Amarete's

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16/f/India
Okay so I am in senior year. Here 12th grade is VERY important..My admissions into a good college will be only on the basis of the marks I score in my "board examination" which is held at the end of the year. The papers are not checked by my teachers but by some other teachers who don't know me and are teaching in some other school. This is done to make the examination fair. The cutoffs for any college where i live (new delhi) are CRAZZY. I mean nothing below a 475/500 is acceptable.
I have Physics, Chemistry, Computer science, English and Maths as my subjects.
Im telling you all of this just so that you know there is a lot of pressure to perform well.. and I have to in order to get a good college.
Ive just been real distracted for a while. I don't know how to concentrate on my studies. I dont feel like sitting with my books. It is freaking me out because every day matters to me. Please help!!!!!

Try setting up little rewards for yourself...like, say," I will earn myself a piece of candy if I study for 30 minutes." It might help motivate you in a way that doesn't make you panic. Yes, the examination is important, but if you think too long on that you can scare yourself to the point of distraction. So, set up little rewards for yourself that don't remind you of that.

Be sure to study somewhere away from distractions like the Internet or chatty friends, if you can. If you are having trouble focusing in the first place, external distractions wont help.

Also, try some new ways of study that aren't just plain memorization from books. Use flash cards, or make up a game that helps you remember the important information you need to know. If the books aren't working for you, maybe some other method of study will work for you.

Try not to think so much about the importance of the exam. You seem to be a pretty good student from what you say, but you lack confidence in yourself. Tell yourself that you can do this. You are going to go in there and do fantastic on your exams, and let's see other people even try to get in your way. You will do this. It just requires some effort on your part as you study. But don't lose that confidence in yourself because that is almost as important as studying.

And remember, what happens will happen. I used to be really obsessive about getting perfect scores on all my assignments, and the stress almost broke me. Now I'm a bit more relaxed. I still aim for the top and put all my effort into my work, but I accept that I will not always be the best. Maybe you will get a 474/500 or something like that, but it wont be the end of your life. You are a good student; you have excellent skills in English, Math, and all the subjects you have studied. Even if you don't get into the top college, no one can take these skills from you. There are plenty of paths you can take in life and missing the cutoff on the exam with not close all of them to you. You are intelligent, skilled, and you have a future regardless of what happens on this test. Remember that, but study hard anyway. ;) I believe in you.

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