Education blog by Pearson India

For an IAS aspirant, it goes without saying that they must go to all lengths, leaving no stone unturned in their UPSC Civil Service Examination preparations. It takes months and years of sheer hard work to secure a career in the higher civil services of the government of India. Don’t be surprised if we mention that, along with these factors, there is one more crucial aspect that the aspirants should consider for their UPSC Prelims 2022. Last-minute preparations!

The UPSC Prelims 2022 exam date is set for June 5th, 2022. These last few months before the examination date call for rigorous final preparations. Aside from days of revisions and practice tests, one of the most significant ways to pump up the preparations at the eleventh hour is to solve UPSC Prelims previous years’ papers.

The UPSC Prelims consist of Paper I and Paper II, and they are both conducted on the same day. Both the papers have objective-type questions with MCQs. Once the candidates clear their UPSC Prelims 2022, they will be eligible to appear for the Mains exam, which is set for September 16th, 2022. After that, the third round of the Civil Services Examinations will have an IAS interview.

Coming back to the UPSC Prelims 2022, the first stage of the examination, let’s look at the exam and the passing pattern.

UPSC Prelims Exam Pattern

Paper	Type	No. of Questions	UPSC Total Marks	Duration	Negative marks
General Studies I	Objective	100	200	2 hours	Yes
General Studies II (CSAT)	Objective	80	200	2 hours	Yes

• The qualification for General Studies I is based on the cut-off that may differ each year.
  
• The qualification for General Studies II is set at a minimum score of 33%.

Which year’s UPSC Prelims question paper should the candidates solve?

IAS exam candidates should aim at solving the last seven to ten years' question papers of the UPSC Prelims exam. However, if there has been a change in the trends or syllabus, then the candidates must consider solving the question papers that follow the ongoing syllabus.

What is the significance of solving UPSC Prelims previous years’ papers?

1. Credible test material

The last few months of the UPSC Prelims preparation can be spent solving as many question papers as possible. And what better than the official UPSC prelims question papers to practice with? Solving the official papers give aspirants the closest experience to that of appearing for the exam.

2. Quantitative results

Along with solving the previous year’s question papers, it is also important to self-evaluate. Aspirants can refer to the IAS prelims solved papers to verify their answers and score their performance. The quantitative results help the aspirants have a vision of their potential scores in the UPSC Prelims 2022.

3. Time management

For a time-bound exam like UPSC Prelims, solving papers can get the aspirants into the habit of finishing their exam in the given time and strategize their time allocation. This also helps the candidates spare some time for revision at the end of the exam.

4. Assessment of the weightage of topics

By reflecting on previous years’ UPSC question papers, one can find a pattern in the trends of topics and the marks weightage that they carry. This provides aspirants with a better perspective when prioritizing topics with higher marks distribution.

5. Active revisions

Solving previous years' question papers is an active revision method that helps the candidates improve their recall ability and have productive last-minute preparations. Instead of skimming through the notes and loads of study materials, it is more pragmatic to put the knowledge to the test by solving old question papers.

6. Insight into the question pattern

The questions in the UPSC Prelims question papers can take many forms. They can be twisted, simplified, or sometimes carry the answers within themselves. Solving multiple papers from previous years will expose aspirants to various kinds of question patterns, which will help them solve their papers more efficiently.

7. Solving strategy

Since the question patterns in UPSC Prelims are so diverse, the aspirants need to develop a solving strategy that can keep up with them. After attempting many previous years’ question papers, the candidates can choose their paper solving strategy, like the elimination strategy, clubbing related topics, solving easier topics first, etc.

8. Boosts confidence

Last but not least, solving ample UPSC Prelims question papers from previous years makes aspirants more familiar with the exam. They possess more knowledge and experience in solving the paper, which ultimately gives a confidence boost. This is equally important as any other strategy to clear the UPSC Prelims 2022.

As soon as one finishes their syllabus, they should aim to attempt old question papers and refer to UPSC Prelims solved papers. The candidates can use Pearson’s UPSC study materials to ensure that they have covered all the curriculum. The books are very engaging as they comprise storytelling, easy language, and appealing visuals to help the IAS exam candidates learn better. Quality study materials combined with solving previous years’ question papers can help UPSC aspirants perform their best in the exams. 

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Studying abroad in one of the most notable institutions is a part of many students’ vision boards. But before you can start your academic journey at your dream school, you need to tick off all the prerequisites for admission. The process is long, the preparation is hard, but if you do it right and wholeheartedly, you can get admission to the finest school. It is ideal to start planning ahead for your further studies because these educational institutes have a lengthy admission process comprising of form fillings, document submission, visa approval, etc. But besides that, you will also need to spare time to prepare for entrance exams and the English proficiency test.

