Exam guide.

The exam period is a time when stress levels are higher than usual. However, too much stress can be unhelpful, it can make you feel overwhelmed, confused, exhausted and edgy.

It’s important to try and keep things in perspective and find ways of reducing stress if things seem to be getting on top of you. Down are few Tips that can help you during your exam pressure..

Study Area - Having a good study area can make a huge difference to how well you learn. Study in a well lit, quiet area, away from noises and people in the house. If this is impossible, it might be better to study at the library. Make sure your desk is tidy and organized - it means you can concentrate on studying and learning, not trying to find information.

Find Out About the Exam – Find out what format the exam will take i.e. Are the questions in essay, short answer or multiple choice format? Is the exam open book or closed book? Knowing how the exam is marked and what proportion of your total mark it’s worth might also be helpful.

To Do Lists - Make a to do list before each study session. Breaking tasks down into small, manageable tasks will make it less overwhelming. Cross them off with a texta as you go.

Past Exam Papers - Ask your teacher for past exam papers. They can be a useful insight into what your exam will be like and can also provide a guide for what you know and the areas in which you need help. If possible, practice some under exam conditions and get your teacher to mark them.

Study Groups - Forming a studying group can be a helpful way to revise your notes and work through past exam questions (it can also help you feel supported, keep you motivated and focused). If you have questions about your work, a study group may be a good place to have them answered. Ask your teacher if they know of anyone else interested in studying with other people.

Switch the Phone or Email Off! - If you find that you are being distracted by the phone or emails, it might help to put the answering machine on or get others in the house to take messages for a while. You can always ring people back later.

Sticky Notes - Write down key concepts you have to learn on small sheets of paper followed by examples of how they are used. Post these sheets around your house, e.g. your bed, on the toilet door, in front of the CD collection. It helps with remembering things like equations, quotes and foreign languages.

Ask Lots of Questions of your Teachers or Tutor! Your teacher or tutor can help if you are having trouble developing a study routine or need help with understanding subjects or a particular topic. Asking for help doesn’t mean you’re a failure or stupid - it’s smart to tap into their experience and knowledge to help you perform better. Keep going back to them if you’re still unsure or you have more questions. It’s their job to be available for you.

Know your Preferred Learning Style - Some people work better using text based memory tools, like acronyms (e.g. ROYGBIV - colours of the rainbow; acrostics e.g. Every Good Boy Deserves Fruit). Other people find more visual tools more useful, e.g. mind maps or tree diagrams.

Take Regular Breaks - Getting up, moving around and away from your desk at least every 50 minutes for 10 minutes makes you concentrate and learn better.

Revise and Learn  - Sometimes reading through notes doesn’t result in learning or understanding.

Avoid Procrastination - Procrastination is when you do everything else but the task you need to do. It is normal to procrastinate a little. However too much procrastination can just add to your stress and can result in you not giving yourself enough time to prepare. Managing your time and setting realistic goals for each study session can be helpful ways to avoid procrastinating and make tasks seem less overwhelming.

Make a Study Timetable – Write down all the things you need to do each day of the week, and how long you need for each, including time for enough sleep, relaxation, and exercise. Find out the date of each exam and work out a study timetable leading up to them. Include tests that will help you identify gaps in your knowledge. This can give you some direction and help you focus on what to study each week or day.

Use your Frees - Studying in the school library during your frees gives you access to lots of information available on the reference shelves. Some material, such as sample solutions, often can’t be taken out of the library or can be too long to photocopy.

Study hard, party hard too, say parents

TOI,  finds some parents refuse to pressurise their kids though board exams are round the corner and are keen they don’t lose out on a childhood in pursuit of perfect scores.

Music makes him calm:

Jeffrey’s mother Volga has helped him prepare a study time-table that has a special one-hour slot reserved for playing football with his friends in the compound every day. It even has an hour slotted for computer games. He listens to music while studying and even makes time for a half hour of meditation. And after every hour of study, he takes a 30-minute break. His parents, including father John, doesn’t think it’s a good idea for kids to study till late into the night. So even as Class X students elsewhere burn the midnight oil, Jeffrey is asleep by 10 pm. 

“It’s not important how high he scores. As long as he gives the exam his best shot, we’re happy,” says Volga.

Television, chats go on as before : Orkut, TV and long phone calls to friends are all a part of this teenager’s life, even as she gears up for the HSC exams. “I want my daughter to lead a normal life, even during the exams,” says Ashwini’s mother, Mamta Kulkarni. 

The daughter of a pilot and a school vice-principal, Ashwini has faced little parental pressure before the exams. “Once a month, I take my daughter out for a movie to ensure she doesn’t panic,” says Kulkarni, who feels that children are already stressed during the exams, and it’s unfair for parents to stress them even further. 

