In the race to get the maximum results in whatever exam we write, we often tend to stress on studying as MUCH as possible. There is nothing wrong with the intention but in this process, we don’t review the studied part. We should rather stress on studying as EFFECTIVELY as possible. What I mean by this is that it is important to first consolidate whatever has been covered and then move to the next part. Running for the whole syllabus at once will only make us tick our checklist and give us an illusion of a good preparation and a false hope of getting a good result.
Let me make my point clear with an example. Suppose there are two chapters A and B that are to be studied for an exam in a limited number of days. If we cover both of them, we are able to study and revise them once from, let’s say, one book. On the other hand, if we just study chapter A or B (as per our choice according to weightage, difficulty level, etc.), we are able to revise it twice from our textbook and, in some cases, polish our concepts using another book or an assignment too. So which approach is better – do everything once or one thing many times? I strongly recommend the second one. I call it ‘the baby approach’ because it involves covering a little portion and giving it complete attention and focus.
Despite the fact that we’ll definitely fall short on our scores because we left a piece of syllabus, the baby approach gives us dramatically better long-term results than the ‘cover everything’ approach. Let’s find out how.
1. Quality over quantity.
It hardly matters how much we study if we don’t have an in-depth knowledge of the concepts. Studying and practicing a limited piece of syllabus thoroughly and in detail ensures good quality of the knowledge that we acquire. However, this doesn’t mean that we’d never be able to cover the whole syllabus because making one concept crystal clear will help in an easier understanding of the others linked to it. Also, it will save us time at the end as it won’t require any rigorous or time-consuming revision then. So, all we need is to pay attention to quality and quantity will come eventually.
2. Good performance is assured in the part we cover.
We should accept the fact that it isn’t possible to perform well in everything that is given to us. But it is definitely possible to do well in anything that we take up for ourselves. The baby approach ensures that we are able to answer anything that is asked from our selected syllabus, be it a regular question or a difficult one from the very details of the chapter. This helps us bring out our best in one thing which is obviously better than bringing out the average in multiple things.
3. Self-evaluation gets easier.
Working on a selected piece of syllabus and measuring our performance in it gives us a very clear picture of our strong and weak areas. Suppose if a test is for 50 marks and we have prepared for 30 marks, then we shall evaluate our performance out of 30. Irrespective of our rank in the class or our percentage in the test, we shall consider a full score if we score 30. Anything less than this means that we need to work on some areas. This approach helps us know our weaknesses in detail, so it gets easier to make a plan to tackle them. This gradually results in an improvement in us and also in the quality of our exam attempts.
4. True and strong self-confidence.
A good amount of self-confidence comes only from little but consistent efforts and not from big but inconsistent ones. Excellent performance in one thing brings positivity rather than an average performance in three things. Apart from the technical aspects of preparation, optimism and confidence play a crucial role in achieving good results. The baby approach gives us enough of them step by step, thus ensuring improved outcomes.
5. Long term retention of knowledge.
Retention is very important as far as our education curriculum is concerned. The concepts of the class we are currently in are linked to what we shall study in the later classes or even in college. So, if we do not pay good attention today, we shall also mess up our future performances too. With this approach, we can retain the concepts well for a very long time and ensure good results in the future.
Having discussed the above points, it is important to note that if we have a plenty of time for preparation then we should use this approach to study the whole thing because quality and quantity together is an amazing combination. So, working patiently with this approach can give us tremendous outcomes at the end. I’d appreciate your honest and valuable feedback in the comments section and also welcome new opinions. Hope this post was worth your time. Good luck.
