1. Tips for preparing mentally for the Boards!

But along with all that, it is also a roller coaster ride of expectations, self-doubts, struggles and emotional breakdowns altogether. Students usually take a lot of pressure for this exam and let me tell you this pressure is never productive, trust me, been there and done that! So, instead of wasting your time in panicking and stressing out, invest it in mentally preparing yourself for boards. Here are some tips, grab a notepad! : o Take some perspective – Before writing an exam, I know scoring less is the last thing you want to do but still place your examination in perspective that the world will not end if you score less. o Don’t aim for perfection – Exam stress is mainly about the fear of making mistakes. So, accept that perfection can never be achieved and you will make mistakes and these mistakes will always have a scope for improvement. o Time management – Lack of time creates a pressure on you for completing the syllabus. This pressure firstly makes you anxious and secondly even if you complete the syllabus, you will not be able to remember it for a long time. So, give each important topic reasonable time. o Learn from past – See your first term or pre board exam mistakes as a feedback and try to improve upon them. By this you put off the pressure of perfection from yourself and at the same time write better answers. o Generate positivity – Give five minutes to yourself before the exam to fill up your mind with positivity, saying – “I have done whatever I could and now is the time for showdown” . Or some other prep-talk whatever you feel comfortable with.

Saying all that, in the end I want you to know that no doubt, boards are important, because they can land you up in good colleges and good colleges would give you better opportunities but only your college’s brand name would determine your future is no hard and fast rule. There are IITians who are unemployed and there are dropouts who are making millions. The pressure of scoring well in 12th class is natural but this pressure is not worth ruining your mental health or your life at all. I had a maths teacher who used to say – “What’s the benefit of committing suicide, children? In the next life you will have to pass 11th class once again which was so tough. Do you wanna do that? So, take a chill pill.” Also, universities are over-hyped, trust me, been there and doing that!