YOU make’em right, YOU get through

 

Congratulations everyone!!! You’ve just completed 12 years of your school level education, and now you are almost eligible to be called a college student. It is actually a matter of great pride and rejoices that you struggled through all those difficult (and sometimes boring) subjects, formulae, reactions, events and many more of such things. So it’s you who deserves full credits for everything that you have achieved, and also for everything you are going to. Besides, the fact that these pages are right now in your hands implies that you are getting ready for other challenges that life is putting on you.

Though you are competent all by yourself in everything you want to be, you know that it’s never easy. Your first terminal examination in your +2 science studies must have been a pitiful experience for you; because whatever you studied till SLC seemed so simple as that stage, when you had to learn every chapter of science in such a depth. Now if you look back at it, your +2 looks a lot simpler, doesn’t it? Because now is the time when you are supposed to complete the entire +2 syllabus of Physics, Chemistry, and Biology in less than half a year. Moreover, this is the time when people think you are mature enough, and they start questioning you about your future and your career; and to make it the worst, some people start suggesting you some professions to choose that you never wanted to be in, that leaves you even more perplexed.

NO WORRIES THOUGH, stay calm. Think all by yourself. YOU ARE YOUR OWN MASTER. Every of your senior has once been in the same phase where you are now; and some day, your juniors will also be. So don’t panic. It’s normal. And, if you are opting for medical/engineering entrance test BY YOUR OWN INTEREST, then well done guys, you are in safe hands and on the right path; just a few months of hard work and you will achieve the success that you desire. However, this hard work should come not just for studies, but also for many other challenges. No one can come over to you to assist you solve all your problems; YOU have to do them all. If there is anything that others can do to help you, it’s suggesting you about what might be the next. On the basis of my own personal experiences, I just made a simple effort to let you know about the challenges you might face in your preparation days.

When you turn these pages and begin your attack on the MCQ’s, then the first challenge that you will encounter with is “I don’t know”. It is the simplest and the easiest way to say that you haven’t studied well. In such situations, many students blame their luck for not favoring them. But before doing that, there are certain things that you have to do, and the most important of them is “STUDY”. You have to complete the entire syllabus at least once before you appear for any competitive examination. Whatever you study from; class notes, bulky books, slender books, or the notes that you are given at any institution, you have to know the basic information from the topic that you are facing. You should not be denying the fact that you can cross a river, without knowing that a bridge somewhere around is waiting for you.

The another challenge that is set to come on your path for sure is the closest companion of every student, and that is A Mistake. It is something that you cannot simply avoid and it’s the very thing that is sure to minimize your confidence level by a hundred folds or more. But I suggest mistakes are never bad. They happen for something positive to teach you something that you don’t know. In entrance arena, one question you make a mistake gives you four new questions to learn, given that you study the solutions seriously. So mistakes are good; and they should actually be boosting your morale up, not the other way round.

Many students start banging their head on the table every moment they make a mistake. If you do this, you are sure to lose your self-confidence within 3 months. Let’s take a case, assuming that the entrance examinations in Medical sector in Nepal were started in the 90s, it’s been 23 years till today. Yearly, on an average about 10000 students take the entrance test at IOM alone. If the number is assumed to be the same for all  entrance examinations(IOM,MOE,KU,BPKIHS) and others, then ,till today almost 1150000 attempts have been made in medical entrance field only; but still no entrance examination has been cracked by any student by securing 100% marks. The highest percentage secured in IOM entrance is just 97%, and in BPKIHS, it is even lower. Do you know why this has happened? The answer is simple. EVERYONE MAKES MISTAKES. No one secures perfect marks. So never think that you should be getting all questions correct. One mistake in two questions is normal while you are on the starting phase. Your job should be to MINIMIZE YOUR MISTAKES rather than compare them with that of others. A topper does not make many questions correct, he/she just makes the least number of mistakes. So next time you practise MCQ’s, never expect yourself to make all the questions correct. If you do so, you are just being so much unfair towards your own learnings. Remember, even if you have read a chapter, you don’t know everything about that chapter. So, mistakes are those tools that actually urge you to turn the pages of the same chapter again and study the points that you missed the last time.

Then, there are the greatest helpers and the strongest competitors of yours, your Friends. They inspire and assist you in many occasions, but also fill you with frustration sometimes. A simple example is; Any day, you happen to meet your friend and start talking about your studies. Then, he starts talking about certain topics that you have not studied yet. Sometimes, the topics he talks about are something that you haven’t even heard of. This will only fill you with fear. At that time, you don’t need to be restless, just stay calm; because there are many other similar topics that you have studied while your friend has not. If you start talking about them, your friend is surely going to be as shocked as you are. But I don’t suggest you to speak, just thank your friend silently for reminding you; and be determined within yourself that the next time you sit on your study table, you are going to study the topics that he just spoke of, and that is sure to keep you a few steps ahead of your friend, who happens to be your real rival.

Besides these things, what bothers the students most in this phase also includes the books. There are many books in the market related to every subject. Each has its own specialty, and unfortunately its own defects as well. You can take help from your friends and your seniors who have already studied those books to know about those books and choose the one that you think is suitable for you. Every book in the market surely has certain chapters that are off the syllabus. Don’t waste your time on those topics. You can study them after you have completed the topics that are within the coverage of the syllabus. Never go for them in the first take.

And, there are certain situations where no one can help you. So, as I said, YOU ARE YOUR OWN MASTER. As an example, many students do this mistake. In an entrance test, for a question, they mark the answer as ‘C’, but seconds later they realize that the correct answer is ‘B’. This is surely disappointing, moreover if it is in real examination. But before this truth makes you weaker, accept the fact that you just made a mistake, and remember that YOU CANNOT CHANGE THE PAST. So don’t lose your motive, for a single wrong mark can neither judge your immense knowledge, nor it can decide your future. Don’t remain stuck to that question; because your staring at that option is not going to rectify it. Retain your knowledge and your confidence; and move on. Try to solve other questions correctly; but you should keep in mind that you cannot afford to repeat the same mistake.

So it’s solely you. You’re the one who is supposed to fight in this battle. In the battle of swords, one wrong move and you’re gone. In the battle of music, one wrong note and it’s over. But this is the battle that allows you to try many times. Of course, one wrong move here is also of great value; and trying many times is socially questioned, but IT CANNOT SNATCH YOU FROM YOURSELF. So have a nice preparation, be wise enough to know everything that has to be known. Every one of you is a strong human; and you deserve every other success that you desire, given that you work hard to get it. And finally, if your hopes and expectations from your life after reading these lines is different from what they had been previously, then congratulations; you are now full of positive energy and your destination is now a hundred milestones closer to you. In case they have not changed, then even more congratulations to you, because you were already full of motivation and you are merely a few steps away from your destination. So good luck everyone. Happy reading. God bless you!

Asta la Vista!!

                Siddhartha Bhandari

    IOM 3^rd rank
                IOE 10^th rank