Ready, get set, go!

education times takes a look at the experts’prescription for the remaining weeks leading up to the b(oards)-day the education counsellor, delhi public school, r k puram mamta sharma believes that there is no alternative to hard work when it comes to examination. ‘‘one must ensure that the weak areas must have been focussed on and ironed out during the vacations leading up to the pre-boards,’’ she said.strongly advocating against skipping any chapters, sharma said: ‘‘in the last few weeks before the boards, students should concentrate on repetitive revision of topics, reinforcing what they already know and strengthening their weak areas.’’ for slow learners, her advice is to ensure that most important topics are revised well. sharma stressed that the students must focus on clarity, persistence, regularity, thoroughness and positive thinking in the remaining days. the school counsellor, modern school, barakhamba road, baveen gupta describes these last few weeks as the ‘nervous-anxious period’ as a majority of students start concentrating on in-depth studies. ‘‘students face problems related to high anxiety and stress as they haven’t prepared well before,’’ she said. according to gupta, the most important aspect in the remaining days is time management. ‘‘depending on whether you are a ‘morning person’ or a ‘night person’, study at a time, when your concentration level is optimum. an average individual can concentrate no longer than 45 minutes at a stretch,’’ said gupta advising small breaks in between. as most students cut down on their sleeping hours, gupta advised taking ‘power-naps’ during the interval. ‘‘a power-nap for 10-15 minutes works wonders, refreshing you for your next session,’’ she asserted. she recommended making efficient notes for revision. ‘‘students must know how to reduce 10 pages of history in 10 simple points.’’ she remarked, ‘‘slow-learners should avoid minute details and focus on specific works. their strategy should be to attempt maximum questions, without getting stuck with the difficult ones.’’ psychiatrist sanjay chugh believes that the root cause of all the qualms concerning exams is the fear of failure. ‘‘the fact that the performance of a few hours determines the label that is attached to us is threatening. the pressure sometimes becomes unmanageable,’’ he remarked. chugh recommends relaxation techniques, concentration enhancing exercises, time management and study skills, and positive self-talk to cope with exam related stress. chugh’s ‘child and adolescent guidance centre’ has devised a unique module spanning four sessions to help exam-going students overcome their anxiety and phobias.