That feeling when you had proudly announced to those
hundreds of curious routine faces: ‘I
want to be an Engineer!’ is a moment so well stamped in time that you will
never ever forget it. In that instance, it might have been a win-win situation
for both parties-elders happy that you have chosen such a bright career option
(mainly because engineers and doctors are still considered the cream by most
Indian households), and you being relieved that all those nagging questions
about your choice of profession have finally come to an end. But, my dear
friends, this was only 5% of your worries ended. The actual pressure starts the
moment you decided that it’s going to be engineering.

Having cleared 10th boards with flying colours,
everyone has high expectations of you and finally begin to think that you’ll
land up a seat in one of the best universities for Engineering after your 12th.
You too, confident and encouraged, bring on the Junior College stages with a
welcoming embrace. Let’s face it, the real preparation for your 12th
boards as well as the Engineering entrance exams starts right from the first day
of college. And as you may have soon realized, colleges were just mainly for
practical sessions and annual fests.

Classes and Tuitions prove to be your real heroes when it
comes to preparation for the upcoming exams; or self-study, for those above
average. Starting from your 11th, you were booked week-long. One day
reserved for weekly tests, the other six juggling classes, and college
assignments. Not to forget the tons of practice assignments and sheets of
mind-boggling problems that had to be solved every night. Very soon, you began
questioning whether it had really been the right decision to go for Science in
Junior College; leave aside Engineering.

Nevertheless, you kept pushing yourself. Partly because you
wanted to prove that you had it in yourself to take on the storm and come out
victorious, partly because you couldn’t bear to disappoint your parents, and
mostly because you were keen on getting into a decent Engineering college in
the branch of your choice. Suddenly, in the middle of 11th grade,
you realize that the final result will be the aggregate of two years of turmoil
and you increase your pace tremendously for the term end exams.

Next up, 12th grade. Energized with the sudden
burst of willpower from last year, you are now facing your final obstacle that
separates you from the prestigious seat in an engineering college. Solving
multiple problems in the nick of time has now become your forte as you are
basically just focused on being efficient in the biggest challenge of your life
so far-Entrance Exams. 12th board exams and common entrance exams
for every field go hand in hand. For engineering colleges, it is a 40 to 60
ratio where priority is given to the centralized exam. Many colleges also have
their own exams, the pattern being quite similar to the centralized one.

With your final board exams crossed off the list, all that
remains now is the hysterical Common Entrance Test. Be it a state level test or
an all-India assessment, the constant agitation of every molecule in our body
is all too obvious. In this frantic maze of things, we often forget a few
things that are a surety of excellence in the upcoming exam. Here’s a checklist
of the things you could do during the one month after your 12th
boards and before your entrance exam:

1.
Make cue cards or a notebook to write down all
important points and formulae. It makes a huge difference in your final score
if you constantly keep reciting these handwritten memorandum.

2.
Start early. Don’t waste any time after your 12th
exams, for in all honesty, it is majorly your entrance exam score that decides
your seat in an engineering college. 

3.
Refer your 12th grade textbooks while
preparing. There might be a few basic annotations that might not be present in
the high-level entrance exam books.

4.
Eat healthy. A healthy body and mind keep you
fresh all day long, hence making you more efficient.

5.
Keep a time boundary when solving problems.
These exams are all about mastering the art of accuracy with a time constraint.

6.
Don’t cut off from the outside world. There’s no
harm in balancing studies along with your social life, as long as you’re
disciplined and focused on your goal. Take regular breaks and go out for a
walk, it helps your body to get physically refreshed.

7.
Solve as many question papers, because the
pattern and question types are repeated many-a-times. Also, your speed and
accuracy increases manifold by doing so.

8.
Lastly, set small-time targets and achieve them.
This gives you encouragement to keeping bettering yourself and there’s no
better inspiration than self-motivation.

This, folks, was my success story, which ultimately helped
me land a seat in a good and respectable engineering college. At the end of the
day, it is all about your personal success mantra and how well you stick to it.
Be your own boss and take command of your life. An Engineering Entrance Exam is
the most important stepping stone for an aspiring Engineer. Nothing is
impossible; all it takes is a confident mind. No matter what, always remember: Be Tough, But not on yourself!