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With the ongoing examinations, stress and anxiety increase tremendously. Here are a few tips and tricks to help you prepare well for your exams.

It’s that time of the year when the third-year students will bid adieu to their colleges to embark upon a new journey. This is also the time when anxiety regarding the future will be at its peak with the entrance exams approaching. Semester examinations and assignments have only added to the misery. Thus, preparing for entrance examinations is one herculean task.

Here are a few tips and tricks to ease this pressure and help you prepare for your entrance examinations.

Image Credits: Etoos Blog
Image Credits: Etoos Blog
  • Make a plan-Write down how many exams you have and the amount of time left for each of them. Allocate more time to subjects which you think are difficult. Do not leave anything for the last minute. We often end up making a plan which is unrealistic. Keep in mind your strengths and weaknesses while making a plan. This will help you develop better study habits.
  • Be strict with yourself- Execution of your plan is the most difficult thing. You are bound to get distracted while studying. But it is important to be strict with yourself and follow your plan rigorously.  Studies have shown for long-term retention of knowledge, short study breaks are vital.
Image Credits: Asana Academy
Image Credits: Asana Academy
  •  Prioritize  well- With a number of things going on- assignments, semester exams, internal assessments, party plans with friends, make sure you learn the art of prioritizing and decide what is more important for you. This will eliminate the waste of time.
  • Practice previous year question papers- The best way to know the status of your exam preparation is by solving previous year question papers. A mock test will help you understand the format of the questions. It is also a worthy practice for measuring the time you need for the actual test.
Image Credits: Pinterest
Image Credits: Pinterest
  • Keep calm and believe in yourself- Anxiety and stress tag along with any exam preparation and hamper your productivity. Thus, it is important to not lose your calm. Practice meditation to release stress.  Eat healthy food and stay hydrated. Most importantly, believe in yourself.

All the best!

Feature Image Credits: Institute Skill

Shreya Agrawal

[email protected]

A new method of entrance examination has been devised by the Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) where marking more than one option would not be considered incorrect and will be evaluated accordingly.

Jawaharlal Nehru University is set to introduce objective type questions for the next entrance examinations. The entrance will have multiple choice questions in checkboxes where the students can select more than one correct option. The online entrance is scheduled to take place in December this year. Comprehensive and detailed work is going on with experts to work on this model of examination.

Earlier, in July 2018, the University decided to start online entrance examinations from the next academic session. This was among many decisions taken up during the 146th Academic Council meeting in July. A number of other issues to bring about major improvements in academic and research activities of the students were also taken up. Many academic council members felt that this decision would bring fairness and efficiency to the admission process.

While speaking to DU Beat, Oorja, a student of JNU said, “The students are against the objective entrance test. It is going to hamper the ethos of the University.  It is very important for the students to have a subjective test at least in M.A. There are many students who appear in JNU entrance exam who have a little knowledge of the internet and it’s working. It’s basically a move by the Vice Chancellor of the University, making JNU work like another university in the country. The question paper will also be outsourced with examiners from outside formulating the questions. This looks like a move towards privatisation. Nivedita Menon and KM Chenoy are two faculty members who are opposing this move endlessly. ”

Sudhir Suthar, Secretary of Jawaharlal Nehru University Teachers Association (JNUTA) said, “The Teachers Association is against the move by the University. This system of examination is itself questionable since JNU campus has internet connectivity issues and there are a number of students from rural backgrounds as well as students from North-east and other parts of India who do not know how to operate on the ongoing technology. The examination centres earlier had some regional autonomy but with this move, they are going to lose their autonomy. The students used to get some help manually in understanding certain things earlier but now the students will have to do all of it on their own.”

Anoushka Sharma

[email protected]

Feature Image Credits: Indian Education Review

With many entrance examinations and their final rounds of interviews culminating, those who are eagerly waiting for their results must be feeling distraught and anxious over their future as the final semester closes off. While all the final year students await their results with their stomachs in knots, we need to remember that our lives have much more to offer even if we fail.

