First Term Exam Prep: ‘Read NCERT book at least thrice’, says educator

Going from the primary section to the middle school and from the middle school to the senior school is quite a jump for many students when it comes to academics. They may be excellent students but the change in the academics and curriculum can be daunting for several. More so, when it is time to take the exams.

Now that almost four months are over since the new academic session began, it is that time of the year when the students start fretting about the first term tests slated to be conducted in September. There are a couple of reasons for this.

“First, for those in the senior school, the exam pattern is on the lines of the Boards. For instance, for class IX, the question paper will be on the lines that they will find when they take the class X Board exams in 2025. These students must become familiar with the question format from this class onwards,” Shilpa Maitra, a Geography teacher at Apeejay School, Faridabad said.

Second, for a lot of students, coming to class IX, senior school is a bit of a jump from class VIII. “And some students find it difficult to cope with the sudden influx of academic burden. But they must remember that slow and steady wins the race. If they prepare well for the exam, there is no reason for them to panic, said Maitra, who teaches classes IX to XII.

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A common mistake that children make is leaving the map work till the last. It should be just the opposite. Since the map work that comes with the exam has already been specified, kids can complete this in less than three minutes and score full marks as well

–Shilpa Maitra, a Geography teacher at Apeejay School, Faridabad

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So how do students prepare for the mid-term exams? Maitra shared several tips

1.       Read the NCERT books thoroughly – at least three times.

2.       The student must be well-versed with every line in the chapters that they will be tested on in the first term exam. This will help them to identify whether the chapter is from Geography or Economics.

“For instance, there is a chapter on Resources in Geography and Economics. If the question is asked on the topic of Geography, they should be able to identify what the examiner wants to know. This is only possible if the child is well-versed with every line in the chapters,” Maitra said.

3.      Chronologically attempt the question paper. This makes it easy for the examiner to check the answers instead of looking at the question paper time and again to find out which question has been attempted first.

4.       The students must understand that this term exam is on the lines of the question paper that they will find when they take their class X Boards.

5.       A common mistake that children make is leaving the map work till the last. It should be just the opposite. Since the map work that comes with the exam has already been specified, kids can complete this in less than three minutes and score full marks as well.

6.       Practice maps thoroughly so that the student can even blindly pinpoint the locations.

7.       Never tie the map at the front or the back of the answer sheet. It should always be placed in the middle of the answer sheet so that it doesn’t get lost.

8.       Having aced the map work sets a positive mindset for the students to tackle the rest of the questions.

9.       Time management is of the essence. A common complaint is: ‘I didn’t have enough time to finish the paper even though I knew everything’. Practice writing at home by setting a time limit.

10.   Don’t panic if the student doesn’t know the answer to a question; leave space for it and go to the next question. Once they have completed the rest of the questions, they should come back to the question left and attempt it. Try and remember what was taught related to the topic and write whatever comes to mind. Never leave a question unanswered.