Jigarthanda for the Prepper soul

Jigarthandav-aa ? That is some local Madurai cool drink no? Why you put it here, mama??

Well, as the scorching summer sets in, bringing along with it the much awaited HSEE exam, Jigarthanda is precisely the tonic your soul needs. Yes, I know there's hardly ten days left for d-day, and that all hell is probably breaking loose in most of your brains right now, AND that it's pretty much pointless to tell you not to panic (cuz mehh... I've been there too.). But that's precisely what I am gonna ask you to do. Calm the hell down.

Cuz why ? Simple. It pays to chill. And not just chill, but Chillax.

At this point of time, as it often is - on an yearly basis, there would be three types of preppers, and I'm going to be very clinical about this : 

Type A : I'm so done. My mock scores are the stuff legends are made of. I'm bloody certain I can ace the tests, conjure an essay and ride three unicorns in 2 hours.

Type B (1) : Good Lord, I have so much left to cover. I'm shitting my underpants, my mock scores are smaller than Trump's hands (though in all fairness, to an impartial observer, is fairly decent). GK is a damned ocean full of stuff and is that the smell of my brain rotting ? Why is this happening to meeeeeee??!!!

Type B (2) : Right. Now that I have finally started prepping, there are 10 full days left. That is 3 days more than 1 week. Pfft. I can totally do this. *angelic echo from deep within* "Or can I ?"

Type C: Hmm.. so what exactly is HSEE ?
(And why did I sign up for this ? Why is it in between the boards ? Why can't I just be a doctor ?)
*wanders away to solemn soul-searching*

Of course, apart from these there are the CLAT goers who want to "warm up" before CLAT (tee hee, I was one.), the ones who write it simbly; the backup plan wala-s/wali-s, etc.. but that's only a very insignificant majority. Never you mind. But if you are reading this, chances are you are either Type B (mostly) or Type A, and here is what I have to tell you...

Type A : Relax. I know that somewhere inside, you too are freaking out. Chill, you have done enough. But that does not mean you can totally put peace and zone out and start planning family holidays (DON'T). You still have a week and the exam need not be like the mocks you wrote. Work on perfecting things that you are slow/weak at. Keep revising Math and Logic and all those raw facts and vocabulary. Read through the notes you made. And keep taking mocks. Again and again. Also, just test taking won't do you good. Remember the golden rule of mock test taking - Never make the same mistake again. Learn from your mistakes, and keep improving your performance.

Type B (1) : Please, please stop panicking. You have an epic chance of making it through. And no, your preparation is not insufficient. If you remember my first article, I said, HSEE is not one test for which you can have a certain formula for preparation, it is a lot about what sort of a person you are, and how well you can apply what you know and yet stick to the time. It is important to relax, because last minute jitters can fry your exam. Scoring in Math and Logic is as much about maintaining a level head as it is about accuracy and speed. You can't do Math or Logic if your brain is soaked in panic-juice. You have to chill. Think  of it, you are getting tensed thinking that your performance would be poor, and it is this tension that is actually affecting your performance. Don't be dumb. Be smart. Chill.

However, do keep doing tests, it's ok to score mediocre marks, the tides will turn on d-day. I'm not bluffing, 45 people in my class will agree with me. Also remember that cutting down on food and sleep is literally suicidal in prep terms. Both will affect your health and spoil your performance. So sleep well and eat too. You will have enough opportunities to give up on both, once you make it to insti. xD

Type B (2) : I only have one thing to say to you folks, IF Trump can be President, You can crack HSEE. It's as simple as that. And no, I am NOT joking. Almost all of my classmates, belonged to this category at this point of time. And it is anything but late. It's amazing you people started off. Now, however, it is full steam ahead mode. Forget about all the other Types I have listed here - they don't exist. Go by what one of our beloved Gods - Sachin Tendulkar said in a Boost ad - no, not "Boost is the secret...", the other one "My biggest competition is ME". Focus on improving your own performance instead of cribbing about how smart Sharmaji's beti is. There isn't time to whine. But there is plenty of time to sit back and read. I know that it sucks that the exam is in between the boards, (trust me, we protested too), but it's no use crying about it. Maintain a level head and keep diligently reading and solving problems. Be smart about the time you allocate to each section. And save the last few days for Mocks.

Type C : Well, you signed up for it, and paid the exam fee too, you might as well try going through something, at least for the sake of it. Soul searching can wait. You will have 3 whole months of utter joblessness for that once the exam is over. Just give this test too, and God knows, it might just surprise you and get you in. As for prep advise, scroll up and read Type B(2), I'm just too lazy to type that all again. Meh...

As for all you poor souls and generally anyone taking the test, remember to relax. In a competitive exam, where Math and Logic are part of the syllabus, you can't hope to do good unless you are at a state of Unagi - " complete awareness ", or peace-d out, or gen relaxed. It is important. Or you will fluster and all of this will be rather pointless. Be calm, humans! And do as many mocks as possible. Go easy on the caffeine and drink loads of water. Eat good food - try and include Fish or almonds/badam or walnuts or any nuts for that matter, carrots, greens, and rajma or soy beans. They are all brilliant brain foods, and yes - Chocolate. Get loads of that too ! I wouldn't say, start meditating, but if you are the sort of person who does, 10 mins of that will help a lot too (or so, I've heard).

The most important thing however, is to keep yourself happy, sleep well, and all will go well for ya!

Hey, and if you ever visit Madurai, get some Jigarthanda - you'll laaaaaaaaav it !!

PS : Don't feel shy to ask whatever queries you have, here, or on the Facebook page. We are only happy to help !