Importance of Syllabus Revision even if Exams are Cancelled

The annual examinations for each class signals a culmination of an entire academic year for the school, teachers and students. But due to the challenges raised by the pandemic, examinations have been cancelled across Telangana and other states in India. The annual assessment for the academic year 2020-21 has taken a back seat and most pupils will be promoted based on their internal performance.

Teachers at the Siddhartha Public School, Hyderabad, are striving hard to engage the students for revision. They encourage students to plan a self- study schedule on their own as an important part of the learning curve. Checking their knowledge base and preparedness for the examination continues to be important.

Syllabus – Definition and Importance

A syllabus is a highly underused instructive guide to a course. It sets the policies, rules and regulations of the institution. The academic year is divided into sessions, class schedules and prescribes topics and concepts. Based on this assumption the students are evaluated in the final examination at the end of the year. It is a type of contract between teacher and students stating how the course will run and what is expected of learners. In the past, students would get a hard copy on the first day of the class while today in most cases it is an integral part of the school/college website.

Why is revision important for exams?

Practice makes a student perfect.

Exams are the ultimate test to evaluate understanding of subjects by students. The importance of revision cannot be undermined. Practicing by repeated attempts to solve past year question papers accelerate the knowledge base, speed, accuracy and preparedness to take the final test. We share a few strategic tips with students and the best way to revise for exams and become proficient.

Best ways to Revise for Exams:

• Designate a study place: Identify a well-lit comfortable quiet place without distractions. Temporarily disable all social media and devices to focus on revision.
• Create a realistic timetable: Prepare subject wise weekly program by breaking it into topic-wise daily revision. Give priority to topics that give you anxious moments. Stick to the time schedule for revision and relaxation.
• Set a reasonable target: Do not overburden yourself with too many topics at same time. It will do more harm and there will be no focus. Prepare precise and to the point revision notes for reading before the last minute preparation. Studying new topics or cramming before exams is not good.
• Shift between subjects: Categorize your studies as memory-based, problem solving, interpretation base subjects. Alternate revision between subjects rather than multi-tasking.
• Recall and summarize: Periodically prepare self-questions and answer them by recalling. Summarize what you have studied in your own words for self-evaluation.
• Find support: Try group studies where each one can explain one topic to the others. It helps everyone to identify weak areas which need to be worked upon. You can also discuss with your teachers for better clarification.
• Use old question papers: Try to attempt answering past papers keeping in mind the exam parameters. This will help you to test yourself on your knowledge base and preparedness.

Revision continues to be an integral part of studies and a necessary way to retain knowledge.