Most of the foreign educational institutes that you will apply to will require an English proficiency certificate from a recognized organization. Once that is cleared, you will be allowed to move forward with the admission process. PTE Academic is one of the most trusted English proficiency tests that is accepted by top institutes worldwide. So, if you are keen on studying abroad, it is essential that you include the PTE test score in your admission portfolio.

PTE Academic needs a dedicated preparation time. Even if English is your first language, you have to study for this test unwaveringly. The test is not based on your colloquial language use. In fact, it examines your knowledge of the fundamentals and intricacy of this language.

Your PTE Academic score will define your academic future. Hence, it’s best to leave no stone unturned. To step up your PTE preparation, you need to make sure that you learn using the right sources. You must stay focused and not get overwhelmed by too many options.

You can rely on these 4 tools to help you with top-notch preparation and to get a great score in PTE Academic.

1. Official coursebooks

For PTE preparation, one of the best tools that you can rely on is the official coursebooks. Why should you look elsewhere for high-quality study materials when the PTE Academic provides them to you?The official coursebooks comprise of the following: 

• The Official Guide to PTE Academic
• Volumes 1 and 2 of the PTE Academic Practice Test Plus
• PTE Academic 79 Plus - Two Full-Length Practice Tests with Answer Keys

These coursebooks will not only help you learn about the exam and the content you need to learn for it, but they will also offer you materials to test your acquired knowledge once you are through with the syllabus.

2. Offline practice test

When you are getting closer to your exam date, you want to spend more time assessing your knowledge by taking as many tests as possible. One of the most efficient ways to do this is by getting your hands on the offline practice test material. The PTE tool lets you download test content, which comprises audiobooks, pdfs, sample responses, etc. Since there is no time limit for this offline test, you can take your sweet time thinking and coming up with the answer. The goal of this PTE tool is to get you into the habit of taking tests once you have finished your syllabus. This offline test helps you build confidence and assess your performance.

3. Official Online practice app

You will come across many PTE apps to help you prepare for the test, but you can learn from one of the most authoritative sources, which is the PTE Academic official practice app. The app comprises multiple tests with a unique set of questions. The online tests give you the true experience of the PTE test because they are timed. Consider this your trial before you appear for the official PTE test. Appearing for time-bound tests will help you gauge your performance better and give you an idea of your potential PTE score.

4. PTE Academic Taster

The PTE Academic Taster is another official PTE tool that gives you a glimpse of this English proficiency exam by presenting you with 5 sampled questions. Before you go through the 3-hour long test, answering 70 questions assessing your reading, speaking, writing, and listening abilities, you can use the PTA Academic Taster to get a ‘taste’ of your actual exam. You can try 5 sample questions and get instant feedback on your performance. The questions are based on the following formats:

• Fill in the blanks
  
• Reorder the paragraphs
  
• Multiple choice questions with a single correct answer
  
• Highlight incorrect words
  
• Select missing words

It is best to get your hands on these official PTE Academic tools right from the very first day of your preparation. It will help you put your best foot forward and start on the right note. Besides these PTE tools, you can also choose to opt for free online courses, go through the test guide, score, etc, to know more about the exam and enhance your preparation.

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If you have decided to appear for the PTE Academic, then you must start working on your English language skills. The common notion around preparation for English proficiency tests is that it is easier for native English speakers compared to non-native English speakers. There is no hard and fast answer to justify if this is true or false. But what we know for sure is that the English language skills needed for the PTE test cannot be satisfied by your knowledge of the day-to-day use of the language.

The language skills required to score well on the PTE test are not based on non-literary English. PTE Academic requires you to upgrade from that and build your English language skills based on its technicalities, which comprise using accurate grammar, extensive vocabulary, appropriate prepositions, etc. This does not mean that you have to have a mental dictionary full of the hardest words or be able to form complex sentences. Rather, the English language skills needed for the PTE test require you to be able to communicate in a crisp and simple but theoretically correct way.

If you want to improve your English language skills for the PTE test, you need to focus on your speaking, listening, reading, and writing skills because the exam assesses your proficiency in the language in these 4 formats.

Here’s how you can improve your English language skills in a way that ensures you ace all the exam patterns of the PTE.

Speaking

People often find it intimidating to carry on a conversation in English. This may come from the fear of being unable to precede the conversations or the fear of not being able to pronounce some words correctly. There are numerous other reasons why people who are fluent in reading and writing English might struggle to communicate in it verbally. But, you have to start at some point and learn from your mistakes.

This is good not just to enhance your English speaking skills for your PTE test, but it is something that will help you in the long run. You can start by speaking English in your close circle. Or you can start by reciting some words that you find difficult to pronounce.Speaking in English can be hard because sometimes when your brain is trying to translate from your native language, you can get confused or find it hard to grasp certain words. The only way to resolve this is to start thinking in English. We all have constant thoughts filling our heads. That self-talk never stops. So, why not make the most of it by thinking in English? This way, you have all the time in the world to translate or even search for words that you do not know.

