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PracBee senior teacher, Ms Neha Mishra, has a 1:1 conversation with Trina Das, a top ranker from grade 9, who has qualified for the second level of NSO. The conversation covers her studying method, her routine, her revision schedule, her preparation for Olympiad exams as well as school exams and her future plans.
They also discussed the subjects she faces problems with, her strategies to overcome difficult topics and how Personalized 1:1 tutoring for Olympiads at PracBee is helping her become better at her subjects. Trina also shared her experience of handling schoolwork, revision and practice at home and the books/resources to use.
Trina discusses how she started focusing on Olympiads after her grade 8th exams got over in school. She had done well in Olympiads in grade 8 as well and knew how to plan for it in advance. Since the NSO exam by SFO (Science Olympiad Foundation) is in October and November, so she new she had enough time and it would also not collide with her grade 9 final exams in school.
The challenge was to complete the syllabus of grade 9 by October or even before that so that she had time to revise for the Olympiads as well. She also wanted to use extra material for her Science Olympiad exam including a lot of practice questions and needed time for that as well.
I really like Science as a subject and then also want to improve in the Science subject. Importantly, I also feel a sense of achievement if I do well in Olympiad or any such competitive exam. So, I wanted to do my best as this is considered a tough exam and lacs of students from all across the country participate in it.
For the first few months of Grade 9th, I tried to complete the syllabus fast. Then around July the syllabus was almost complete, so I started revising. I practiced questions from the hardcopy books given to us by PracBee. Then I started taking the mock tests of PracBee for SOF. Also, I practiced questions recommended by my 1:1 teachers at PracBee. Overall, there was enough time left for revision, which ensured I could complete every topic to a higher degree.
For Mathematics the syllabus took slightly more time compared to science, however that was also done well in advance for me to focus on revision.
I focused most on Physics. Biology I find it easier to understand and memorize so it was not a challenge. Chemistry also I find relatively easy. In Physics the solving of the numericals and application of the formulas is hard so I practiced a lot there.
I utilized the Past year papers as well as the mock tests for NSO. I practiced them thoroughly. PracBee teachers also gave me a lot of tests like mock tests, subject-wise tests etc and we also had classes where they taught the concepts very clearly and then made me practice questions and then write tests on those topics.
In the beginning some topics in Chemistry looked difficult especially new topics like atoms and associated concepts. In Physics the first time I tried solving the PracBee module, I couldn't solve the questions properly and I was worried on how I would do.
But every time I had a doubt, all the teachers helped me clarify it and whenever I had a doubt, the PracBee team immediately arranged classes for me so I could clarify in time. That has helped a lot to overcome the challenges during the preparation. Whenever I requested for a class, there was always a class scheduled soon and all my doubts were cleared very well by the teachers. I understood the concept really well also.
Though I found the teaching notes and practice questions very helpful, the most helpful for me were the mock test and subject wise tests. They helped me assess my preparation and even mastery of a subject really well.
Besides, the lecture PDFs shared by the teachers on the portal were also helpful for me. The practice questions in the lecture PDF and the homework given helped me really apply the concepts learned in the class. These questions seemed very structured and helped cover the entire diverse range of questions in optimal time. Yet the most I enjoyed were all the tests, including the mock tests and revision tests.
In the beginning of the year, I was distracted. So, it took some time but soon I started taking my time in control. I requested PracBee Operations team to schedule the classes soon after I returned home from school. This way I could focus after that on self-study and revision. It also gave me sufficient time to complete my school work. After that I would do my revision and if I came across any doubts, I would mark it to ask my 1:1 tutor of PracBee in the next class.
I prepared according to the 9th grade syllabus then in the last few last two months I realized I needed to know a lot of extra things for NSO. In that limited time period, PracBee tutors taught me the extra Concepts really well, so that was very good for me.
I try to dedicate at least three hours for self-study on week days and 3 to 4 hours on weekends. Since we have school work also, so I try to complete the school work in the beginning so that I get time for the self-study. Other than that, I also love dancing. I learn Bharatnatyam, so I try to have at least two classes of Bharatnatyam every week. Other than that, I also like reading or listening to music.
So, whenever I have my free time and I'm not browsing, I read and try to relax.
So, initially as I told in Physics and Chemistry, I was facing difficulty with the module questions but soon after a lot of practice when I first started getting the answers right, it motivated me to solve more questions. Once I got that push, I started focusing more and then practice more. It led to me qualifying for the second level of the NSO.
Mostly staying self-motivated. Being self-motivated is very important if you want to score well in exam. Other than that practice regularly. Initially, I was not practicing so like I could have scored higher if I started from earlier on but when I started practicing, I could see the changes. In the class and even in mock tests, I started scoring better as I practiced more.
My mentor at PracBee helped me understand and handle such situations better. Also, my parents motivate me a lot, to study and score well. Also scoring good marks helps me stay motivated.
I practiced physics but still the paper was very difficult. Most of my mistakes were in Physics itself. So, for the level 2 exam I am going to focus more on Physics, especially solving questions. I am going to take help of my 1:1 tutor at PracBee to ensure that is well covered.
Biology and Chemistry in the exam were easy.
A few months before the exam, I was worried as it came closer. I was worried how I would perform. However, as I took more classes ad cleared more doubts with the teachers at PracBee, I was more confident. Then as I sat for the exam, I saw that the paper was relatively easy. I could solve it pretty nicely and I completed before time.
Mostly the sense of achievement for qualifying the second level. Also preparing for NSO meant my school level syllabus was getting completed automatically. I did really well in school exam as well. Basically, both have the same syllabus. I think it will really help me in my final exam in school as well. Now I have to focus on NSO level 2 exam preparation.
Firstly, I learnt time management. We also had master classes for Olympiads and toughest problems in PracBee. These were done in groups so there was this competitiveness to solve and get the answer first. That improved my time management and also helped improve my accuracy.
Earlier I used to make more silly mistakes or errors, which I don’t do easily now
Yes, now I realize that Science is a very vast subject. It's very wide and there's still a lot of scope for improvement. I want to learn more now and want to score even better in my level 2 exam. I like to aim high. If you aim high, you have to fight for it right. So, we need aim very high in life every time and every stage.
I aspire to do Engineering after my school. I want to take the JEE exam, score well in it and go to an IIT. NSO is higher level exams in class 9 just as JEE would be in classes 11 & 12. So, this experience of preparation and taking the exam is preparing me for similar challenges ahead. Also, it has helped me realize my strengths and weaknesses in subjects as well as skills like Time management and disciplined practice. SO that will be better for me when I have to handle the JEE syllabus.
Try to keep the distractions under control and manage your time well through proper planning. Whenever I come home and I don’t have PracBee classes immediately, I tended to waste the hours in between, like browsing or like reading something. So correct time management is very important I feel and practice is very critical.
The teacher ended the conversation wishing Trina all the best for the second level exam and sharing how proud we all at PracBee Educations feel about her result. She has been with PracBee for years now and we are very happy to see her continual success and progress.
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