How to Push Yourself to Study Harder for Government Exams? 

Introduction

Government exams can usually be daunting for many. Most government exams require months of preparation, a broad knowledge of various topics and ample confidence to crack. In this article we can discuss the different ways to study harder for these exams, may it be the CDS, AFCAT or IAS.For example, some exams have negative marking, which ensures that the true ‘heroes’ of these tests are not only the students who attempted the questions but also got them correct. Moreover, negative marking ensures that students do not try to ‘fake their way’ through such exams and the ones who do not survive primarily do so due to ‘negative’ marking. For government exams, students are required to cover multiple subjects in a short span of time. Increasing both the difficulty and the study time required.

Envisioning The Test

Government exams usually test your comprehension and language skills. Candidates who have a hard time deciphering sentences tend to struggle in such exams. It should be noted that multiple students often take help from coaching classes and reading newspapers to further increase their chances in ensuring success. Meditation, positive thinking and other self help habits will help students push themselves harder during strenuous study sessions. While the core topic of this essay is how to push one harder, preparation and lifestyle play an equally important part to ensure success. Exams like the SSC require a well rounded candidate who must be both quick to answer questions but also accurate. Most candidates at the top use coaching classes to get that extra edge on the competition. 

Attention span and Breaks

Taking short but well focused breaks can help one stay alert and push harder during the oncoming study session. One of the main reasons to take breaks is to avoid memory slumps, which happen when tasks are dragged beyond someone’s attention span.  Human beings have a finite attention span and exhausting it frequently on one task makes that task progress more slowly and prone to more mistakes. Keeping the end in mind and making sure one visualises success in the SSC,CGL or AFCAT is a good way to push harder during an intense study session. One must envision what it must feel like to clear an Indian government exam. Moreover, lack of focus is primarily due to trying to study lots of information in a short period of time without truly understanding the concept.. Some students use keywords to memorise, this approach although beneficial in the short run, might backfire if a question is open ended. There has been a recent surge of quality institutes which primarily deal with SSC coaching in Chandigarh, India’s capital city. This shows that there is a demand for professional help when it comes to cracking these types of exams. However, a potential candidate must stay sharp during these courses and revise content constantly to train a broader attention span.

Essay Type Questions

For essay type questions, students usually construct complex phrases to mark their writing ability via repetition. However, this method is fatiguing to the end reader and makes the topic feel needlessly boring and repetitive. Sometimes, a student manages to capture imagination with a story, a thought or even proper use of something simple, like commas. What was once a medium of communication has now become an art form. Writing is not how we primarily share information anymore. Examiners are now looking for well rounded individuals and they test a potential candidate’s communication style. It is the package that is being targeted. Just like how we pay more for a plastic bottle than the water that is in it, ample reading will prepare future candidates for tough government exams by building a robust outer shell.

Conclusion

Studying harder is not about putting in more quantity of time, it is about putting in more quality time.  A good tip to study harder is to maximise revision time. Another top tip is to maximise sleep. While this may sound counterproductive, sleep is shown to help us better remember what was studied earlier. Professional help, along with broadened world views have the potential to make any candidate stand out from the millions of potential test takers.  A relaxed, focused and healthy mind is the best way to push oneself to study harder for a government exam.