Listening

To improve your English skills in terms of listening, the best thing you can do is consume as much content as you can in English. You can watch movies, listen to songs, podcasts, poems, watch the news, etc. Listening to other people talk in English will expose you to new words and pronunciations. The PTE listening test is not only based on your capability to listen. You should also be able to break it down and comprehend it, so you can follow that up with your answer. Consequently, the more English content you consume, the more accustomed you become to processing the language.

Reading

When we talk about improving your English skills by reading, we are not limiting your sources just to books. Sure, they are a huge help. By reading, you are introduced to new vocabulary, aphorisms, and idioms, and it also helps increase your knowledge. But there are many things aside from books that you can read.

You can read your favourite magazines, online blogs, news articles, short stories, etc. The key is to keep reading while also understanding what you're reading. If you come across any words that you do not know the meaning of or you do not know their pronunciation, you should quickly look them up. This will add value to your reading sessions.

When you get comfortable with reading, you should focus on reading fast or skimming through it by focusing on the important aspects. The PTE test is time-bound, and hence, you will have to learn to be fast with your reading skills. You can time your reading sessions to see where you stand and how much improvement is needed.

Writing

Writing in English not only helps you create sentences, but you also learn their spelling. You can enhance your English writing skills by journaling. It does not have to be very detailed or long. On the PTE test, you will not have to write paragraphs of answers; a few sentences would be enough. You would get writing tasks like describing an image or paraphrasing audio information. To work on this, you can also rely on online PTE preparation as well as tests.

Pearson has multiple PTE preparation resources that you can rely on. Using official coursebooks, you can learn all the basics of the English language. You can also use offline sources and the official PTE app to take mock tests. Pearson have ample unique sample and test questions for you to practice. Besides that, you can continue using the above tactics to improve your English language skills. You can internalize these habits as they not only improve your language but also help shape your personality.

 

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When it comes to JEE preparations, students, as well as parents, try to put a finger on the ideal time that is needed to prepare for this entrance exam. There is no fixed answer to this, but let’s just say the sooner the better. This is very subjective and varies from student to student. Some begin their JEE preparation in their 11th and 12th grades, whereas there are others who opt for JEE foundation and begin their preparation in the primary section of their academic years.

What is the JEE Foundation?

JEE Foundation is a course for aspirants that begins in the 8th grade and continues till the 10th grade. It is the steppingstone in JEE preparation for the students, as this IIT foundation course gives them an upper hand over other students who start their preparation after 10th grade. Aspirants start covering the JEE syllabus in school, which not only helps them develop their theoretical knowledge but also helps them to be more strategic in their preparation, adapt cognitive skills, and cover most of the portions in the early stages.

Why should you opt for the JEE foundation?

● To get a head start

It is advantageous to have clarity about your academic and career choices right from when you are in school. And when you do have such immense clarity, it’s best you utilize that to begin your preparation early. The IIT foundation gives students that opportunity. The foundation course not only prepares students for the JEE entrance exam but also for the JSTSE, NTSE, and various Olympiads.

● Basics are clear

In the 11th grade, your academic curriculum will be according to your JEE syllabus. When you have your concepts clear from the beginning, you can spend these 2 years brushing up on your skills instead of learning everything from scratch. Since your foundation is already clear, it will not take a lot for you to keep up with the upcoming syllabus.

● Enough time to practice later

When you get a head start on the learning part of your JEE preparation, you can progressively manage to spare more time for your practice sessions. Practice is as important as learning, as that is your only way to push yourself and test your limits. Learning is more time-consuming. Absorbing new information and decoding it in simpler ways so that you remember it is not an easy task. However, you have already completed most of it, and you can now use the time to put what you have learned into practice.

How to build a strong foundation?

1. Prepare a schedule

When you are preparing for the JEE and simultaneously keeping up with your schoolwork, it is common to feel overwhelmed and exhausted. Unless you plan everything ahead of time. You can start by making weekly, monthly, or even quarterly plans to divide your JEE preparation tasks. Start by setting a schedule, a timetable, designed in a way that helps you cover your syllabus. Don’t forget to allocate time for breaks and to do activities that make you feel refreshed.

2. Start making notes from the beginning

If you do not have the habit of taking notes, then JEE Foundation is the preparation phase that can help you develop it. Notes are important because, firstly, they are a brilliant studying method that works for most students. As soon as you write down what you have learned, be it a definition or a formula, it makes it easier for you to memorize it. Secondly, you can always come back to these notes for revisions for simpler explanations. Hence, when you start taking notes during the foundation course, you can refer to them at any point throughout your preparation.

3. Appear for mock tests

Tests serve multiple purposes, like helping you know where you stand. You come across various questions that help you either asses your learning or discover new concepts that you must have missed. They help you understand your potential and reflect on your strengths as well as weaknesses. Furthermore, mock tests are like official JEE exams. You get the firsthand experience of appearing for the exam by appearing for mock tests.

