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Whether it is a routine test or end of session exams, the thought of an impending examination usually fills most people with dread. This feeling does not dissipate even if one has been studying for months ahead- it’s born out of a dread of failure.

In this article, I present simple steps on how to overcome this dread, prepare for and tackle your next exams successfully.

1. First things first: Be realistic about your state of preparedness. Have you been busy with every other thing but your books? This isn’t the time to go on guilt trips. It’s time to make a realistic evaluation of your state of preparedness and do something about it.
2. Do something about it: Don’t whine about your state of unpreparedness, choose to attack the situation head-on!
3. Don’t try to be heroic: This isn’t the time to master the entire material from master the entire material from start to end either. It is a time to focus on what is relevant for the exams/test so you can make a good grade.
4. Focus on the key areas of the syllabus: Read the core areas of the syllabus and minimize on the less essential portions.
5. Practice, practice, questions: Any one who has ever written tough professional exams knows that there is only one way forward- practicing lot of questions. The more questions you practice, the more you increase your chances of passing that exam.
6. Avoid the pitfalls of practicing questions-namely checking the answer to a question before attempting it. This is as good as not doing anything. Don’t think you will pass that exam if you do not attempt questions on your own. This is a realistic way of checking your state of preparedness rather than waiting till the exams to find out.
7. Design a ‘mock exam’ for from your past exam questions. Attempt all these under exam timed conditions. I recommend at least 3 of these before the exams. Truth is if you pass these you will pass your exams. If there are no past questions, understand your lecturer or tutor. Tutors always give away their questions in class, if not they hint at the potential source of the questions. So attend classes and pay attention to the hints dropped by your tutor.
8. Revising at the exam hall: Don’t attempt to revise everything, be calm and do your best, focus on your weak spots and if you’re too anxious, listen to other people discuss, you may pick up a thing or two.
9. While writing: Answer the questions set! This seems easy enough. However it is a known fact that many students do not do well at the exams simply because they answer what they think the question should be, and not the question set.
10. Follow the instructions given: Where the question says state, state! Define, do just that-define! When it says explain, a simple definition will not do.
11. Attempt all questions: The  fewer questions you leave unanswered, even in a theory exam, the more you increase your chances of passing. Who knows, what you considered as last-minute jargons may just make some sense to your examiner, and earn you some extra points.
12. After the exams: Celebrate! This isn’t the time to cross-examine your answers with your colleagues. Strange things happen in exam halls. Your responsibility is to do your own bit and the leave the rest. Your results will tell if you did well or not.
13. And if you fail: Do not under any circumstance blame the examining body (there is a slight chance that they are to blame, but they are right over 98 percent of the time). Realise that the responsibility for your failure lies squarely on your shoulders, and if you don’t do something about it soon, it will keep reoccurring again and again.

Follow these simple steps and you should be smiling the next time you see your results.