How to make an effective Study Plan for Competitive Exams?

An effective Study Plan for Competitive Exams

A goal without a plan is just a wish, and no one possesses a magic lamp that would make all our wishes come true. Therefore, planning holds much significance in different walks of life, especially competitive exam preparation. When you take a glance at exam toppers, successful business folks, or even professionals doing the best in their lives, you will find one aspect common among them. It is the plan of action, which they make and implement in their day-to-day life.

A plan brings discipline to life and makes every task at hand easy and efficient. In addition, you tend to procrastinate less when you have a plan to complete it on time. We have mentioned our inclination towards emphasizing creating and implementing a plan. In today’s blog post, we will learn how to create and follow an effective study plan while preparing for a competitive examination. Along with this, we will also learn about the most effective exam preparation tips that will help you crack your target exam with the rank you always aimed for.

What is a study plan?

An organized schedule of study times and learning goals that helps the students in remaining focused and dedicated to their books is known as a study plan. A study plan makes the students organized and holds them accountable for their learning. Whether you are in college or a working professional, an effective study plan will help you achieve success in the respective competitive exams. This is because you will need self-discipline and determination to complete your studies while also managing your college studies or job responsibilities.

 

Why does one need a study plan?

A study plan is important and unique to every government exam aspirant to understand himself or herself. Along with this, a study plan for the competitive exam will help you in different ways. Some of these ways are listed below:

• A study plan is an effective way to help you navigate through the examination syllabus in an organized way. While every student develops a different type of study plan. There is no particular study plan available for every government exam aspirant.
• You can save a significant number of hours studying if you do it in the right way.
• You can keep exam stress away from your schedule, thus building and maintaining excellent mental health.

 

Preparation of an effective study plan for competitive exams:

1. Have a schedule:

The first step to creating an excellent plan is to make a schedule. The schedule must include both competitive exam preparation and regular chores. In this way, you will have clarity and know your to-dos for that particular day. Therefore, you can prepare a schedule that helps you align your regular tasks and exam-related activities at the right pace.

Step 1: Write down all your daily chores like eating, sleeping, bathing, running, and walking. Do not shy away from noting down even the smallest details related to the respective day.

Step 2: List down the tasks that you have in hand and keep them in parallel to the timetable for exam preparation. Note down the other tasks that you have in hand. This includes upcoming study and/or revision, and upcoming online or offline classes. If you are a working professional, you need to ensure that you note down your meeting schedule(s) with the official tasks. A working professional must prioritize creating a separate study plan for competitive exam.

Step 3: List down the hobbies that you like to pursue in your free hours. Some interesting activities that will help you stay focused in your competitive exam preparation. This includes playing sports activities, listening to music, attending gym sessions, or anything of your choice. You will experience that you have kept exam stress away from you with these activities.

Step 4: Write down your current timetable for exam preparation and create a rough new timetable on the other side of the notepad. In addition, note down how you spend your current days, especially in hours available after your college studies or office hours.

Step 5: Make a list of all the subjects that you have to study or just keep the examination syllabus in front of you. To keep things clear, you can write down the topics with the subjects as specified in the exam syllabus.

Now that you are prepared with all the essentials, you can finalize your effective study plan and timetable for exam preparation and go ahead with its execution. Add all the necessary to-do tasks to your schedule. Add time slots to your schedule for more efficient study sessions. Each of these study sessions associated with the study plan for the competitive exam must have a positive impact on your competitive exam preparation. If you are preparing for a competitive exam that includes both technical and non-technical parts, then you must dedicate the required time to your study sessions.

Now that we know about the steps that will contribute to an effective study plan preparation, let us learn about some important expert-recommended points that align with an effective study plan.