4. Get the right study materials

The solidarity of your JEE foundation course lies in the study materials that you refer to. You cannot only rely on your schoolbooks for extensive foundation preparation.

Pearson being your learning partner, supports you in your complete journey of learn – practice – assess.

Learn from Pearson IIT Foundation series, which is a series of study materials customized to help you bridge the gap between your school and the JEE syllabus. Supported by mobile app, having 900 question solution videos, 200 attemptable tests and 200 downloadable worksheets.

Practice on Pearson IIT Foundation practice books, which consists over 1500 questions covering all the important topics. It also includes unit tests, sections tests, and full-length tests.

Assess with Pearson MyInsights. It provides you topic-level strength with AI enabled tests, thorough online practice with tests at chapter-level, unit-level and on the varied Olympiad tests formats, JEE formats etc.

You can experience integrated learning at your own convenience by using both online and offline resources.

The JEE Foundation's goal is to help you save time and learn to your fullest potential. The primary academic years are the formative years of not just your education, but your life. And when you begin preparing for your competitive exam during this phase, you get mentally and skillfully prepared to achieve success. 

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Online classes have been a blessing for most students during the pandemic. Not because they appreciate or enjoy it, but because they do not have to go through the ordeal of getting up to go to school, being involved in the class activities, or paying much attention to what is being taught in the class. Sure, online learning has been around for a while. But it was not integrated with classroom learning to a greater extent. However, things have changed a lot in the last two years, and virtual learning has been conducted more actively than ever.

Online learning has many perks. It is convenient, it saves time, and it is not bound by geography. But, are these perks effective if students are not enthusiastic about learning in virtual classrooms? Online and classroom teaching differ excessively. In classrooms, you can see your students, and you can gauge their level of interest. But in virtual classrooms, the first quarter of the class goes into insisting students put on their cameras. If your students are even willing to learn, there’s a minimum to zero chance of understanding that without seeing their faces. But don’t back down.The virtual classroom can be successful too if you start using these tactics to encourage students to learn online.

1. Interact with your students

You, being the tutor, have a bigger responsibility to serve. You have to make sure you do your duties while also making sure that your students learn from your class. Creating an interactive learning experience can help you achieve that. You should keep having conversations with your students, ask them questions, and encourage them to ask you too. Besides, you should engage them in AI-based interactive learning. Don't be afraid to go beyond the curriculum and present some interesting anecdotes and facts to your students.

2. Hold class presentations

There are two main benefits to holding virtual class presentations. You get to actively involve each student in the classroom. Plus, this helps build their research, presentation, and communication skills. Some other benefits of online class presentations also include the fact that when students are engaged in such activities, you get to hear their opinions and process of learning. You get to understand how much of what you teach is learnt by them. They get to explore online resources and software to build their presentation, which helps them explore their creative elements.

3. Assign small group projects

To keep encouraging your students to learn in virtual classrooms, you must not just be concerned about your interaction with them. You should also build an environment where they get a chance to get to know their classmates. The best way to do that is to assign small group projects. You can make this a weekly or a monthly thing and create different groups each time so everybody in the classroom gets a chance to work with each other. Encouraging students to learn from each other can be a really good virtual teaching tactic.

4. Use quizzes

Kudos to digital development today that we have multiple learning sources. There are many online sites for learning programmes that give you access to interactive learning methods like holding quizzes and questionnaires. You can do that manually in your virtual class or use a third-party site to do so. These sites let you create impactful and fun learning methods. You can customize it according to your needs.

5. Form discussion groups

Discussion groups can be really helpful in learning through communication. You never know what information your students have and what skills they possess unless you try to explore them. You can form these discussion groups on Whatsapp or by using social media sites like Discord. Engaging with your students by using social media can be a fun twist to add to your teaching methods.

6. Ask for their opinions

Teaching should be communicative. And if you are not encouraging your students to give their opinions, the scope of learning decreases multifold. You should ask for their opinions with respect to education, their future decisions, their interests, etc. Plus, you should ask them what kind of learning methods they would like to explore. You do not have to ask them this individually. You can create polls or questionnaires using Google forms and just have the students fill them up. Getting an insight into the interests of your students can help you mould your teaching methods to align with their likings.

Virtual learning can be achieved independently by students themselves. All they need is the right resource. Pearson’s MyLab Mastering can be the perfect companion for students to indulge in virtual learning. It has online homework, assessment, and tutoring products that students can access at their leisure. Plus, the list of courses is diverse enough to help students find something of their interest to learn. This is the platform students need to explore the best of virtual learning.

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The rise in the importance of tech skills is a product of digitization. And our contemporary stage can be addressed as just the beginning of digital evolution, which is already flooded with many new-age tech skills. The new generation runs on these skills. Now that the education sector has also adapted to the next generation tools, learning and adapting to new age-tech skills seems like a prerequisite for today’s students to sustain in the professional world.

