I was in my eighth standard. It was 27th March 1981 ! The day of my mathematics exam! I did extremely bad!
It was 20th May! The results were announced!
I scored less than 60% in all the subjects and only 38% in Mathematics.
So my performance was quite poor in all the subjects and I could barely pass the Mathematics exam. Had I scored 4% less, I would have failed in Math paper! This thought sent shock waves across my spine! I cried and cried and cried…..
After recovering from the initial shock, I started thinking. I was a good student till Standard 7. Why did this happen all of a sudden in eighth standard? Instead of blaming the system, the teachers and my parents, I started analyzing the reasons.
I could think of three main reasons:
1. All of a sudden in eighth standard, the syllabus became more and tougher and I couldn’t complete the syllabus before examinations.
2. My parents, who were guiding me well in all the subjects, suddenly stopped helping because they themselves found the subjects difficult as they had lost touch.
3. My concentration was on other activities too (other than studies)! So, I got distracted! Attending classes wasn’t that interesting.
Then I slowly started experimenting on myself and tried to find methods to improve my performance. I did a lot of mistakes in the process, got demotivated but somehow kept on moving. After a lot of trials and errors, I came up with a few techniques to improve the study methods. I applied them in my next annual examinations.
As a result, I could get 80% in Mathematics exam in my ninth standard. I could get 65% to 80% in other subjects too!
So, with the help of study skills and techniques, I straight away improved my mathematics score from 38% (‘E’ grades) to 80% in one exam.
I continued my experiments on self and as a result, I could achieve 90% in maths and 71% to 84% in other subjects in my tenth standard. During my further studies, I continued these experiments on myself as well as on my friends and juniors and as a result all of us could get tremendous improvement! I learnt further techniques from my teachers. mentors and success gurus and applied them religiously.
Finally as a result of all these study skills and techniques, in 1997 I could achieve 16th Rank all over the country in a Prestigious National Level UPSC Examination, which many students struggle a lot to clear. And in the subsequent examination conducted after training, I achieved 1st Rank and stood topper among the top 63 candidates selected.
So, with the help of study skills and techniques, I transformed myself from getting 38% (‘E’ grades) into becoming a topper of the Nation.
Since then, I kept on refining the techniques and researching about the way human brain functions. I learnt more from world class trainers and success gurus in order to enhance my capabilities in helping student community.
I guided and mentored a number of students and helped them improve their performance in a short period of time. Many of them achieved excellent results in examinations and became successful in life.
I share some of those techniques in brief for the benefit of student community.
