Exams. An event dreaded by all the students. It generates a feeling of nervousness in everyone. Some are terrified of it. Some exams have a “life or death” scenario attached to it. People around us pretend as if clearing one exam will decide the fate of our entire life.
But, there are some students who don’t look worried about “clearing” exams. Their focus seems to be on getting a rank. Their life seems really easy. Studying comes naturally to them. “They were born to do this” is a common thought about rank holders. People feel that they study a lot or they have an IQ which allows them to process information in a small amount of time.
In this post, we look closely at what a topper does differently. We bust myths around their capabilities and will try to prove they are not superhumans after all.
Toppers start early
They don’t wait for exams. They give themselves a head start way before exams arrive. The goal is to stay in touch with the syllabus throughout the year. This way they don’t panic when exams approach because there is some portion of the syllabus that is already covered.
You can do this too. It doesn’t have to be some grand hourly study session that goes on for a year. Keep it simple. You just need to start a month or more before the exam and gradually increase you study time (more on this in next section).
Toppers stay patient and practice daily
When exams arrive, you will have to sit for hours to revise your syllabus. But, if you are not used to sitting in one place for long hours, you won’t be able to focus. So, it’s important you work on your focus and patience levels.
Start small. Two months before the exam, start giving 15 minutes to each subject. You don’t have to memorize or understand everything. Just focus on sitting for a designated time with each subject. Then, after 3 weeks, increase the time to half an hour and so on.
By doing this, you are improving on multiple fronts:
- Your patience level will gradually increase.
- Your body’s capability to sit in one place will increase.
- Since you are not studying in a panicked state, you will understand the subject matter in a much better way.
- Your confidence will increase. You started early and are slowly covering your syllabus. It’s a big win!
- Once your body will get used to a routine, your focus and learning speed will increase. You will naturally cover more topics. This will give you more time to revise and practice.
It’s like going to a gym. You lift less weight initially. If you do it consistently, your body slowly gains the capability to lift heavier weights. Studying is like going to a mental gym. You start small and gradually increase time and the complexity of the topics you study.
“Sir, important questions bataa doh”
Either you have said these words to a teacher or you must have heard someone else say this to their teacher. It’s an informal way of asking what questions are coming in the exam. Why do students do this? Probably because they didn’t start early. And in a state of panic, they are looking to cover just enough syllabus that can take them across the finish line. But, this is where students fall behind.
Toppers, on the other hand, are focused on covering the entire syllabus. They don’t care what questions are coming in the exam. They care about increasing their knowledge and using that to solve questions in the exam. Since, they cover almost the entire syllabus, they solve more questions than others and end up getting more marks.
“He/She is teacher’s favourite”
The school system expects students to follow a certain set of rules. Those who follow them are rewarded by the system. Those who don’t are constantly criticized. Teachers are part of that system. They have to work within the system. It is very natural for them to show kindness and affection towards students who are succeeding in this system. But, it does not mean that they favour them in exams.
If you feel toppers are being favoured and constantly think about their relationship with the teacher, then, you are focusing on the wrong people. You need to focus on yourself. The only thing under your control is your own actions. The reason a teacher’s behaviour is different towards a topper than you is because the topper knows how to play by the rules and follow the teacher’s instructions. You need to ask whether you can do that or not.
A lot of students develop hatred towards the school and its teachers. It’s understandable in some cases. But, to change that, you will have to change your actions. This isn’t about being likeable. It’s about behaving better and getting better at what you do. Once you do that, your grades will automatically change and so will the teachers’ behaviour towards you. Instead of thinking negatively, observe the toppers in your class, see what they do and try to learn from them. It’s better than crying about bias and favouritism.
Conclusion
No one’s life is perfect. As a student, you may feel that someone getting good grades has it easy in life. But, that’s not true. Everyone is going through some issue in their life. Even the topper of your class. Their life is not as rosy as it seems. It is possible their parents are pressuring them into studying more and more. They may have interests in some other field apart from academics. Or maybe they are a normal student like you who is just studying slowly and steadily.
The important thing is that you focus on your actions. You need to focus on improving your skills. That is the only way you can get good at something. That is the only way to be a topper not just in school, but in life.
If you are a student looking for a coaching class near you, consider visiting our K-12 coaching page and select “Near Me” or a city of your choice.
