How to Prepare for Competitive Exam Without Coaching

If you are preparing for an exam to qualify for scholarships or any jobs after graduation you tend to take the help of coaching institutes.

If you are not interested to pay heavy fees to the coaching centers, or if there are no proper coaching institutes around, then preparation for competitive exams will be tough.

But this does not mean one cannot succeed in competitive exams without the help of a coaching institute.

Many people have qualified for competitive exams successfully even without coaching.

For this, we can adapt the techniques of coaching institutes for exam preparation.

Besides, we need to have a strict time schedule as there are no external monitors.

Below are the tips to prepare for competitive exams without coaching centers.

The techniques of coaching centers are:

1. Regular classes

In a coaching institute, there are regular tutoring sessions that are included to complete the syllabus. This helps the students to understand the subjects better and also a chance of revision of subjects.

The understanding subject is needed to get command over the subject and answer questions smartly in a competitive exam.

Since many students forget what they have been taught in schools, teaching in these coaching institutes will help one recall the subject.

This makes it easy for the students to get command over the subject.

2. Weekly or biweekly exams or tests for evaluation

Exams and tests are conducted to improve your ability to succeed in the final competitive exam.

This helps us get accustomed to exams and keep us ready to face the final exam. Further other qualities like nervousness are minimized and build confidence.

The ability to read and understand the questions faster is habituated by these tests. Even one’s question-solving speed is enhanced.

Many students fail to succeed because they could not answer as many questions as possible in a given set of times.

The coaching institutes conduct mock tests to improve your ability and speed. Further, it shows where a student in answering the number of questions correctly.

3. Good study material

Standard study material gives the right and required information to qualify for the exams. Finding the right study material is tough and these institutes prepare one out of the experience.

4. Discussions:

In a coaching institute, there are many students besides you. They can help clarify doubts and get inputs of any related new happenings. Discussion helps to not only clarify any doubts but also gives your another way to understand the subject. This makes it even better to analyze the subject.

5. Availability of efficient tutors

The presence of an efficient and experienced tutor is an advantage. If there are any doubts with reference to subjects or exams, they can help to clarify for you.

Tips to prepare for the competitive exam without coaching

a) Regular studies every day

Since we have no external timetable or anyone to monitor us, we need to have our own time schedules to study. The best times are like in the early mornings before college or office hours and again in the evenings if possible. Regular touch with books and syllabi is essential until appearing for an exam. But do not neglect health, diet, and proper rest.

b) One needs thorough completion of the syllabus

Question paper in competitive exam covers any part of the syllabus mentioned. So no portion of the syllabus can be neglected. Hence one needs a thorough completion syllabus.

  • First, check the syllabus required to study for the exam.
  • Gather standard books and notes to study the syllabus.
  • Complete the syllabus, including every chapter or topic mentioned, as fast as possible. There are possibilities that some chapters are understood yet when we go for revision we can understand them. The aim should be to complete the syllabus.

c) Multiple and effective revisions

Revise and revise the syllabus as many times as possible. Revision helps to keep you updated with the subject and also helps memorize better. This can be done on the entire week with each subject on an everyday basis. Revision is so important; without revision, it is useless to cover new chapters. This is particularly useful for English and biology.

d) Solving previous exam papers

Solving the previous exam paper is very interesting and also very much required. It helps to evaluate how much one can score on the exam. It helps to answer the questions in a stipulated time. Many students fail to answer all the questions in the competitive exams within a fixed time, leading to low scores. So to answer all the questions one should practice previous question papers.

The technique is to revise the entire syllabus once and then go for answering a previous question paper and evaluating your ability. This should be repeated by revising the syllabus again followed by answering a fresh question paper.

e) Referring to new books or the internet for more information:

Few questions in competitive exams seem to be very new or unexpected. Yet one should solve or answer them to score better than others. So one needs to refer to new books or more information on the internet for more information. There are always chances of new or surprising questions in the exam. So we need to answer them smartly.

f) Make a study group

If possible, make a group study. Group study helps one cover a vast syllabus in a short time. But useless chit-chat can also waste time. So group study should be by mutually explaining subjects and clarifying doubts.

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  1. Hello
    You can prepare without coaching for any competitive Exam, only you have to make a perfect study plan and follow it.

    Here are some tips which help you to prepare you for the exam at home:

    1.Syllabus: Check out the latest updated syllabus and mark the important topics, so that you will be aware of what to read and what not to be read. Only by knowing syllabus it will for aspirants to categories their weakness and strengths

    2.Paper Pattern: Understand the paper pattern and marking scheme of the paper.

    3.Planning: Make a perfect plan to start the study. For this, you can make a time table and follow it for better results. Filter out the topics in which you think you’re weak and plan up the strong approaches to strengthen such topics.

    Reply
  2. Best methods to success the competitive examination its habit to in her his regular basis 100% you got success in your life thankyou

    Reply
  3. hello sir, i am preparing myself for civil service exams without coaching…. i dont know what to study and what not to study…. please can you help me, what kind of books do i need to buy or study( name and auther of books) i really want to get through in exam this year.

    Reply
  4. dear sir/mam i am a student of bsc part2 maths hons. but now my family needs money for which i am preparing for ssc exams which effects my study due to which i have got only 63% in part1 …… I kindly reqest u tell me that what i should do now i these moments

    Reply
  5. I am a housewife. I want to appear in psc in West Bengal. my problem is that i am very tensed about the study materials. pls help me.

    Reply
  6. If I don,t know the answer of an MCQ question then I search the answer,then it takes a lot of time.What should I do? Without concept it is difficult to remember the answer.

    Reply
    • It is common to all so you need not worry about time taken for search for answers. As you said it is very good to understand the concept and read. If you are writing MCQ exam then first solve all those which are easier and then come back to tough and time taking ones. And one must understand the concept which is the true way of learning.

      Reply

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