Some of the new-age tech skills that have garnered a lot of attention are programming, automation, data analytics, data visualization, cyber security, etc. Besides this, almost every industry sector requires their team to know the technical skills. Even though some of these sectors offer brief training about their technology, it always helps if you are a step ahead and learn new-age technology skills right from when you are in school.

Why do you need to adapt to the new-age tech skills?

1. It’s a part of the evolution

Learning and adapting is a part of human evolution. The digital ecosystem requires you to learn technology. Believe it or not, this has become a survival skill now. It's not necessary that you learn about all kinds of technology. But you should know the basic elements of it, or you can choose to be an expert in one niche.

2. The market demands

There are certain technical skills that are in extreme demand. If the subject is of interest to you, you can learn more about it. If not, you must look at the technologies used in the field of your career prospect. To keep up with the competitive environment, you need to possess new-age skills. They give you an upper hand in grabbing the best job opportunities.

3. To stand out

Learning the new-age skills can help you stand out from the crowd. It is even better if you start early. We all know how celebrated young talents are in today’s world! But to stand out, you also need to continue learning and adapting to new skills. Your skills help you excel in school, get into the best colleges, and stay on top of the game.

4. To work remotely

Remote working has been gaining massive momentum since the pandemic hit. If remote working fits anywhere in your future plans, you must know the most fundamental tech skills required to connect with people and conduct your work. Certain jobs require software knowledge and skills, too. If you work remotely, you may need to learn how to use them and create a compatible setup to keep up with your work.

But how can you learn these new-age skills? All you need is a basic device like a laptop or phone and the internet. But, what you also need is the willingness to learn. Here are a few guidelines you can follow to acquire new-age skills.

5. Feed your curiosity

Every individual is curious about something. We all have questions that we seek answers to. You should not kill your curiosity. In fact, attend to it at all times. That is the best way to discover new things, build new interests, and learn new skills. Even if you start by looking for something small, it can snowball into something bigger and beneficial.

6. Learn any technical skill of your choice

Is there anything that interests you? Do you like photography? Do you wonder how people build AI? Are you curious to know how people get into research work? Well, if you are aware of your interests, consider it a con and start learning about the respective technical skills required in your field.

7. Start early

We cannot emphasize this enough! We are a part of their fast-paced lives. As a student, you may always have your plate full, but there’s nothing bad about it as long as you can handle it. Learning early gives you a head start compared to those who don’t. And in this competitive world, that can be a big advantage for you.

8. Use online resources

You can find anything online, and you must make the most of it. You can learn from experts, peers, professionals, or other curious individuals like you. You should try to integrate online learning with your classroom learning. Pearson’s technology books and publications will help you have a wholesome learning experience. Amongst the array of subject areas that Pearson offers, you can pick any of your interests or explore them all. The learning materials are aligned to help you achieve a focused academic environment as they align with the higher education curriculum. You can rely on these technology books that can help you add more value to your learning.

You can learn new-age tech skills by using new-age tech resources. We owe it to digitization that finding any information on the globe is now a piece of cake. Hence, you can not only discover all about technology, but you can also learn the required skills online.

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UPSC is an entrance examination that is designed to recruit candidates for the higher Civil Services of the Government of India. You can imagine the amount of precision and long-term dedication one must have to clear this Civil Services Examination. With persistence and the right learning resources, you can prepare for the UPSC prelims at home.

To understand how to prepare for the UPSC Prelims at home, it is best to begin by learning about the prelims exam pattern. That is the only way to begin your UPSC preparation on the right note.

UPSC Prelims Exam Pattern:

• The Civil Services Examination is held annually to recruit for higher government posts. The UPSC CSE exam is conducted in 2 stages: preliminary and mains.
• The UPSC CSE Prelims have objective type questions, whereas the UPSC CSE Mains exam consists of 9 subjective papers and an interview.
• The first stage of the examination, i.e., UPSC Prelim, is a screening test to select candidates for the Civil Services Main Examination. The prelim comprises 2 compulsory papers that are conducted on the same day in two sessions. These exams are conducted offline.

UPSC CSE Preliminary paper pattern

Paper	Time Duration	No. of Questions	Total Marks	Qualification
GS Paper I	2 hours	100	200	Based on cut-off
GS Paper II (CSAT)	2 hours	80	200	Based on minimum qualifying marks

• Both the papers of the UPSC CSE Prelims exam will have multiple-choice questions.
• Incorrect answers will give you negative markings of 1/3rd marks, i.e., 0.33 marks will be deducted for each wrong answer.
• The language of the question paper will be both Hindi and English.
• There is a cut-off for the UPSC Preliminary Exam that varies every year. However, only General Studies Paper I has qualifications based on the cut-off. If you score at par with the cut-off, you are qualified to appear for the UPSC CSE Mains.
• The General Studies Paper-II of the Civil Services Preliminary Exam will be a qualifying paper with minimum qualifying marks fixed at 33%.
  

