'Dropping' a year for exam preparation

PROS & CONS

Nailing entrance exams requires the kind of preparation which demands considerable amount of time. Students usually start readying themselves for such exams while they are in classes XI and XII itself. For some, this preparation strategy hampers their school studies, while for those who are extraordinarily sorted and intelligent, this preparation route works wonders.

There are also those who prefer taking a year off after they complete their schooling or college for preparing for competitive exams. Devoting one full year for entrance exam preparation has its own merits and demerits.

Firstly, taking the decision to drop a year or not is tricky and requires students to take into consideration various factors. Aspirants need to set a goal and then decide the actions and timelines required to achieve these goals. The first step in this direction is to acquaint oneself with all the nitty-gritty of the exam like the pattern, syllabus, number of students who appear for the exam and qualify it etc. Next, they need to evaluate their preparation as per the curriculum and also analyse the pros and cons of dropping a year.

It is of paramount importance to discuss the decision with teachers, family, well-wishers, as well as those students who have cleared the exam. This will provide them with the necessary guidance required to decide how to proceed. One has to be very sure that dropping a year is the only option available to them. Once the decision has been made, there should be no looking back and regretting. Consulting the right people, therefore, is very necessary to make the decision.

Dropping a year means the student can get ample amount of time to prepare the whole syllabus thoroughly and come up with appropriate strategies to deal with areas they are weaker in. The subjects or the topics which students lack interest in usually require more time and practice to get a command over. Hence, aspirants can be unperturbed about time issues, as they have a whole year at their disposal to focus on troublesome spots in the syllabus. With persistent practice, students are able to solve problems sans mistakes and that too at a good speed. Also, with a meticulous and fuss-free preparation, the confidence level of students gets elevated automatically. This helps in keeping anxiety at bay on the day of the actual exam.

Now, let’s look at what may be the downside of making this choice. The decision of dropping a year for entrance exam preparation can have certain demerits as well. If the student is unsure of which field he or she wishes to make a career in, then taking a year off will increase the confusion. In such a situation, the student should perhaps consider giving the competitive exam a shot right after school. There is no point dropping a year for a career path one isn’t 100% sure about.

Additionally, one year is a long time so the possibility of students changing their minds is quite high. There is less pressure and therefore the chances of lethargy seeping in somewhere are higher. It’s hard to keep the momentum going for an entire year without tremendous levels of dedication and determination. Therefore, it’s crucial that aspirants prepare a strict time-management plan and stick to it. They must keep reminding themselves that they are dropping one precious year of their lives and they have to make the best use of it.

For those who are giving a second attempt to the entrance exam, it’s crucial that they figure out the subjects that they are weak in and devote more time on preparing for them thoroughly. Solving previous year question papers and taking reference from credible sources for weak subjects also helps tremendously while preparing. Also, they can solve mock tests in order to gauge their preparation levels and understand their shortcomings which they need to work on. Since they have had a first-hand experience of the exam, they already have an edge over those appearing in the upcoming year. This advantage must be optimised properly.

In a nutshell, aspirants need to be very clear with what they want and how they wish to prepare for the entrance exam. Besides this, positive attitude, confidence and faith in oneself with a good dose of hard work, will bring excellent results.