Score more in Exams!!!

As the examination draws very near, it is crucial to stop the endless reading and change gear to startegizing on how to improve and polish your performance.  Students forget that marks come home based only on what is written in the answer paper, for the examiner (especially in board examination) has no way of knowing how much you know, have toiled or what a nice guy you are! It is your performance that determines your score.

        Therefore, it is time to get smart at this final stage and maximize your marks with the following tips.

1.     Stop acquiring further informaton, and shift your focus to improving your presenation. Remember the “R”s : Read, Retain, Recapitulate, Reproduce, (w)Rite, and Revise. The time for Reading is up.

2.     Focus now on “retaining” and “recapitulating”. The best way is to go chapter by chapter, trying to recollect the points and diagrams, mostly with the book closed, taking a peep into it once in a while when you get stuck.

3.     Take a mock test. You will find that your sequence of thoughts, hand writing, writing speed, time management, and many more such issues are quite out of tune as you have been only reading, and not writing, in the last few weeks. This mock test will be of immense help to get you the practice of writing again, so that your hand does not pain or go into cramps during the main examination.

4.     Practice diagrams and label them. They are crucial for science students. Remember that a picture is worth more than a thousand words, and fetches more marks.

5.     Timing needs to be sensible. You should attempt every question so that the examiner has a chance to give you marks, no matter how less. If you have not attempted a question you cannot expect anything but a zero.

6.     Make your answer sheet appealing to the examiner. Number your answers, indent your paras, mention points indicating each one with a number or alphabet, underline key points, and label your diagrams. Your answer paper should look neat, legible and attractive. Marks are given for the number of points mentioned and not for number of written pages. If your command on the language is poor, write points in telegraphic language rather than write full prose and create a bad impression with too many grammatical mistakes.

7.     Keep your pen box and admit card ready the night before.

8.     Catch at least 6 hours of sleep and have a good breakfast before you leave for the exam.

9.     Saying a silent prayer helps.

Give it a spirited try, as you would in a crucial game, and hope for the best. Remember that it is just an exam, and that there is a life beyond exam. Many, like Sachin or Bill Gates, had not done well in exams, yet succeeded in life.

As published in HT City (Hindustan Times) dated 27 February, 2011.

Parent's Role in Examination Stress

Siddharth, a class 12 student, is a disturbed boy these days. He stays mostly indoors, has allowed hair to grow on his face, looks and feels tense, is not sleeping well,and is getting increasingly uneasy about the future.

With the board examinations approaching and several worries playing on his mind, his greatest concern is about failing to meet his parent’s expectations. Rohit, the son of his father’s colleague, had scored a 93% in the boards last year, a target that puts his father’s reputation is at stake. And if he gets a mere 70%, how would he face his inquisitive neighbours, who would call to brazenly enquire about his marks? How would his mother face their relatives, some of whose children had scored over 90% in their boards in recent years?

Studies have shown that the primary driver of examination stress in oriental countries such as India and Japan, is surprisingly, well-meaning parents themselves, who in turn are driven by a sense of insecurity for their children’s future.  In western countries stress levels are much lower in exam goers as parental expectations and pressures are far less, except ofcourse in the oriental (Indian, Chinese) diaspora who have carried their fiercely competitive spirits with them to the USA.

Parents need to know that excess pressure worsens performance in examination. As a teacher and examiner, I have seen bright trainee doctors underfperform to around 50% of their capability when they are under uncontrollable tension.

.If parents have been the cause of the problem, they should try and be part of the solution, so that their kids perform better.

1.     Stop comparing your child with others. If you say “See how nice Rohit is”, what is unsaid is “you are not good enough unless you beat his score”. It would make any child feel miserable to realize that his parents’ love for him is conditional, and depends on his performance in exams!

2.     Never set a taget score for him. Remember that no child intentionally aims at a low score. What then is the point telling him to get a 93% (which he knows fully well is what his elder sib or neighbour or cousin got last year, without your mentioning it).

3.     Make the atmosphere at home conducive to studies. If the parents are partying, entertaining guests, or fighting amongst themselves, the child finds it difficult to remain focussed on studies.

4.     Don’t nag him.

5.     Encourage him to take small breaks between sessions and help him feel refreshed by touching on pleasant topics.

6.     Try reassuring him that you are standing by him no matter what happens in the examination. A feeling of support is what he might be looking for at this phase, that will help boost his self confidence and performance.

7.     Encourage him to pray. Poor scores in some subjects may be God’s way of showing us another door!  Let us have faith in His plan.

As published in HT City ( Hindustan Times) dated 20 February, 2011. 

