Crash Course
Entry Tests:
How To Prepare

By Kanza Tariq

Few years ago, having a decent score in high school was a guarantee of smooth sailing to the professional college of one's choice. Not anymore. Competition is killing these days; only the fittest survive. And the situation has become particularly horrible as the fittest are again sieved and sifted – by the entry tests! As opposed to most other institutes which take their tests after the A levels or F.Sc. exams, some renowned universities like Aga Khan and NUST hold tests before the high school exams. It becomes an extremely arduous task for the students to juggle between piles of college books and an entirely different patterned test. Here are a few tips for the innocent victims of the entry test grind mill, with the intention that maximum benefit be taken by students who aim to take these exams.

Plan Ahead

Preparation must be started at least two months before a test. Estimate the days left before the test to plan the syllabus that has to be covered; calculate the number of topics you have to study everyday in order to cover your syllabus on the deadline you have set for yourself. You are the best judge of your weak subjects and shaky concepts. Give more time to the topics that you are not clear about and try to finish your studies at least 2 weeks before your test so that there is sufficient time for revision. Once you are done with the scheduling, start working on it immediately. Procrastination is the most lethal weapon against time. This time is precious; don't waste it. You can listen to Pink Floyd later.

Extra Coaching, No Extra Coaching:

There are mixed opinions about academies and tuition centres, but for students who get minimal guidance from home, these are not a bad option. Going to academies pay off if you go there for entirely academic purpose and concentrate on what is being taught, rather than noticing what dress the girl next to you is wearing. The academies keep you on your toes. When there is a competitive environment, one tends to study just for the sake of meeting the teacher's expectations, if not anything else. On the other hand if you are an assiduous student who doesn't need frequent boosters, studying at home and managing on your own is an excellent idea. It saves time and energy that's spent in the effort to go to the academy. And if you need help, you can always contact any friend who takes tuition.

Getting Familiar with the Pattern

NUST and AKU (being especially mentioned as the tests are held before final exams) hold entrance tests in the subjects of English, Physics, Chemistry, Biology (Mathematics for NUST, pre engineering and Mathematics for AKU). Tests of both the universities largely consist of material taken from the text books of Boards of Intermediate Education. It is a false notion that A-level syllabus is included in AKU test. Although a few questions are conceptual, yet these are in no way 'never-seen-before' by the F.Sc. students. Many students are concerned about Mathematics that is included in AKU test. But it is of no higher in level than that of Matric/O-level. If you have clear concepts about the secondary school math, this wouldn't be a problem. And if you need a refresher, it would hardly take a week to revise the concepts. English, however, is not from a prescribed text book in these two tests. It is not a child's game either. The vocabulary required is above average and I found it not-so-easy myself. For that, get any decent wordlist from Word Smart or SAT preparation guide and start learning a few words everyday.

Getting Started

When you open your books, always try to start with a subject you are not good at. Most students start with the easiest topics and these topics are revised many time whereas the difficult ones are left for 'later'. So, by the end of the whole preparation, the difficult topics are left again and the easier ones are over done. Once you start studying, pay attention. I have seen people who bring notes and books to dining tables and pillows. Don't get impressed by someone saying 'I study 10 hours a day' for the time spent on studying is not a standard. It is quite possible that you study a topic in ten minutes while someone else studies it in half an hour. God has created a balance between intelligence and hard work, so even if you are intelligent you still need to put in the effort to get good results. Similarly, if you take time to remember things, you can still beat the intelligent people who think they don't need to study much.

Practice

Practice as much as you can; solve as many MCQs and assignments as you can get your hands on. 90% of the people appearing in the exam have studied their best. What makes the difference is tuning into a pattern. If you have joined an academy to get tuned to the pattern, that's good enough. Solve your tuition assignments on day to day basis. Calculate the time while doing the MCQs. The race during the test is against time and the key is to play it cool. Unless you have adequate practice, you won't be able to finish the questions in time.

Fair Game

One of the most disgustingly low tactics of the business is to project the 'mainay tu kuch parha hi nahi' 'mujhey tu kuch aata hi nahin hai' image. Keeping the notes secret, not telling what one has studied and which books one is following are among the very common yet ethically incorrect practices among students. Remember, what is destined for you will reach you, no matter what. Everyone gets a reward for his hard work. Your helping others would help you in the long run and it also helps in making your character strong. Share, discuss and improve. Negative competition and lying do not take one anywhere.

Completion and Revision

Once you are done with the preparation and you have a two weeks' margin ahead, try to give maximum time to revision. At this point you should be able to revise half the book per day or one book for the smarter ones. Go through the highlighted and underlined text. Keep your assignments with you and see what mistakes you had made while solving them for the first time. With each topic revised, go through the assignments; remember your mistakes and correct them. Many students are enthusiastic about preparation in the start and the zest dies out by the end. Keep in mind that the race is on till the last day. Don't take too much pressure, but don't become relaxed either in the last weeks.

The Last Night

Try to get a good night's sleep before the test. It is better to sleep at home than dozing off at the test's venue. Spending nights buried in books in not the healthy way to go. A healthy amount of stress is good to keep you in form, but getting overstressed is of no use. Sleep early and try to have carbohydrates for dinner. This will assuage your appetite. Try not to open books in the middle of the night and do not set alarms for 3 or 4 in the morning as this will only pile on the tension.

Gearing up for the big day

In the morning, get some breakfast that take time to digest and you don't feel hunger pangs during the test. Take a water bottle or some sweets just in case your blood glucose level falls. Gather your senses and make yourself comfortable at the test venue. Trust Allah and trust your hard work. He will not let it go in vain, trust me. Trust in God demands that you leave it to Him. He is the best planner, indeed. Best of luck!