How to pass Any Exam (2)

If you have been reading my previous blog on how to pass any exam, welcome back. Let's pick up from where we left off....
I presume you have now done your research, found those old question papers that I told you about,and have marked all those topics in the index column of your textbook.
The next step is simple: Just go through the topics which have most ticks against them, and you will definitely pass the exam! I would suggest that you go through each topic ( that have more than 3 tickmarks against them)atleast twice, perhaps a third time. The chronological order that I suggest you follow is given below:
a) First, read and revise the topics that have most ticks against them (For example, 3 ticks or more),
b) Then, read and revise the topics that have 2 ticks against them,
c) then, read and revise the topics that have only a single tick against them. There is something interesting about this 'single tick' topics: they may not be very important for examiners but they fall under a very important category: the discriminative question. What is a discriminative question? It is a question that the examiner would like to ask to distinguish between the bright student from the mediocre student.
Therefore, if you have time, go through these topics as well.

If you have followed the advice I have given you to the letter, there is a strong possibility that you will pass your exam easily. Well done.

For those examinations which do not have a prescribed syllabus:
These examinations are a bit more difficult to pass as there is no fixed syllabus. Hence, students do not know what to prepare or where to prepare from. If your exam falls under this category, despair not.
Although there is no fixed syllabus for the exam, you know what the exam is for i.e. what is the reason that the examination is being held for. Is is to select candidates for a job that involves analysis? Is it an exam that is to select candidates for a professional course?
Chances are that if you have applied for this kind of examination, you already know the general purport of these exams and why YOU have applied for this examination. That is half the battle won!
Even though these exams do not have a fixed sylabus, there is a general past trend of the type of questions asked. Hence, it is important that you get hold of as much material as you can on the examination topics and go through this material. Not once but twice, perhaps more often. At this stage may I caution you against a common pitfall- do not go through the same material again and again. Rather you should go through as much material of as much variety that you can get your hands on. It is relatively easier to get examination guides, model papaers, and you would also probably have many websites that cater to your kind of examination. Look it up on the Internet. Many of these websites do charge for providing you with the material. It is important for you to ask around-which websites are good , and which are not worth paying for. It would be a good idea to perhaps team up with a few of your friends and share the cost.
Whatever you do, make sure you have practised enough- practice is the weapon you should have in your armamentorium to tackle these kind of examinations.
Either way, I have tried to simplify the daunting task of passing any exam.
Please feel free to comment on my blog, and if requested, I could provide more tips individually ( free of charge, dont you worry)!
All the best.....
More tommorow on a different subject....