Mamta, or her husband Tushar, do not interfere in their daughter’s studies and allow her to revise her portion on her own.

Films help keep board blues at bay :

The son of a policeman who is in charge of some of Mumbai’s highways, Vishesh says his parents have gone out of their way to ensure that he is in a relaxed frame of mind while studying for the board exam. Every few weeks his parents Sandhya and Rakesh send him to watch a film with friends. 

Every alternate day, Vishesh goes down for a game of football with his friends. “Football really helps me concentrate on my studies,” says Vishesh. 

“My parents have told me not to worry about the exams,” he adds. Vishesh appreciates his parents for their attitude towards his Class X exams, especially since he has seen other classmates crumble under pressure. “A friend of mine used to score 80 per cent in Class IX. His parents pressurised him to such an extent that he now scores only 50 per cent,” says Vishesh.

If your parents also allows you to play or lets u take a break from studies and do something else like watching tv, chatting etc during exams…then plz write in comment below 

Why Study in the United Kingdom?

Hundreds of thousands of international students choose the UK every year. From India alone there are currently more than 7,500 students studying in UK universities and colleges and if you are reading this article there is a very good chance that you too are considering your future studies in the UK.
Here in the UK we have been welcoming international students for generations. We have long experience of looking after your needs, and will give you special support from the moment you apply throughout your time in the UK.
For example, your local British Council office or British Library will advise on where to find information about courses and how to apply. We find that the most popular subjects with Indian students are Business and Management Studies, Engineering, Information Technology, Medicine and subjects related to medicine, Law, Science and Technology courses and Art & Design courses. However, with courses on offer from Equine Studies to Video Games Technology you may find it difficult to choose!!

One question that I am constantly asked is "How much will a UK education cost me?" The answer? It costs less then you think!
The cost of an education in the UK consists of two areas: course fees and living costs.
Comparing course fees between countries is by no means a clear-cut process. But because courses in the UK are often shorter, the total cost of study can be lower. Shorter courses also mean students can realise their earning potential sooner than their counterparts elsewhere. All of which makes UK courses better value for money overall.
The information below gives a rough idea of annual overseas fees in the UK, but remember it is always best to check exact costs with the institutions you're interested in.
Universities
Undergraduate classroom-based courses £6,000 - £7,000Undergraduate laboratory-based courses £8,000 - £9,000Undergraduate clinical courses £16,000 - £17,000Postgraduate classroom-based courses £6,000 - £7,000Postgraduate clinical-based courses £16,000 - £17,500MBA courses £6,000 - £16,000
Further Education Colleges
Access Courses £3,750 - £5,500Further education courses £3,000 - £4,250Higher level courses (such as HNC/Ds) £4,000 - £7,950
The cost of living is not the same throughout the country. Generally, it is more expensive to live in London and the South-East of England, and cheaper in the North of England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland. Average annual costs of living for a typical student in the UK are given below:
LondonAcademic year £7,300Per month £811
Outside LondonAcademic year £5,936Per month £659
It is also worth remembering that there are many benefits available to international students that can make life in the UK more affordable;
NUS DiscountsThe National Union of Students negotiate discounts on behalf of their members which Can mean up to 50% off anything from books, stationery and food to clothes, travel and entertainment.
Free Healthcare.All international students staying in the UK for a period of six months or more qualify for free healthcare through the National Health Service.
Part-time Work.If you want to earn extra money, you can work for up to twenty hours per week during term and full-time in your vacations.
So now that you know it is affordable your next questions are likely to be about the institutions themselves and what you can expect once you get to the UK.
Universities and colleges in the UK are increasingly international. When you study here, you are likely to find yourself meeting students from all over the world. More than ninety countries may be represented on campus and each student makes a unique contribution to the life of the institution, both academically and culturally.
You can see some of this diversity in the student societies established within students' unions, where those centred around religious or geographical themes are numerous.
Many UK universities and colleges have specialist international officers whose job is to provide support for international students. You can approach these officers for independent advice and information on almost anything, from accommodation through to how to extend your permission to stay in the UK.
Most institutions also arrange orientation programmes for new international students at the beginning of the academic session. The duration and content of these programmes vary considerably: some last only one or two days and others for a whole week. Typical elements include: a tour of the campus, an overview of the facilities and how to use them, explanations of the institution's rules, help with registering for your course, an outline of teaching methods, discussion of important aspects of life in the UK, and social events where you can meet staff and other students.
Once you've settled in, you'll find that the support continues. Advice on personal, financial, practical and health matters is always on hand, and at the end of course you can even seek advice from qualified career counsellors who will help you make a decision about your future career options.
If so, congratulations on the wise choice you have made - I can assure you that it is a good one!
So if you decide to join the thousands of international students in the UK in becoming the best you can be, congratulations - I can assure you that your decision is a wise one!
(www.yqworld.com)