Glued to their books

Exam Preparations

With the exams just around the corner, many degree students have started putting together timetables and burning the midnight oil.

The pre-final exams will begin in the first week of April and the final exams will follow soon after. Students say that their teachers have already started wrapping up the portions so that they get enough time to prepare for the examinations.

Apoorva, a first-year student of Mount Carmel College, says that she has started her preparations. “I will try to focus on the difficult subjects initially and then move on to the ones that I find easy. I feel that the best way a commerce student can prepare for the examination is by writing and practising. Writing the notes down after memorising them helps in the long term. My friends are helping me understand the subjects that are tough. Our teachers are taking special classes to help us out as well,” she adds.

Manasi Raghunandan, a lecturer at Seshadripuram Institute of Commerce and Management, states that the pre-final examinations are extremely important as they let students know where they stand. “Students can evaluate their speed during the pre-final examinations. If they cannot complete the paper on time, they should start practising. It’s important to revise the chapters which have been taught at the beginning of the semester. Referring to other books and touching upon the practical aspects of the curriculum are also extremely important,” she suggests.

She adds that the students will also have to submit their projects by the end of March. “It is essential that they go through their projects as many questions are asked on that basis. Commerce, BBM and science students have industrial visits, based on which questions are asked as well — hence, it is advised that they brush up on the lessons learnt from these visits. Some students excel in academics but ignore the practical aspects like preparing for vivas and group discussions — it is essential that they balance both,” she advises.

The students are tackling their workload one step at a time. Monish Kumar, a second-year student, says that he has completed his projects and has started preparing for the examinations. “I have started studying — however, there is a lot to cover. I try and study throughout the year so that there is no rush at the end. We will soon have a study break and I’m trying to cover as much as possible in that period,” he says.

Many colleges organise technical sessions for students, wherein an external shares his or her practical experiences with them. Divya, a final-year student, says that the technical session proved to be helpful in her case. “I was struggling with some of the practical subjects. The external who was invited to our college gave me some important tips, which helped me improve,” she says.

For now, students are focussing on meeting deadlines, finishing their projects and preparing for the upcoming examinations.