Those of you who are studying in 2nd year PUC are going to face your Board exams earlier this year.  The exams will start and finish off in March, the last paper being on March 27.

Unfortunately that is not the end of your studies for the academic year, particularly if you are a science student aspiring for a seat in a professional college. Lined up in April are the following: IIT-JEE on April 13, CET on April 19 and AIEEE (for admission to NIT's) on April 27, just to mention a few. Similarly, there are many entrance tests for various medical colleges all over the country.

If you are not a science student, there are entrance exams if you wish to get into any of the national level institutions of Law, Mass Communication, Visual Communication, Design, Hotel management, Fashion Technology etc. Admission in a good professional course not only takes you into a career, but also lays a strong foundation for you to move into managerial positions.

In the run up to the final PUC exams, do not neglect getting details of various entrance exams, and applying for them in time. Begin by narrowing yourself to careers in which you have both aptitude and interest. There is no point in aiming for a wide variety, such as medical, law, fashion technology etc. all together – you need to be more focused where you are headed, and only then your chances of getting into a premier institution will be bright. 

On the other hand, within a particular stream try and appear for as many entrance exams as possible, because it gives you greater practice, and increases your chances of success.

At the same time, put your maximum effort for the exam where you stand the best chance and are most likely to succeed. The candidates who succeed in competitive exams are not necessarily the most intelligent ones, it is those who prepare most systematically and over a long period of time.