The tension is palpable in the month of April in every third year student’s life. Some students wait for their Indian Institute of Management (IIM) or Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS) interview results while many others wait for results of Jawaharlal Nehru University Entrance Exam (JNUEE), or other post-graduation programmes’ entrance results. The minds of final year students are in a constant state of dilemma as to where exactly they will land up after leaving the comfortable contours of University of Delhi, where they have spent a very facile three years because of great grades in Class XII. Alas, third year students find themselves at the crossroads of another segment of life, breaking away from another cocoon, yet again after school. Also, many future plans for further entrance examinations are contingent upon the clearance of previously given entrances and the question of whether to take a gap year lingers.

The period in between the exam and its result is the most difficult period in any one’s life and this is where resilience, patience, and sanity of the student are tested. The distractions that are employed to deal with the stress, like last minute hangouts with friends, studies for the end semester examinations, farewell dress preparations, or starting a new sitcom are all half-hearted and the tension is always there at the back of the mind.

The panacea here is to understand the very basic fact that lives won’t shatter if you are unable to make it to our dream college or varsity. The world would not come crashing down if just one small entrance result is not in the affirmative. These words must sound hollow but the reminder that ‘this is not the end’ and there is always a ‘plan B’, is imperative. It is sometimes best to have failure happen earlier in life because it awakens the phoenix inside, and one can learn how to rise from the ashes.

In the end, while students wait for their results and apply to other places, just remember to hope for the best and be prepared for the worst.

 

Feature Image Credits: Tutorhub Blog.

Oorja Tapan

[email protected]

Thousands of students appeared for the entrance of some of the undergraduate courses which were conducted the University of Delhi. However, some faced various difficulties at various stages of the application process. Students faced various problems related to application fee payment which did not reflect in the portal, furthermore trouble loading the admit cards and missing dates of the entrance exam were among other challenges. Hence,  many applicants were seen at the undergraduate admissions help desk and at the grievance cell on Saturday, complaining that they have been facing difficulties with the procedures.

One of the aspirants Tanya Malik, a B.El.Ed applicant who had paid her application fees for the entrance based courses said she was unsure if she would be able to take the test. Talking to national daily she said,  “I have been trying to contact the university for more than three days now. I have emailed them, and even tried calling. They usually tell you to wait for a reply to the email when you call them, but my entrance test is on Sunday and I can’t view or download my admit card.”  “All issues related to admit cards have been resolved,” said Ashutosh Bhardwaj, OSD admissions at DU after the grievances were filed in the cell.

“All issues related to admit cards have been resolved,” said Ashutosh Bhardwaj, OSD admissions at DU after the grievances were filed in the cell.

Several students also complained that ‘complete’ information is not available anywhere. Students who applied for the entrance exam of B.A. (H) Music need to visit the Music department’s website to view the schedule of entrance exams because the dates were missing in the exam portal. Delhi University is going to conduct a practical admission test at the Department of Music for B.A. (H) Music applicants which will be held on July 4 and 5.

 

Radhika Boruah
[email protected]

Why run the Rat Race when you can run the CAT Race?

The cat is out of the bag! CAT results for 2016 were declared on 9 January. As per data, the top 20 performers who scored 100 percentile are male engineers. But this hardly comes as a surprise as, for at least the past three years, all 100 percentile scorers have been men from the engineering background, with the exception of one female engineer scoring a centum in one of those years.

However, what is dispiriting is that in spite of recognising the need to promote diversity in Indian B-schools, the trend of male engineers getting admission to premium institutions still remains unbroken.  Earlier last year, the administration redesigned the test pattern to create a level playing field for applicants across all streams. But clearly, either their efforts were insincere or there still exists a lacuna in the entire system.

The disparity that prevails in the process of selection for a management degree in India is so heartbreaking that on becoming aware of it, I quickly abandoned my plans of pursuing MBA in India, and started planning for higher studies abroad.

I am a student of commerce. Like many others from my field, my decision to study economics and commerce at the graduation level was guided by my intention to pursue MBA and eventually find a place for myself in the corporate world. I chose commerce over engineering not because I was incapable of pursuing science, but because at the time, this path seemed only natural.

