is not an easy task. Practice papers and understanding the basic concepts are the key. Questions are based on concepts and their applications, and you can prepare for them from any standard book and your own notes. The more you revise, the better your marks will be.
Follow these five steps in your preparation and see how your marks improve.
Hi everyone, my name is Somnath, mentor of thousands of students.
You must have seen some students in your class who study just a day or two before the exam and still get very good marks. Maybe you are one of them. Ever wondered how this is possible? Because those students study smart. Today, I’m going to share five smart study techniques. If you follow them properly, your marks will definitely increase, and you could become the topper of your class in less time.
Let’s begin.
Step 1: Avoid Overthinking
Let me explain with a story.
Once, in a school, a teacher gave a very tough question to the whole class. For 10–15 minutes, no one could solve it. Then, the teacher called two toppers and gave them an easy question instead. Surprisingly, even they couldn’t solve it.
After that, the teacher explained the tough question on the blackboard so that everyone understood it. Then he called two average students and gave them the same easy question. Shockingly, the average students solved it easily.
Why did this happen?
Because the toppers were under pressure—they had already failed to solve the first question. That pressure affected their ability to solve even an easy one. But the average students didn’t have that stress. They had already seen the solution to the first question, so their minds were relaxed and focused.
This is exactly what happens to many students. You study, but in the exam, you forget everything. Why? Because of overthinking.
Students often worry about:
- What if I don’t get good marks?
- What will my parents say?
- What if I fail?
- What if I don’t get selected?
This overthinking clutters your mind. Even if you study 10–12 hours, nothing stays in. 99% of students struggle because of this. If you stop overthinking, you won’t need to study for 12 hours. Study less, but study with a clear and relaxed mind—and you’ll see the difference.
Step 2: The Tiger Strategy
Have you ever seen a tiger hunt? A tiger doesn’t hunt every day. Maybe once a week or a few times a month. But when it hunts, it gives its 100%—full focus, energy, and commitment.
This is what you need to do, especially during exam time.
It doesn’t matter whether you study for 4, 5, or 6 hours. What matters is how you study during those hours. Eliminate all distractions. Keep your phone away. Lock your room if needed. Sit with your books and focus only on studying. No distractions.
Many students waste time while pretending to study. They get up for water, use their phone, roam around, and come back after an hour. Stop this.
Be like a tiger—study less, but study with full power.
Step 3: Time Management
The most common problem students have: “I don’t have time.”
Exams are near or already going on, and you feel there’s not enough time.
And even if you make a timetable, you can’t follow it.
Here’s the mistake: you’re making time for studying. Don’t do that.
Instead, make time for everything else.
Your mindset needs to change. From now on, think like this:
- I will study all day.
- I will fix time for other activities—bathing, using my phone, playing, etc.
We often take breaks without setting limits. And those breaks stretch for hours.
So set fixed times for breaks, and study in all the remaining time.
Set daily targets like: “Today I will finish chapter XYZ, no matter what.”
Don’t sleep until you finish it. No need to make hour-by-hour schedules. Just set clear goals and achieve them.
Step 4: Quality Is Greater Than Quantity
A big mistake students make: trying to study everything.
They treat their brain like a machine and try to stuff it with everything the night before the exam—videos, notes, books, etc.
As a result, nothing stays in their memory.
Here’s a better strategy: Suppose your syllabus has 10 chapters. Don’t try to study all 10. Study 7 or 8 chapters properly, so well that if any question comes from them, you can confidently answer it.
Revise them again and again. Revision is more important than coverage.
Another mistake students make: making notes at the last moment. Don’t do that. Last-minute is for revising, not writing notes.
Step 5: Make Your “Why” Clear
Let me explain with an example.
Imagine there are two buildings: Building 1 (B1) and Building 2 (B2). You’re standing on B1. Suddenly, B2 catches fire.
Will you cross over to save B2?
No, right? Not even for ₹1 lakh or ₹5 lakh. Your life is more important.
But what if your parents are inside B2?
Now you’ll go—even without money—because your reason is strong.
This is the power of a clear why.
Many students say they want to score 95%, go to IIT, clear NEET—but don’t know why.
Unless your “why” is clear, you won’t feel like studying. You’ll keep saying, “I don’t feel like it.”
So ask yourself today—Why do you want to succeed? Find your reason. That reason will push you to work hard and study.
These were the five smart study tips. If you truly follow them—not just read and forget—you will see a clear improvement in your marks very soon.
Thank you for reading this blog. Stay focused and study smart.