The clock is ticking...

GREAT EXPECTATIONS

The PUC and twelveth standard students in the City are pushing themselves to perform well in the board exams.

With little time to go, it is an intense atmosphere both at home and college, where the biggest dilemma for most students is what to concentrate more on — the board exams or the umpteen number of competitive exams that arrive right after the board exams. This is also the time when they are flooded with tests, both in college as well as tuition classes. Besides, these tests are scheduled in such a manner that they clash most of the time, making it impossible for the students to do well in them.

This phase, termed as the turning point in every student’s life, is undoubtedly the most stressful. With expectations reaching a pinnacle, students face constant nagging at home, at the institution they study in and the tuition classes they attend. Everyone around a student appearing for boards, from parents to teachers, uncles and aunts, neighbours and friends, have an opinion on what they should do to score better than the others. Metrolife asked some students how do they cope up with all the hoopla around the boards.

Rohan Srinivas, from Deeksha College, says, “The most important step is to prioritise. My strategy is to finish off the board exam portions by mid-January and then concentrate on the competitive exams. There is stress as you are not consistent anywhere, neither college nor tuitions. You give tests continuously so after a while, the seriousness of tests no longer exists and you end up doing badly. Another cause for stress is which competitive exam to concentrate on after the board exams. Since you only have ten days to prepare for these exams, it is not a very easy task. I deal with all the stress by sleeping. It really helps.” 

There are others, like Srinivas Sheshadri from Kumaran’s College, who believe that concentrating on competitive exams is a better option. “My main aim is to get into the IITs and I am concentrating only on that. As far as board exams are concerned, I plan to tackle them a week before they start. I have given up on everything. I don’t watch TV or use a mobile phone. I go online only for an hour on Sundays. I know for a fact that with this kind of work, my results are going to be good. That’s where I get my motivation from.”

Says Padmapriya V from National Public School, “It is all about managing time and when you do that, you can study what you love and also do the regular stuff that you enjoy doing.”

Elder siblings, who have performed exceptionally well, can also be a source of comparison and pressure. Akshatha C S from Christ says, “Just keep working and remember that you and your elder brother or sister are different people. It is stupid to compare yourself with him or her.”