But at that tender age, how was I to know how paradoxical the Indian formal education system is! At one end, we laud our growth and progress by quoting the decline in the number of students opting for science and engineering, and the parallel increase in the number of students taking up commerce and humanities instead; at the other end, our society still rewards science students in the form of relatively lower cut offs for admission to degree courses and a clear edge in major entrance exams.

Indeed, it is rather ironical that there is nothing ‘common’ about the Common Aptitude Test (CAT). Ideally, it should be a test which gives an equal opportunity to students from all academic backgrounds to secure a seat in a management school. But what it actually does is give the science takers an edge over others and confer them with an opportunity to study in elite B-schools on the basis of past training.

This is extremely problematic at the macro-level, let alone the micro-level, of the individual. Disenchanted, MBA aspirants then choose to pursue their degrees overseas, eventually securing work and settling down there. The brain drain causes a dent to the country’s potential human resource and hurts India’s intentions of achieving supremacy as a global economic powerhouse.

My grouse as a commerce student is simple. Our education is devised to equip us with the knowledge and temperament of a corporate professional. Yet, when it comes to the CAT Race, the science students overtake us. Not because we’re any less; but because we’re running a race to win, but somewhere along the course, the rules change, swinging it in favour of another category of contenders. Patently unfair! Is anybody listening?

Kriti Sharma
[email protected]

Image Credits: DU Beat

The first year of college usually goes in finding where you fit in, the second in cementing the bonds & friendships and the third goes in woes and worries about the future. Although some students take up the campus placements, majority of people prepare to pursue higher studies or to do professional courses. Whatever option they may choose, all of them go through a barrier, known commonly to every college-going, degree-seeking individual as ‘entrance test’. There are different types of entrance tests for different courses and institutions, all of them testing the candidate’s knowledge of a certain field. However, most of these exams have some common sections, which tests one’s general knowledge, English proficiency, etc. The following apps will come to your rescue, so that you don’t have to put too much effort for preparation of these sections:

1. Inshorts – News in 60 words

high-resolution
InShorts

The title says it all. With one of the simplest user interface out there, Inshorts offers the users with the news in the most precise and accurate manner. The news articles are stacked and can be viewed one after another by swiping up. The concise nature of content in the app helps the user stay updated with everything going around the world without getting bored, which the reader feels when going through long articles. The reader can also cover news from various sectors without having to spend a lot of time going through each of them.

2. Slide

Slide
Slide

This is a news app. An average user locks and unlocks his/her phone at least 100-200 times a day. The app banks on this simple activity. The app displays news excerpt on the lock screen. The user has a choice to swipe left and read the whole article or swipe right to continue to the home screen. The title of the article and the news is visible, which in itself, is enough to convey most of the story. This app can also help you stay on top of worldly events. In addition, the app gives 5 paisa every time the user unlocks the screen irrespective of, whether the user opens the article or not.

3. Vocabulary.com

Vocabulary.com
Vocabulary.com

This app’s purpose is evident in its name itself. The app helps the user improve and expand their vocabulary through word games and quizzes, which are quite addictive. Gamification, the concept of imparting knowledge through games, has been effectively used in this app. The app also helps you prepare for different standardised tests like SAT, TOEFL, GRE etc. as users can chose which exam they want to prepare for. The app covers everything related to any word, from its origin to pronunciation to meaning.

4. GK Current Affair SSC-IBPS-IAS

GK Current Affair SSC-IBPS-IAS
GK Current Affair SSC-IBPS-IAS

This app is designed with a special focus on Indian entrance exams. It is a complete exam preparation app, which offers everything a candidate might need for the exam, they are preparing for. There is a forum section where user can post question about any doubts regarding any topic they are preparing or answer any doubt question on the forum. The app has complete study material for entrance exams, which include – e-books, question banks etc. The user can also take mock tests to check the level of their preparation.

Kavach Chandra

[email protected]

A recent edition of a national daily, along with rumors being circulated in Delhi University, reported that the next major change DU is ready to implement is the abolition of the entrance exam for Bachelor of Management Studies (BMS) from the next academic session. The proposal, if seen through, would render the admission process of BMS the same as most other commerce based courses, largely class 12th Board Exam percentage driven.

