I studied in first 6 month of preparation  like crazy. I used to wake up at 5.00 AM , I used to start study in early 6.00 after getting ready and used to study till 11.00 PM. I used to seat for hours straight on computer reading books, watching video lectures, practicing questions etc.  I was gone crazy for GATE. I was so determined, I could study for hours straight and was able to concentrate even at 10 PM even after preparing from 6-10PM. was it right way to go ? Guess ?

 

NO, it is worst way to prepare for any exam. Please do not do something like this .

Now you would ask, why I’m saying please do not prepare with this passion ? because if you prepare like this it’ll hurt your health badly. I used to sit for long hours before and due to that my back started paining badly. Back pain was so severe that I could not even sit at one place without feeling the pain. Then I went to doctor and confirmed that my back pain was just due to wrong seating posture and nothing serious has happened. At the same time I was told do not sit in one place in same position for hours like this. This happened about 3 month before exam, if it had happened week before exam, I might have to forget everything. I had to spend one week taking rest before resuming studies.

So from there onward I started taking breaks in study , I started using Pomodoro technique and stopped non stop preparation. I used to study for 25 minutes & then took 10 minutes break. Out of those 10 minutes I used to spend 8 minutes in walking on terrace in sunshine for healthy vitamin D (Which I lacked due to 6 months over-study) and also started to workout every morning.

Now I’m fully recovered, some back pain is there, but according to Doctor it might take few more months to stop back pain completely. I’ve been told to do more physical activity and stop seating on Computer for hours without breaks.

So morale of the story –> Passion, Determination everything is good as long as it is not hurting you. If you are dead tomorrow your GATE rank is not going to benefit you in any way. So take care of your body, take breaks every 25 minutes unless you are giving mocks.

Check first 2 minutes of following videos ->

Video Regarding Moha 1 -> Here Krishna tells one should know where to stop and control the Moha (Desire) . Even though Moha of doing more study is good thing for exam, do not overdo it , stop after period of 25 minutes and take break. Watch Video.

Video about one should know where to stop -> In this video Krishna talks about we should know where to stop , it is not always necessary to keep going. Self restraint is also very important for life.In our case we should stop after studying for 25 minutes and take break of 10 minutes before restarting. Watch video.

Video about Patience => In this video Krishna talks about Importance of Patience (Sanyam) for success. For success patience is very important quality. For long term success one should be able to stop study after time and take break, and have patience to do that. Watch video.

Taken from ->https://akashkanasegate2016.wordpress.com/2016/03/27/do-not-overstudy/

posted in Preparation Experience Apr 2, 2016
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1. Never analyze the weigh tage trend. Try to be an expert in all the subjects...

2. Allot 75% of your time in solving problems, rest is for theory & revision...

3. Be disciplined. Study 6–10 hours every day no matter how you are feeling. Never run after motivational quotes/videos. It barely lasts for 1 hour....

15 hours/day is a very big thing. studying for 15 hour everyday is not a good practice I think. and I think ordinary people can't keep the material studied in 15 hours/day in mind. even he/she can't understand the concepts well after studying continuously for 4 hours.

So please understand the difference between studying for 15 hour and 15 hours sitting for study....

 4. Give .5–1 hour to difficult problems. They are frustrating, mind shaking but these are the ones that enhance your level. You may or may not get the answer but the time you spent in thinking won’t go in vain. You’ll experience its fruit in the main exam when you’ll encounter difficult problems...

5. Don’t store too much information in your brain. More the things in your memory less will there be a space for creativity....

For example, don’t refer too many sources for the same topic if you’ve understood it, don’t memorize properties rather understand their derivation & use them in questions again & again....

6. Use every sense of yours to revise:

 Like if you are revising then don’t just read & recite rather write them down on the paper to better retain the stuff.

You can record some complex concepts which you understood eventually but very likely to be for gotton in your own simple language....

7. Use your imagination. Be it reading the question or some concept, visualize what’s actually happening, question the reason & ask yourself the possibility of questions that could be framed. This way whenever you stumble upon any problem related to that concept you’ll be able to apply your knowledge well...

8. Solve your friend’s doubts if they ask, discuss topics/problems/solutions with them for better understanding & filling up your loopholes......

9. Set daily targets for the next day before sleeping itself so that you don’t have to waste your energy in taking decisions...

Focus on the current day only. Make the best use out of it. We tend to worry a lot about what will happen, Only 5 months are left, how will I be able to finish the syllabus kind of things. I too am not different...

But later I realized that giving these thoughts time is a waste of energy as well as time. So why don’t we just keep ourselves busy in accomplishing the daily target?

10. Keep relacing your negative thoughts with the positive ones. Whenever you have a thought like what if I won’t get a good rank this time immediately replace it with this thought What if I will? Visualize the things that are gonna happen to you once you get your desired rank. Daydream for a few minutes to get a push every day...

 

11. Make it a routine of running 10 minutes every day in the evening/morning so that your brain can function better...

12. Never use your phone/laptop or any eye-straining activity in your study breaks. Otherwise, those breaks would be of no use. The purpose of breaks is to get yourself rejuvenated, relaxed not to strain your eyes....

 

13. Take frequent naps of 10–15 minutes after 2–3 hours of studying & spend some time observing nature you’ll feel light...

 

14. There are some concepts which are not easy to grasp & we tend to Doubt ourselves.Concepts like these require additional hard work, repeated reading, referring other sources & discussing it with friends/teachers....

15. Whenever you stumble upon such problem alarm yourself, remind yourself that it needs time & effort & majority of the people are gonna face it instead of doubting your abilities...

 Don't give up, push yourself & think about the concerned topic , search the meaning of different technical terms/terminologies on google......

16. Never read any topic with a mindset that I have to retain what I'm reading. Just read it line by line , don't stress to retain but imagine what you are reading & repeat it in your mind untill you understand it completely. Approach teachers or friends or look for online channels if you still don't get it....

Yea and I advise you all to prepare the hardest in these 7 months. This is the best exp. you will ever have. Trust me you will remember this time for the rest of your life....

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"If you are dead tomorrow your GATE rank is not going to benefit you in any way." Epic line. man i laughed hard on this one.