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Expert tips to ace your board exams
In an online chat with readers on February 17, Anthony Fernandes, founder of Shaalaa.com shared expert advice on how you can prepare for the upcoming board exam.
The Maharashtra State Board examinations for Class 12 commence February 20 and those for Class 10 will start on March 3, 2014.
With less than a week's time left for preparation, there's no better time than now to resolve all queries related to the board examinations.
Where can you download last year's question papers and how can they benefit you?
How can you best optimise your overall score?
How do you de-stress?
Are you a parent whose child is set to appear for one of these examinations?
What should you be doing to boost your child's morale?
How can you help her/him to unwind and prepare for the big day?
Anthony Fernandes, founder of Shaalaa.com, addressed some of these questions from readers on February 17, between 3 pm and 4 pm IST.
For those who missed the live chat, here's the unedited transcript:
Amtul Mateen: Sir my daughter is in X ICSE, gets tensed and never does her final exams properly, and last year she was admitted to hospital also, in school test she scores above 85 to 90 per cent, last week when she saw the board exam X time table she had loose motions and fever, I am so worried about her, pls advise
Anthony Fernandes: Hi Amtul, Your daughter is very tensed. If this is parental pressure, then you need to not pressurise her, or try to get a medical help. A doctor will be in a better position to help here. Kids and elders are not aware of condition like depression or anxiety. You have nothing to lose if you take your daughter to a physiologist or counselor. Positive - she will overcome her problems and score.
Jim Vejvoda: What should I do if i remember the diagram but not the theory? How many marks will i get for correct diagram?
Anthony Fernandes : Hi Jim, this question is very subjective. Does the answer require a diagram?
In short, theory is important. You might get marks for a diagram for eg. 2 marks for a 10 marks question
Vinay Shukla: Mr Anthony, my son is in class 10. Can you please share some dos and don’ts for my son? He is a bright student but is very nervous. How can I help him?
Anthony Fernandes: It's good that you are trying to find ways to help your son. Depending on how many days are left for the exam and what your son has allotted these days for. you can ask him to practice sample exam papers. this can help him build confidence by knowing which chapters he know and what to practice. Don't shout at him if he does not know. inform him and he will learn
vaishali: it true that October exam for repeaters is tougher than one in March?
Anthony Fernandes: There is no validation for a theory like this. Not to be rude. If March is easy then why would anyone repeat in the first place.
haresh: Sir how to deal with temporary memory loss? Much as I prepare in advance, I forget important formula and theorem right at the time of examination. Pls help
Anthony Fernandes : Hi Haresh, You can get over this by practice. Create a 3 hours question papers answering environment at home. Answer the paper at one stretch. This will help you get over the fear that you might face during your exams. Also it will inform you if you knew those theorems in the first place. our website Shaalaa.com can help you here.
shaishav: How to deal with a student who is trying to pester you in the exam? Informing the teacher might affect his career. Please advice
Anthony Fernandes: Hi Shaishav, I am very happy that you think about others in a long term situation. You can be stern with the student. I believe you have an idea who this student is. Inform him that you can complain, and that you wont even bother to look at him till you have completed answering all your questions. When you are done you can leave.
bhanu: In my last board exam we wasted a lot of time pasting the bar code and reading the instructions. Can't there be a better way to use that time?
Anthony Fernandes: Hi Bhanu, we all are aware of the problems with our examination system. We can only hope that it keeps improving.
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'Do we lose marks for not writing question number?'
manoj: How to write good English essays?
Anthony Fernandes: You need to read. (books, new articles, etc) Essays comprise ideas and grammar. You need to have a good hold on these.
Gurshan Gurmeet: Is there negative marking in board exam?
Anthony Fernandes: Hi Gurshan, There is no negative marking in board exams as till date.
rittika negi: I have a question. Do we lose marks for not writing question number?
Anthony Fernandes : Hi Rittika, yes you can. A examiner will only be able to relate a answer to a question by the number. If the examiner is confused and assumes the questions wrongly you will loose marks.
kavita bavekar: How to manage time in Maths paper? I get very nervous and end up copying wrong question?
Anthony Fernandes: Hi Kavita, Maths is about practice, and you need to start practicing months before the exam. I did not understand what you meant by "copying wrong Question"
Nitin Deshmukh: Where can I find unseen comprehension passages?
Anthony Fernandes: Hi Nitin, you get comprehension books, you can try to find online.
Amol Dhurve: Is there extra marks for clean handwriting?
Anthony Fernandes: No extra marks for clean handwriting, but a clean hand writing means that the examiner can understand your answers and helps you from loosing marks
menisha: Where do examiners cut marks?
Anthony Fernandes: Examiners cut marks wherever you make a mistake
Satish Pulli: Sir how to manage time? No matter how much ever I plan, I always end up scribbling till the last bell rings.
Anthony Fernandes: This means either you have a lot to write, that is very good. or that you are slow in writing. If you are slow, start practicing by answering previous years question papers or sample papers. Sit for three hours at a stretch without a break. This will help you increase writing speed and also help gauge your knowledge. You can find papers on out website too. http://rediff.ly/2t6j1
Rafiq Qureshi: Sir the night before my prelims I wasn't able to sleep. It affects my concentration. What should I do?
Anthony Fernandes: Hi Rafiq, this is a common problem. You are tensed about your exam the next day. and its not abnormal to be tensed. You need to know this and relax yourself. Have confidence in what you have studied. For that, you need to study well.
Anthony Fernandes: Thanks everyone for having me here. I hope i was able to be of a little help to you and to the students who would read this in the future. All the best for your exams.