Expert-recommended points to keep in mind while preparing the study plan for competitive exam:  

• Small yet more number of sessions: Instead of focusing on longer sessions and sitting for 5-6 hours at a stretch, you must put effort to make practical and attainable goals. It is possible for each session of a maximum of 2 hours. You can even create study slots of 30 minutes to 1 hour for a more effective study plan. A longer duration is not much beneficial to students, professionals, or exam aspirants as it takes a toll on overall performance during the competitive exam preparation journey. Instead, you must skip such sessions, plan smaller yet most effective sessions, and follow them religiously.
• Leave unscheduled time for flexibility: If you want to make your effective study plan bring you the actual results, you need to prioritize quality breaks in your study routine. Such breaks help you to get the required time to breathe. Therefore, you must have a rock-solid competitive exam preparation schedule that helps you take the required breaks at the same time. You can leave a few time slots as ‘unscheduled time’ to make space for other activities in your daily routine. Relax and appreciate yourself for your dedication and persistence towards your goals.
• Do not forget the breaks: At times, competitive exams aspirants tend to make too ambitious plans and have no time for breaks. This may look like the respective student does not waste any time but he/she will end up burning out mentally and physically in the long run. It is normal for every human being to take breaks between tedious and brain-investing tasks. Therefore, take time out for a break and make it a point to incorporate the same in your daily study plan for competitive exam.
• Personalized plan: Always remember that each student possesses different study habits. Therefore, one must avoid comparing the time devoted to their study sessions with his/her friends or batchmates. Some students prefer to study at night instead of studying during the day. It is quite natural to have the urge to copy others to score the best marks in the respective competitive exams. However, you need to resist this urge and focus on implementing your study plan for competitive exam in the best possible manner.

 

2. Set a consistent time and space to study:

If you pick any leader irrespective of their field of service, it is important to understand that one point is critical – Dedication to their work. One can study on the bed, study table, or even floor for an effective study plan execution. An exam aspirant can also study in an open area such as a garden for increased concentration. However, it is important to understand that focus and concentration tend to suffer with a constant change of location during competitive exam preparation. If you want to use your valuable time effectively, you need to make certain decisions that will have a major impact on your results and professional life ahead. The best part is that you will prioritize your study plan for the competitive exam with a dedicated study place and time to study.

 

3. Practice deep work:

Cal Newport in his book discusses the concept of deep work. This book explains the efforts of well-known professionals such as Steve Jobs, Bill Gates, Karl Jung, and Sigmund Freud towards deep work practice. It helped them greatly to stay relevant and updated in their era. In addition, it also helped them to gift valuable developments, thus making them immortal. Their impact has also contributed to the competitive exam preparation phase greatly. Deep work is the ability to focus without distraction on a cognitively demanding task. It is a special skill, which allows one to quickly master complicated information and produce better results in the available time in hand. Therefore, deep work will make you better at what you do and provide the sense of true fulfillment that comes from craftsmanship. Although deep work is a complicated concept and requires a significant amount of practice, the results are much surprising. The proven ways in which you can practice and master the art of deep work include the following:

• Stay away from social media: In today’s digital age, social media has become unavoidable for most individuals, especially the younger generation. No matter how much you try, you tend to get attracted to smartphone apps now and then. The first thing you do when you pick up the phone is to check your social media accounts such as Instagram, Facebook, Snapchat with regular communication apps such as Whatsapp. While avoiding social media may be difficult for many young folks, try to stay away from them with your conscious dedication and effort. Make it a point to keep your phone in silent mode or away from an easy reach while studying for the respective competitive examination.
• Switch off your notifications: The continuous ringing of the phone for notifications is one of the most distracting and disturbing experiences for the brain and life. These notifications have stopped most human beings from having a long conversation with anyone or sitting continuously for a long time. Therefore, to practice deep work, one must turn off the notifications that pop up on your every now and then. You can even keep your phone switched off when you are dedicatedly involved in your study sessions for competitive exam preparation. Initially, you will find it difficult to adapt to such a smartphone-free environment, but later on, you will find it highly beneficial to execute your timetable for exam preparation.
• Isolate yourself (to a certain extent): Whenever you are working on something that is important and means a lot to you like preparation for an exam isolate yourself from the crowd and then start preparing for the respective exam. Cutting down on the extra noise will help you in concentrating and sticking to the effective study plan and timetable for exam preparation. While group discussions have their benefit, you must prioritize studying solitude and create your own space for a peaceful study session.
• Avoid any distractions: Although social media and smartphones form proven distractions in your life, it is important to keep a check on other (possible) distractions. These distractions often lead to a lot of time wastage during the crucial competitive exam preparation phase. Other distractions include friends and relatives who come to meet you from time to time, which leads to significant time wastage. Apart from this, unnecessary calls from your friends and relatives can cause exam stress. To avoid any distractions and practice deep work for efficient results. Both failure and success are determined by your response to such distractions.

