Learn how to prepare for KVPY SB, KVPY SX & KVPY SA 2018

KVPY or Kishore Vaigyanik Protsahan Yojana is one of the most well-known exams for students who aim to pursue Basic Science courses mostly for research purposes. Appearing and preparing for the exam is a great sense of accomplishment in itself than just cracking it. However, if you are reading this then you do want to crack it and need some guidelines to follow. So carry on and read the complete article and I’m sure it will help you.

Give Time

This is not just any exam that you give for fun or practice but it is the real deal
As such you should dedicate as much time as you can for its preparation
As early as possible decide to dedicate a lot of time for it
One good thing is that the syllabus is similar to many other exams like JEE Main and more. So you can actually prepare for both the exams hand in hand.

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Understanding The Basic Of KVPY 2018

You need to understand two things- 1^st Your paper and 2^nd
You need to understand what the syllabus is, how the paper pattern is and how deep you will need to think about the question on a general basis and in the worst-case scenario
In the Stream SA all the questions are compulsory (Science and Mathematics)
In the Streams SB and SX, there will be 4 sections in Part I (Physics, Chemistry, Biology, and Mathematics) and 4 sections in Part II (Physics, Chemistry, Biology, and Mathematics)
Candidates are allowed to answer any 3 of the four subjects in Part I and any 2 of the four subjects in Part II
The exam is available in English and Hindi
There is no prescribed syllabus as the students are tested on their analytical ability and understanding of the subjects of Science and Maths
As such you must be prepared to apply the concepts from more than 1 or 2 topics to solve a given question
After understanding the paper, you must try and understand yourself
See where you are and how far you still need to go
See what you already know, what you can learn without the hassle and what will be a real challenge for you to learn
When there are at the most a couple of weeks left then don’t waste your time in learning new things rather revise, revise and revise
Understand how much time do you need to give to each topic, how much practice you would be needing

Form And Stick To A Plan Of Action

After analyzing prepare a plan of action for your studies
This Plan of Action will help you to systematically arrange your resources like time and strain of learning to get the most out for your efforts
This Plan of Action must include how much time will you give for each topic, when will you give this time, when will you solve mock tests and so on
Whatever happens stick to the Plan of Action
I know how much some extra sleep or playing with your friends and spending time on your mobile or PC attracts us, but if you have chalked out a time slot for learning, then only study, no distractions.

Understand When The Plan Of Action Is Flexible

The Plan of Action must be rigid, but you must remember that occasionally you might have to change it a little
Every time you solve mock-tests or when you start studying a topic, you might realize that the time you decided on a topic is large or small then it should be
It can be because the topic which felt difficult at first is actually easy or vice versa
At such times you must re-plan your Plan of Action with the necessary changes
Once every fortnight you must check your status and check if you need to make any changes
Whenever your mind gets overloaded with studies you can spare some time to use your smartphone or read a few pages of your favorite book or something else
But do remember that 5 mins break between 1-1.5 hrs of study is fine but anything larger can be harmful

Practice Is Important

The amount of practice you give for KVPY will be the key factor in deciding whether you will succeed or not
Even if you learn a hundred books it will be of no use if you don’t know how to use the knowledge from those hundred books
Practicing will help you understand a few tricks of how to solve various problems
Also, it will help you increase your speed and efficiency in solving problems which will help you a lot in your exam
You should study mostly from NCERT books as they will give you the exact kind of practical usage of topics you need for such exams
You must solve mock tests available on KVPY website and many other websites which will aid you in checking your current status and put to use the knowledge and practice your skills
Solving the previous year question papers will help you understand what kind of questions are asked in the paper
You must practice as much as you can with the previous year question papers and mock tests

Few Days Before The Exam

Few days before the exam you shouldn’t be learning new things but rather revising all that you have learned so far
You should be practicing papers so as to maintain your pace in solving the real paper
You should be on the top of your condition both mentally and physically
You wouldn’t want stress (both mental and physical) to spoil your efforts
You should eat well and sleep well in order to use your knowledge to the fullest and give your best

The Paper

This is what you have been preparing for
You should try and maintain your cool during the whole paper
Solve one question at a time
Check if the question belongs in one of the following categories
The question is easy and you can solve it with negligible calculations and brain power
The question is easy but will require some calculations and/or brain power
The question is lengthy and will require some time to solve
I don’t have the slightest idea how to solve it
If the question is of type A or B answer it quickly
If it is of type C, leave it for now and come back to it when you finish all type A and B questions
If it is of type D, then don’t try and just guess the answer as there is only 25% chance of it being right and there is negative marking. You wouldn’t want your earned marks to be deducted
If you finish type C questions as well and have finished re-checking your answers, then try and see if you can solve type D questions
Whatever happens, don’t try and cheat in the paper

Final Advice

If you can and if you feel comfortable then opt for group studies with your friends
But if you get easily distracted, then you are better off alone
Make use of the internet for good purposes. The internet is not just on Facebook and YouTube
All lot of useful free and paid material is available online for your preparations
Make use of it and you will have an upper hand in the exam