When it comes to exams you can never be selective, you need to prepare (i.e. in advance). Don't wait until the last few weeks before your finals to sit down and study seriously. Start preparing and collecting notes during your final school year.

Finalize a weekly routine according to your subjects. Have an aim of completing a particular set of chapters daily by separating it so that you can complete the entire syllabus with ease. Do not try to complete too many chapters in one go because that will make it more confusing. Make study notes in your notebook so that it becomes more organized and clearer in your head.

Don't wait until the last minute to start planning. Formulate a planner which helps you to devote a balanced time to studies and doing your co-curricular activities.

Form a habit of waking up earlier than your usual morning time and revise or complete the chapters. Morning is the time when your mind is fresh and active and you will be able to retain a lot of information due to this practice.

Also, an important factor to consider is to manage time while answering during your exams. Simulate conditions similar to an examination set-up while answering a question paper because this makes it much easier for you to finish the paper on time and give it a recheck in the exam hall. If you don't know the answer to a particular question, don't keep hanging on to that question; move on to the next one. Come back to that question once you remember it or after completing the question paper.

When in doubt step forward and ask the person concerned with the subject. Any subject related queries must be cleared before the examinations.

Distractions come dancing your way mainly during your exams, either in the form of distracting friends (someone who doesn't let you study because he/she studied in advance) or the social networking platforms such as Facebook or WhatsApp. You need to drastically cut down on TV time and limit your social media appearances to the bare minimum because this is a huge distraction to anyone appearing for exams.

There is a reason mock question papers exist, they help in understanding the question-answer pattern and ways to answer it. It is essential for students to solve previous question papers in order for them to build confidence in answering them.

You need to set realistic goals for achieving success. It is not possible to complete all the chapters in a few hours, so you need to narrow down the chapters and study in detail to ensure that you don't miss out on any information.

Examinations can be a stressful time and too much of anything is bad for health that also includes studying continuously for a long stretch of time– your body needs rest too. It is not physically possible to concentrate 24 hours in a row, therefore you need to divide your time accordingly. Make time once a fortnight to relax and unwind, watch a nice movie, go out for shopping or coffee. Also, you can consider an evening stroll or meditation for shorter breaks in between long tiresome study hours. This way you can refresh your mind and concentrate better for the upcoming chapters.

It is imperative to remain focused during an exam because your present performance determines your future course of action. Also maintaining a calm and positive attitude will prove fruitful during examination time.

Good Luck!