Pre Board Exams

Pre Board Exams and Board Exam Preparation

It’s that time of the year when the chill of fearful anticipation runs down the spines of Class XII students. For the countdown has begun for the Pre Boards Exam which, according to the teachers of the various reputed schools we spoke to, are mock exams and board exam preparation that will help them figure out how well they are prepared for the real thing.

The advantage with pre board exam is that they simulate the pressures of Board Exam Papers. They can be compared with the simulator lessons pilots are given before they start flying real aircraft.

To come out on top, he recommends that all students must start downloading sample papers right away from the CBSE website, www.cbse.nic.in, and also check out the Pre Board Exam papers given in other schools in the previous years. One of the most important things to do when you answer these mock papers is to stick to the stipulated time limit.

Stick to the prescribed syllabus mentioned in the CBSE booklet rather than wasting your precious time in covering topics that are not a part of it, but are still covered at length in the help books available in the market.

It is important to be thorough with your revision of the NCERT textbooks. The message is loud and clear: Don’t waste time reading books that won’t help you in your board exam 2012. This is not the time to seek advanced knowledge. Maths of course is the most dreaded subject.

Moving on to Chemistry, you must know that numericals are important for physical chemistry and equations for organic and inorganic chemistry. Students are tempted to memorise questions for inorganic and organic chemistry. A better way, though, is to understand the basic principles underlying the equations. This approach will stand you in good stead at various engineering entrance exams.

If Maths and Chemistry are tricky, the HOTS questions, which are common to all subjects, are deceptively simple. These questions require intelligent handling. Read each question at least twice, underline the key words, and then start attempting to answer it. Another strategy is to follow the order of the question paper. After all, there must be logic behind the order of questions in a paper set by the CBSE. Following the order will give your examiner the impression that you are a confident student. Most examiners have numerous copies to check. It helps if you make their work easier by writing neatly.

Attempt the questions that you know first and then move on to the section you are not very sure about. This way you will make sure you are awarded marks for at least what you know instead of wasting time on questions you’ll have to struggle with. Talking about the virtues that will make your sail through your exams, Das stressed the importance of being visually literate.

Students must prepare well for diagram based, map- based and graph-based questions, because they present the opportunity to score full marks. Going to the specific instance of Geography, Do your map work according to the CBSE’s map list for both identification (world) and location (India). Then there are points that students do pay importance to but which matter to examiners who have to contend with an avalanche of answer sheets. It helps if you make their work easier by writing neatly. The parting advice of the teachers on our panel of experts is that you must keep 10-15 minutes to revise your answers. This little exercise in time management will help you get closer to the goal you’ve set for yourself.