Have fun with Doctors

With doctors widely perceived as “very serious” people, and clnics as “high stress” zones, many might wonder if humour has any scope with either of them. A dash of innocuous fun could prove an antidote for this “polluted” state .Of the several flavours of jokes that go around in medical corridors, many deal with doctor–patient communication. It is said that “A doctor who cannot take a good history and a patient who cannot give one are in danger of giving and receiving bad treatment”. You must have heard about that fat obedient patient whom the doctor had instructed to run 8 kilometers a day for 3 months. After 90 days he calls the doctor on his cell phone to complain, “Sir, I have lost 15 Kg weight alright, but having followed your instructions, am now 700 km away from home.” I am sure you can identify this patient!

Sample this conversation between a surgeon and a patient in the clinic:
Doctor: Have you ever had a surgery before?
Patient: Yes
Doctor: For what?
Patient: For Rs 30,000/-
Doctor: I mean, what was your problem?
Patient: I had only Rs 20,000/-
Doctor (getting irritated): You don’t understand. What was your complaint?
Patient: The bill was too high.
If you are laughing at the patient, hold on. His concerns and responses were as logical as his doctor’s, albeit in a different direction.
Here are a few more “chhota ones”.on doctors’ fees.
· “I got the bill for my surgery. Now I know why those doctors were wearing masks”.
· A hospital should also have a recovery room adjoining the cashier's office. .
· I wonder why we can always read a doctor's bill but can never read his prescription.
A doctor is no God, and it is well worth reminding ourselves of our limitations and those of our medicines.
An interesting short history of modern medicine goes like this:
2000 B.C. - "Here, eat this root."
1000 A.D. - "That root is heathen, say this prayer."
1850 A.D. - "That prayer is superstition, drink this potion."

1940 A.D. - "That potion is snake oil, swallow this pill."

1985 A.D. - "That pill is ineffective, take this antibiotic."

2000 A.D. - "That antibiotic is artificial. Here, eat this root."

And this is what others observe of our medicines:

· When a lot of remedies are suggested for a disease, which means it cannot be cured. ~Anton Chekhov, The Cherry Orchard.

Let us hear what patients think of grumpy doctors, “It is a good thing for a physician to have prematurely grey hair and itching piles. The first makes him appear to know more than he does, and the second gives him an expression of concern which the patient interprets as being on his behalf. ~A. Benson Cannon. And a humbling quote that both patients and doctors should remember is from an Arabic proverb “When FATE arrives the physician becomes a fool”. We are no more, no less!.

As published in HT City (Hindustan Times) dated 13 February, 2011.

How do you like your Tea?

The way we drink our tea may not only reflect our taste and style, but our health as well.Tea drinking is around 4700 years old and had its origin in China. Leaves of the shrub Camellia sinensis (tea plant) were in use at that time as a remedy for wounds and diseases. With the legendary emperor Shenong brewing and drinking its extracts, tea drinking became a popular habit in this part of the world.

The British, impressed with the brew and the customs that go with drinking it in China and Japan, tried to emulate and evolve a tea-drinking custom of their own, and soon “tea-time”became a familiar term across the globe.

Every home or cafe seems to have its own flavour. The north Indian variety of “chay” is a glass of hot creamy milk (more cream as it gets more “special”) with lots of sugar and a lacing of  “tea liquor” of strong tea that grows on lower heights (Assam, Nilgiri, Sri Lanka etc). In contrast, the Chinese and Japanese prefer light green or jasmine tea without a drop of milk. Those with taste relish the Darjeeling variety that grows on high altitutudes: it has a distinct flavour but the liquor is mild, and is best consumed with no or little milk.

Tea contains a substance called caffeine (15 -50 mg per cup) that boosts mental alertness, increases short term memory, and has a mild antidepressant effect; hence the morning cup to get up from bed, and before exams or when alertness is required.

A special group fof healthy substance called anti-oxidants, are abundant in tea, especially the green or jasmine varieties. The anti-oxidant epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG) has ant-cancer properties, lowers stress levels, protects the heart and prevents degenerative diseases like Parkinsonism or dementia. A recent study showed that people who drank 2 cups of green tea a day had a 50% less decline in mental function with aging. Not surprisingly, tea-drinking Chinese and Japanese elders often live till 100 and remain alert till late.

Tea (green or jasmine only, not the creamy ones) also boosts our metabolic rate and help maintain slim figures. Catechin polyphenols and caffeine probably do the trick by increasing burning of fat in the body. Where tea really scores over coffee is in its glycemic index, or propensity to push up the blood sugar. It is 3 with green tea compared with 13 with “chay” and 27 with a cup of coffee. Tea drinking also helps avoid bad breath.

 Many are taking to Jasmine tea these days. It is a blend of jasmine buds (originally from Persia) with green or white tea, is mild and soothing. Try drinking 2-5 cups a day and see how refreshing you feel. Or should you prefer a strong flavour, you have the masala, cardomom, elaichi, orange-pico varieties to pick from.

Enjoy your cup of tea!

As published in HT City ( Hindustan Times) dated 6 February , 2011.