Last year, following the implementation of the Four Year Degree Program, Delhi University revamped a lot of its course structures. Some courses were completely done away with. The implementation of BMS was a result of one such policy decision. DU combined three of its most sought after management degrees, BBE (Bachelor of Business Economics), BFIA (Bachelor of Financial and Investment Analysis) and BBS (Bachelor of Business Studies) to form BMS. Adding fuel to the frenzy surrounding its implementation, the colleges offering this course were also changed. And now, the entrance test is being considered for cancellation.

This decision, if seen through, can prove to be a major setback. The whole purpose of having an entrance exam was to test the basic logical and analytical abilities of a student opting to pursue a career in management. Removing the entrance exam and admitting students solely on their board result is the same as having IIT and AIIMS remove their exams also, the flimsy logic being that students are anyway taught everything once they enter, so why test if they fit the course or not. The one logic that eludes me is that if a degree in management is the same as any other field in commerce, then why teach this degree program at all? The students might as well be taught Economics or Mathematics as their main subjects.

In hindsight, the one blunder DU has already committed, in addition to implementing FYUP, is the abolition of the previously held group discussion round in the BMS admission procedure, on the premise that group discussions don’t really point out a students ability to become a good manager. Being able to sit in a diverse crowd and still make your point is in fact the very definition of the quintessential CEO.

For what it’s worth, the existing procedure does subject students to a personal interview round, thereby requiring that the candidate has a more holistic personality, rather than just the super power to cram up piles of books and blurt them out on empty sheets. But apparently, that is also being abolished. But on what grounds? That a good manager does not even need to have basic skills of being able to address a stressful situation?

The plan, if implemented is yet another debacle in the long list of controversial moves that DU is very unapologetically making.

Illustration by Mehr Gill for DU Beat

Update (20th May): Entrance exam for BMS will be held in 2014 as well. Read this article for further details.

This year, the three business related courses under DU i.e. Bachelor of Business Studies, Bachelor of Business Economics and Bachelor of Financial Investment and Analysis, were merged to form Bachelor in Management Studies, a course that combined the best of all three courses. The move also put this new subject under the umbrella Faculty of Management Studies, University of Delhi, which is widely regarded as a premier institute for post graduation in Business Administration. Unfortunately, a major goof up on the part of FMS has left students dejected and angry.

Around 22000 students sat for the Entrance exam for BMS in the month of June, which was followed by Personal Interviews of the shortlisted candidates. The interviews were held between 10-13 July, after which the final merit list was announced and two counselling sessions have already been held. Classes under the course have also begun.

It has recently been revealed that the Answer Key to the Entrance Exam posted on the FMS website has 7 wrong answers marked for Question Paper Series 11. In all probability, this mistake has affected the scores of thousands of aspirants, especially since the paper had negative marking as well. Given the number of students who sit for the exam and the level of competition, students are often neck to neck; multiple people getting the same rank and scored differing in decimals. In such a scenario, 7 questions can make a huge difference.

Further inquiry indicates that there might even be errors in up to 40 questions in the other series as well. Parents and students are agitated by this goof up and rightly so, as it may have cost them a seat and higher ranks may have been given to students who do not actually deserve them as per the correct answers. Written statements of protest have been submitted to the Dean of FMS, Dean Student’s Welfare, VC and the Registrar of DU on 24th and 25th July. FMS has announced that a Panel will be set up to discuss the matter and a report on the same will be submitted in two days. Sneha Bajaj, a BMS aspirant told us via Twitter, ‘When I and a few other students contacted FMS, they simply told us that they were reviewing the matter’.

A revaluation of marks would be the right thing to do on FMS’s part, but it may not be a feasible idea. Revaluation would mean releasing a completely new list of shortlisted students for the interview, after which interviews would have to be held once again. Following that, a list of final ranks will have to be issued based on which multiple counselings will have to be scheduled. The basic problem is that though students who deserve a seat can be given one, the University cannot cancel the admission of students who might have got a seat based on the incorrect answer key, especially since the admission process in most colleges is now about to close.

All that the anguished BMS aspirants can now do is to wait for the judgement of the Panel.