Now that you are through with the paper pattern, let’s look at how to start preparing for UPSC prelims at home.

1. Prepare a timetable

It is very important that you prepare a timetable even before you start your UPSC prelim preparations. Your timetable should be designed in a way that helps you cover each topic and each subject. You don’t need to prepare a long-term timetable. In the beginning, you can set a small target and prepare a short-term timetable to achieve the same. But do have a vision for your upcoming preparations too. Try to dedicate at least 40 hours a week to studying for your UPSC prelims.

2. Stay updated with news

You need to stay up-to-date with the news and current affairs as they are a part of your exam syllabus. There are also dedicated shows for UPSC aspirants that you can watch. Besides that, you should read the news daily and try to get a deeper insight into current affairs by researching them. You can watch debates and discussion panels regarding the same.

3. Read on exam-related subjects

When you are doing your UPSC preparations at home, you have to make sure that you go beyond just your NCERT books. Since the subjects are related to current affairs, history, and general knowledge, invest time in reading from other sources. You can read books, articles, published papers, or even watch documentaries. You have to be sure about your learning sources and make sure that you are consuming facts from trusted channels.

4. Watch old UPSC interview videos

Sure, UPSC prelims do not have interviews, but UPSC Mains do. When you have already made up your mind to appear for the Civil Service Examinations and serve the country, you must be prepared for everything. Watching old interview videos will give you a gist of its pattern. You can watch these videos and learn about the kinds of questions that are asked at the interviews and how the candidates respond to them.

5. Get trusted study materials

You will see many UPSC related books on the market, but only a few qualify as the trusted ones. Pearson’s UPSC examination books feature top-notch materials that are designed to help candidates with understanding the concepts and memorization. The books are written by trusted authors and cover contemporary topics that UPSC aspirants must include in their studies. When you are preparing for UPSC from home, you can rely on Pearson’s books as you can bank on their authenticity.

6. Solve practice tests

Pearson’s books have examination based questions that you can solve. Towards the last few weeks or days of your preparations, you should aim to solve as many practice tests as you can. Besides that, you should also solve the last few years’ question papers, which you can easily find online.

UPSC exams can be intimidating. But, there’s no need to panic or look down on yourself at any point in time during your preparation. Make sure you dedicate enough time to your studies and keep up with them throughout your UPSC exams.

 

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As an IIT aspirant, you must be aware of the amount of hard work that JEE preparation and further studies demand. Planning your studies, finding the right resources to learn from, scheduling your days, and strategizing your entire life are some of the important aspects you need to focus on to succeed in your entrance examinations. Not just that, but you also need to maintain coordination between these tasks and stay consistent with them. We all know that consistency is the key. But do we also know how to stay consistent?

When you are preparing for the JEE exams, you have to leave no stone unturned. But, if whatever you do is not supported by consistency, then you might fail to perform to your fullest. Hence, here are 6 things you can practice to stay consistent throughout your JEE preparations.

1.    Prepare a timetable

We can emphasize all we want the importance of consistency. But if you have not laid down the tasks and assigned time to finish them, then you won’t even know what to stay consistent with. You have to prepare a timetable that comprises all your tasks and your studying schedule.

You can make it more detailed by mentioning the subjects or topics, or tasks like revisions so that you know exactly what to do at that time of the day. Eventually, you can build the habit of making a customized timetable a day prior. Hence, every night you can plan your coming day. This will not only help you stay consistent but will ensure that you are covering all the subjects and their topics.

2. One day at a time

Take it all in one day at a time. Consistency is a habit that can be built over time. For IIT JEE preparations, you have a lot of syllabi to cover. The best thing is to start early so you don’t burden yourself with finishing the syllabus in a short period. You can take your time, learn at your pace, and cover small fractions of the syllabus each day. Eventually, you can increase your potential by taking on more tasks or covering more syllabi as each day proceeds.

3. Don’t forget to take breaks

JEE preparation should not feel like a punishment. No rule says you have to exhaust yourself and always go beyond your capabilities. You deserve to take in as much as you can. As a responsible IIT aspirant, you are putting in all the hard work you can. But don’t forget to give yourself a break now and then. Sure, you will have to schedule your breaks too. During your leisure time, indulge in activities that please you. Spend time with your family, catch up on old hobbies, meet your friends, engage in sports, etc. Breaks keep you refreshed; they help you stay consistent with your schedule and studies.

4. Set a bunch of small goals

Small goals bring small victories. When you see yourself doing well, you like to keep up with what you are doing. Set your small goals in a way that help you achieve the big ones. Your goals can be to finish a chapter in a day or to memorise the formula in a week. Besides learning goals, you can also aim for some personal goals that help you get better. Setting goals concerning your JEE exam dates and syllabus can be very helpful. Set easy, achievable goals, before you decide to test your full potential. These little goals will get your work done and make you feel proud of yourself.

