Revision and Managing things on Exam days

Importance of revision on last day:

CA Pawan Sarda: If you study something for 4 months but if you don’t study the same thing just before the exam it could possible a biggest mistake because when you go into the exam you should have the confidence that you have read everything, everything should be fresh in your mind. After you attend one paper, you will get at least 20 hours’ time for the next paper. Plan your revision techniques in such a manner that the whole portion can be revised in those 20 hours.

CA Jay Kothari (Mumbai): You can select some easy topics which can be studied on exam’s previous day. On the exam day, from morning till exam time, most important things should be studied like those things that need to be focused without a choice e.g. important recent case laws, formulae, important sections, ratios, percentages etc.

CA Rajesh Pabari: In some subjects, it’s near to impossible to revise the entire portion in last one and half day before the exam. For ex. Direct Taxation of CA final, in this kind of subjects, you need be sure that you have conceptually understood everything and can answer any type of questions that you may come across. Understanding various concepts in clear manner helps it remain longer in our brain and it can be easily applied to any practical situations when asked to. Make sure you have prepared your notes or at least highlighted important paragraphs in your reference books which you think you need to revise at last moments. Again, you have to plan in such a way that even important selected readings are completed in available time. If possible, kindly do mock revision to check whether you are able to revise the subject in 20 hours time. 

One important tip I want to share here. Whenever you read any paragraphs in theory books, highlight only few key words of the para in such a way that when you re-read those paragraphs, you should be able to recall the full paragraphs just by reading those four to five highlighted words. This will greatly improve time management while revising the subjects.

CA Gaurav Shrawagi, 1st Rank, CA Final, November 2013.

During the exams, don’t try to leave anything; you have only 20 hours to revise the whole content. One should go through all those contents of the portion which you have read at least twice or thrice. Don’t go for a new book or content for that one day or 20 hours, you are not going to get much out of that new book. Go through the short notes and highlighted important portions because for subjects like DT, SFM, you have really very short time to prepare. So, Its beneficial greatly if you have taken down important points so as to recollect all those points just before exam day.

CA Charmy Sheth, 3rd Rank, CA Final, November 2011:  I observed that a one-day preparatory holiday is not enough for most students. And the reason is that they do not plan well. Last-minute studies require a good planning.

Strategy during the exams (Plan studies, Take Proper Rest, Sleep Well, Don’t Panic): Dhruv Jain, 2nd Rank, IPCE, November 2013

Schedule Plan, Hourly Targets: “I prepared a planned schedule for myself which I used to maintain in my diary. My exams started from 6^th Nov and we got a gap of one and a half day before each exam. After the exams got over, I used to return home by 6 and then sit for study from 6 to 11 PM. I had already planned what topics I have to go through from each subject on an hourly basis during each exam and this is how I have retained my strategy.”

It’s All Mind Managing Game: “One shouldn’t panic during the exams as this can lower your confidence. Proper sleep is must as one shouldn’t take his/her health at stake. I have seen some of my friends who didn’t use to sleep or take rest during exams and ultimately this affected their other incoming exams and their health too. So, I would suggest – don’t panic, take proper sleep and then study well”.