I heard too much of coffee is not good for health. So this was the motivation behind me writing this blog. So this one is all about preparation strategy. If you are luking for humour, then this post is not for u.
To start with, Terra Incognita is a tool that was initially used to record covered geographical regions on the map. This is done so that one will be clear on what he/she wishes to do further. In other words, it is nothing but a neat way of representing the current state so that proper actions can be taken from then on. The same tool could possibly be applied to document the progress that we make during the GATE preparation phase, an idea proposed by karthik(again).
This idea was totally new to us, almost the same time the previous year. We were in the same state as you are(atleast most of you who are reading this :)). Yeah i know how confusing it is, with so many techniques proposed by so many people around you. Above all, the mere pressure to perform well. Its better to understand the bitter truth, your future depends on the 3 hrs of examination. Whatever sacrifices and hardwork we ve made goes in vain if we fail to make it in the 3hrs.It is better to try out the techniques prior to the exam and find out which one suits you the best. Another good reason why you should take up mock tests. Yeah, it was an opportunity to test all my newly acquired skills and logic involving a lot of probabilistic calculations. Back to the TI, as it was called, when we started using it quite frequently.
TI is a very logical (though some might classify it as obvious) tool. As prof. Kamakoti says, "Obviousness is the enemy of correctness". Some things are better done than talked about. So let me just give a brief description of how it is done.
We maintained a noteboook, called a TI notebook. This notebook, is in a way, our progress report. As and when you come across an unknown topic, enter it into the book. This comes in handy when you solve the previous GATE papers etc.Maintain a seperate partition for each subject.Make sure you take it wherever you go.
The aim of maintaining such a book is that it serves as a guideline with which you can complete the final phase of your preparation. In other words, it makes your preparation towards GATE complete. And i know the previous statement is quite a loaded one. Not everyone is in this stage of preparation. How does it serve those who have just now started preparing?
Hardwork is the only way to success is an old story. Now lets try our luck on smartwork.For the geeks who are cruising through the final phase of their preparations, this tool is just a helper. But for those late entrants, this is your Bible.
For you late entrants, a good strategy is to browse through the previous GATE papers and fill in your TI with all those things that you dont know. I can understand whats running in your mind. Yes, your TI looks bulky, as you do not know anything. Better get a 192 pages notebook :D. Now that your TI book has grown enough, u need to clear up the heap now. Try resolving your TI. This description is incomplete without specifying a time limit. Inititally, it takes less time to browse through the paper, as u do not know anything ;). So you can complete this in 1.5 hrs. I would advice you to do this when you are in college. When you are back home,surround yourselves with all the reference books and try resolving the TI.The TI resolution part might take time depending on your searching capability, indexing, hashing etc.
Success in exam depends on how cool you are. It has absolutely no relationship with how long you study.This is what everyone realises in the end. If you have confidence in yourself, u can complete even a very difficult topic in minutes. On the otherhand, even a trivial topic might take hours if you lack confidence.
And my next post might take sometime as the schedule in my college schedule is very hectic. I am writing this blog cos i finished with my assignment 12 hrs in advance. :D
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