5. Track your syllabus

Speaking of the syllabus, you must always keep track of your progress. Always keep making notes and highlighting texts, as they help you to stay on track and they are helpful when you want to circle back on certain topics. You should prepare your timetable with respect to your syllabus and your exam dates. It is important to know how much of your portion has been completed and how much you have completed. Based on that, you can change your schedules and make time for revisions or tests.

6. Engage in self-evaluation

Self-evaluation helps you know where you stand. The goal of self-evaluation is to assess your merits and demerits so you can work on getting better. It will tell you what topics you are weak in, or what subjects you score the most in. To work smart, you need to understand both your strengths and weaknesses and turn them in your favour. When you have everything planned out and you are self-aware, staying consistent feels like a piece of cake.

To be consistent, you need trusted learning resources by your side. Pearson’s JEE preparation books can be your ideal choice. These books cover all the concepts in depth so you will not miss anything. They are designed to suit the aptitude of IIT aspirants. All the concepts of physics, math, and chemistry are covered meticulously. They also come with solved problems for you to go over. Throughout your JEE preparation, you can rely on Pearson’s JEE Main and Advanced series.

 

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To appear for an exam as competitive as NEET, not only do you need to put in hours of time and effort, but you also need to put your heart into it. Let’s believe that you fulfil these pre-requisites. You have decided to work hard, you have made up your mind, you have gathered the best study materials possible, and you are set to begin your journey as a NEET aspirant. But before you take the first step, you must ensure that you have a certain set of qualities to succeed in this examination. If you don’t have them already, then you must prepare yourself to acquire them along the way throughout your NEET preparation.

Here are the top 10 qualities that a NEET aspirant like you should have.

1. Discipline

As a NEET aspirant, you will have to lead a disciplined life that is structured by schedules and timetables. You will have to manage your time efficiently so you can keep up with your busy schedule. Along with a disciplined study environment, you also need to regulate your lifestyle. You have to build a regimen that is not just focused on studying but also eating healthy, exercising, taking enough breaks, indulging in refreshing activities, etc. However, it is also important to understand where to draw the line.

2. Self-awareness

Self-awareness is an important quality for a NEET aspirant because you always need to know where you stand. You should be aware of your development, strengths, weaknesses, skills, because only then can you know how to invest your time in your preparation. Besides this, you should also be self-aware of your health. Preparing for exams can take a toll on your physical and mental health. But if you are self-aware, you will be able to find your way out of distress and be productive with a positive attitude.

3. Setting boundaries

Setting boundaries is a tough act. But if you manage to build this quality, you will be able to make choices that align with your future goals. As a NEET aspirant, you will need to get accustomed to a new lifestyle and bid farewell to certain leisure. Boundaries help you gain perspective, and this is one of the NEET preparation qualities that will be useful to you throughout your life.

4. Be Visionary

Nobody knows you better than you, and hence, nobody understands your goals better than you. When you are preparing for NEET, you are preparing for your academic future as well as your entire career. Hence, you need to envision your future right from the day you begin your journey as a NEET aspirant. But it is important to stay pragmatic about it. Think about various possibilities and be prepared for them.

5. Be curious

Curiosity does not always kill the cat. Sometimes, it helps you end up in the right places. You are aiming for a future in the healthcare sector. This is one of the most dynamic sectors that keeps transforming. You must stay up to date on the same. Even when you are preparing for the exam, go beyond your NEET preparation books and explore. Use online resources to learn, interact with people from the field, or just read about anything that interests you.

6. Focused attitude

If you have made up your mind to perform your best in the examination, then you must also be prepared to stay focused at all times. You should not get distracted by anything that interferes with your NEET preparation. Sometimes it may get hard, and at times like that, make sure that you take breaks to reflect on yourself. Take frequent breaks so that you stay calm and composed.

7. Smart work

Sure, the NEET syllabus is vast. But if you prepare for it strategically, the learning becomes easier. One of the top NEET preparation tips that you must know is to always check your paper pattern, weightage of subjects, question modules, etc. This will help you work smart and not just hard.

8. High concentration

This is one quality that most students struggle with. In this day and age where the media has capitalized on the habit of short attention spans, it can be difficult to stay concentrated. But you can do it right if you opt for learning methods that keep you engaged. You can use various online sources for the same. Besides that, you must learn from books that have easy and descriptive explanations. This will help you understand the concepts better, which in turn will help you stay concentrated.

9. Planning and management

You will have to plan your upcoming months, weeks, and days according to your NEET preparation and exams. Not just plan, but you also need to follow through with it by effectively managing your time, schedules, and priorities.