 

4. Carefully organized notes:

One of the main ways to prepare for competitive exams is to make effective notes. Note-making is an art that one must learn to stay at the top of the game. Notes help in making your schedule much simple. While at the start, you may have to spend time making these study materials and adding the important points to it. You will realize that these notes are a great way to revise right before the exams and save significant amount of time throughout the competitive exam preparation journey. Notes also help in understanding the subject better as studies have shown that when you write and learn you learn and remember more. Therefore, make sure you make notes and organize them properly to make your plan simple and efficient.

 

5. Enough sleep and healthy eating:

Exam stress affects most government exam aspirants and leads to sleepless nights and the consumption of junk foods in their daily routine. Lack of required rest can hamper the execution of your timetable for exam preparation. However, we often forget that the lack of sleep can also affect certain hormonal levels such as that of cortisol. Therefore, never forget to take enough care of yourself with proper eating and sleeping habits. A healthy body breeds a healthy mind. So, make it a point to rest well and consume your meals at the right time. In addition, apart from including meals in the plan try to switch to a healthy lifestyle including fruits in your meal and physical exercise in your routine.

 

6. Do not be afraid of failures:

The more time you spend contemplating what you should have done, you lose valuable time planning what you can and will do. It is also applicable to failure and success in our professional lives. If you are preparing a schedule and a plan, you need to make sure that you do not let any external or other factors affect you in any manner. Failure and success are part and parcel of doing something great but fear is something that may kill all your confidence. It is also applicable for competitive exam preparation and achieving the desired results with an effective study plan. Therefore, you may find some situations tough to handle but all you have to do is stay positive and motivated towards your goals. You can make changes to your schedule but do not give up on it due to some bouncy situations in the path.

Failure and creativity are not different; they are conjoined twins, which go hand in hand. Therefore, always remember that no human ever became interesting by not failing. After you fail, recover, and improve, you evolve into a much better version.

Now, let us find out the answers to certain aspects associated with competitive exam preparation and effective study plan.

 

Q. How to prepare for competitive exams?

Ans. First, find out the details about the competitive exams that you want to crack in the upcoming months or years. Create a study plan for competitive exam that will prove to be an effective study plan. Refer to the right set of limited resources and prepare right from the scratch. Along with this, you need to make sure that you dedicate the required time to your competitive exam preparation and balance it with your college studies or job responsibilities. Make sure you prepare your dedicated notes for routine revision sessions in the best possible manner.

 

Q. What are the best competitive exams for engineering folks?

Ans. If you are an engineering student or professional, you can prepare for the national-level and state-level competitive exams such as Engineering Services Examination (ESE), Graduate Aptitude Test in Engineering (GATE), SSC-JE, BPSC, MPSC, UPPSC, and OPSC, to name a few.

 

Q. Is it possible to crack competitive exams in the first attempt?

Ans. Yes. You can definitely crack competitive exams in the first attempt with the right level of preparation, guidance, and routine revision until the time of the competitive exams.

 

Q. How to prepare for competitive exams in a short time?

Ans. You can prepare for competitive exams in a short time with the right strategy, excellent guidance, and managing exam stress in the best possible manner. Along with this, you can follow the above-mentioned competitive exam preparation tips for effective preparation.

Thus, the points specified above will form a critical part of the plan of action for government exams or competitive exam aspirants to drive them towards success. While some students may be incorporating some of these strategies in their studies, it might be new for some. Having a schedule is important as it helps you in staying on the correct path and stay in the game of being the best. Till the time you have definite, precise, clearly set goals, you are not going to realize the maximum potential that lies within you. So make a plan, follow an effective study plan, and stick to it wholeheartedly. Before you know it, you will achieve your dream and live the life you always dreamt of.

We wish all the students the best in their competitive exam preparation and final attempt!

Hope this blog post provides you with a pathway to much-deserved success!

 

 

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