For an effective strategy to score well in CET

Class 12 Board exams are over and students aspiring to take up courses such as Engineering and Medicine will now need to write a series of entrance tests that are lined up. The Common Entrance Test (CET) is one such exam conducted by the Karnataka Examinations Authority (KEA) for admissions to various professional courses in the State.

In this period between the Boards and the CET Exam, it is quite natural for a student to be stressed out and feel underprepared. However, this need not be the case. Here are a few tips that can help you in the   run-up to CET 2018:

Revision is key: Time is ticking, and every aspirant will feel anxious about not knowing some concepts. This anxiety will only result in one losing motivation. Hence, one should brush through the topics in which he or she is well-versed in, and not in tackling new topics.

Prioritise: With the exam around the corner, it is important to not try and learn a new concept. Instead, prioritise on the topics that have to be studied. For this, identify chapters that you are confident in and brush up on the concepts. Also, take a look at the concepts that have a higher weightage in the exam and the ones that give you a scope to score well.

Improve on your strengths: Identify the topics over which you have a good command and gain mastery in these topics. Preparing a 100% on 80% of the topics is a better strategy than 80% preparation of 100% of the topics.

Focus on your weak points: Make use of this period to plug all the loopholes in your preparation and convert your weaknesses into your strengths.

Emphasis on NCERT's syllabus: CET is based on National Council of Educational Research and Training's (NCERT) curriculum. Reading NCERT textbook cover to cover would be a Herculean task at this juncture. Hence, glance through the book and concentrate on important formulae, examples, diagrams and graphs. Review summary notes and synopsis rather than full notes. Make concept maps for quick and effective revision.

Do not neglect I PUC topics: Though weightage for PU I topics in CET is around 25 to 30%, one should not completely neglect them. So, ensure that you brush upon your I PUC syllabus as doing so may help you get a higher rank in CET.

Make the best use of practice papers: In all competitive exams, time management is a crucial factor. Therefore, students are expected to solve practice papers in a time-bound manner. Practice papers provide an opportunity to improve speed and accuracy. It is also important to carry out self-evaluation. Past CET papers give you an idea of the type of questions you can expect.

Seek guidance: A problem shared is a problem halved. It is better to consult your teachers and peers for a quick help in some concepts rather than trying to figure it out yourself.

Break the monotony: Slogging too much in the last minute will take a toll on your health. It is therefore important to take regular breaks and engage in activities like meditation and listening to music.

On the exam day

On the day before the exam, ensure that you keep the essentials (admit card, stationery items) ready. Stay positive, keep calm, and sleep well. On the D-day, reach the venue on time and keep all distractions at bay, including your gadgets. Do not give any space for negative thoughts and be confident about your preparation.

During the exam, keep in mind the following so that you can maximise what you have studied:

Ensure that you fill all the necessary details in the optical mark recognition (OMR) sheet.

The CET paper will be a combination of easy, moderate and difficult questions. Hence, solve these questions in three sweeps. In the first round, solve only those questions which are familiar and easy. In the second, solve those questions which are familiar but would take more time. In the third, answer those questions for which you have no clue. As there is no negative marking in CET, one can be a bit adventurous in answering those questions making intelligent guesses.

If a question appears tricky at the first sight, skip it and proceed to the next one.  

Try to explore the process of elimination of options to arrive at the correct choice wherever possible.

Be alert with graphs, units, sign conventions and vector related questions.  

Be very cautious with questions involving words and phrases like incorrect, not true, ascending and descending order.  

Though CET is for 70 minutes, assume that you have only 60 minutes.  

Tips and strategies can only complement hard work and cannot substitute it. It is, therefore, very important to set short-term goals and develop a good work culture in the limited time available. 

All the best!

(The author is the chief executive officer, BASE, Bengaluru)