10. Confidence

Throughout your journey of NEET preparation, you will come across points when you question yourself, your capabilities, skills, goals, everything. And this can occur as a result of something as benign as being unable to memorise a concept or simply because you are having a bad day. On such occasions, you must reflect on why you began your journey and where you want to end up. This is one of the things that may build your motivation and help you restore your confidence. But other than that, you can contact your parents, friends, and peers. Engage in activities that make you feel good about yourself.

To add to these qualities and to help you prepare your best, you also need the right set of NEET preparation books. Pearson’s NEET objective series is one of the finest study materials for all medical aspirants preparing for NEET. They are comprised of simple explanations, sample questions, and the NCERT exemplar section. With these books, you will stay on the right track throughout your NEET preparation.

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Educational institutes are built to impart students with knowledge and skills. But it will not lead to students’ wholesome development if the teaching is limited to imparting skills like memorization and recall. An individual needs a lot more than that to succeed in life. While today’s educational institutes are focused on offering a more well-rounded learning environment, there are many other skills that all students need to be successful in life that goes beyond college and universities.

Learning can be perceived from anywhere. We live in this digital era that is continuously evolving. So to keep up with that, here are the top 10 21st century skills for students to learn without being bound by classrooms, books, and curriculums.

1. Observational Skills

To have good observational skills means being aware of your surroundings, gathering information, and applying it when necessary. Observation helps you learn things from reality. By being observant, your brain is continuously trying to absorb and analyze information. It affects your thought process and enables you to read your environment while passively observing.

2. Critical Thinking Skills

At every stage of life, we have to make decisions. Be it choosing your favourite flavour of lollypop as a kid or your major in school as a student, critical thinking skills help you make more precise and calculated decisions. Furthermore, they help you indulge in logical reasoning and build problem-solving skills. As a student, you need critical thinking skills to make decisions throughout your academic life that will eventually shape your future in the professional field of work. It also helps you develop intellectually and enhances your creativity.

3. Research Skills

The goal of developing research skills should not be limited to achieving good grades in your academic projects. Research helps you stay curious, exposed to new knowledge from time to time, helps you find answers to varied questions or hypotheses, and stay updated. Research can be on general topics or on a particular field of knowledge. Developing high research skills will help you find answers to all your questions and learn about people and their cultures. This skill further helps you acquire another set of skills as you are continuously exploring various subjects and collecting information.

4. Networking Skills

Networking has a range of benefits that help you move ahead in life. It always helps to know the right people. Through networking, you can get into innate circles, join a community, and be exposed to people with different kinds of expertise. You can start developing networking skills right when you are in school. Building contacts and relationships with people can get you places. That is a true fact! However, don’t limit your networking skills to just meeting people in person. Online networking has taken the world by storm. Use social media platforms to network with people from your field of interest and from across the world. They can introduce you to new ideas, opportunities, or even skills.

5. Collaboration Skills

It is good to be able to do things independently, but in life, you need to move ahead with other people. You will need to work alongside your colleagues, so it’s best that you start by working along with your fellow peers in schools. By working in collaboration, you are learning to be patient, tolerant, and more empathetic towards other people’s thoughts and ideas. You learn to co-exist. And that is one skill that has gotten humans so far in evolution.

6. Digital Skills

Digital skills have high value and add to your college applications as well as work resumes. You should try to learn as many sets of digital skills as possible. It could be learning how to use excel, building presentations, or digital marketing. Digitization has expanded tenfold in the past decade, and it will continue to. Hence, you must adapt to it and keep learning digital skills like online searching, emailing, programming, etc.

7. Technical Skills

As a student, you may or may not have clarity about your professional goals. Either way, it always helps to learn technical skills. If you know what field you wish to excel in, you should start learning the required technical skills while you are still in school. But even if you don’t have that clarity, you can use your research skills to find out about fields of your interest and the technical skills required for the same. It always helps to start early.

8. Communication Skills

It cannot be emphasised enough that good communication skills can get you far ahead in life. It helps you put yourself out there. You learn to convey your thoughts appropriately. You need to work on your verbal as well as non-communication skills. One of the important aspects of this skill is that it also develops good listening skills. That’s how you will be able to carry on two-way communication.

9. Time Management Skills

In school and in life, you will always have your plate full. Sometimes you will need to choose your priorities, but most of the time you will just need effective time management skills. This skillset helps you with personal management and organization. If you aim to always stay occupied and in action, then good time management skills will help you accomplish your goals.

10. Leadership Skills

At some point, every individual has to take the responsibility to lead, and when you find yourself in that position, good leadership skills will help you do an excellent job. To be a good leader means maintaining integrity, being there for your team, working together, and delegating rightful credit to your teammates. As a leader, you are not just thinking about yourself but also about your teammates as individuals and as a team.

To achieve these life-altering skills, you need to start on the right foot, and that can be done by engaging in learning in school. Pearson offers blended learning solutions that not only help you develop academically, but also let you explore a new dimension of online learning. Schools are the right place to explore your learning approaches, and Pearson is the right platform for the same.

 

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