WHY DON’T I GET THROUGH THIS NET?

Tough question.

If the NET is a sieve and you a sugar lump trying to squeeze through it, the first condition to hit the warm water beneath is you must be tiny enough to go through the mesh. In other words, you must reorient and reinvent yourself to fit into the framework of the test. This is true in the case of any examination. Often what matters more is your adaptability to the system rather than the actual knowledge you possess. For example you are trying your luck in English. You get hold of a novel—say, The Guide by R.K.Narayan—and wallow in it. You live with Raju, dance with Rosie and fume with Marco. You procure long and pedantic critical writings and painstakingly digest them. You even go to the extent of carefully watching the film adaptation and sit up late reflecting on the fiction-film interface. Then while scanning the question paper find yourself thoroughly floored: THE YEAR IN WHICH THE GUIDE WAS PUBLISHED? In your scholastic zeal, that is something you did not care to check out. So, dear friends, before plunging into the test, stop and look around to get a feel of questions. After grasping the general tone and tenor, start preparation.

Make sure the bits and pieces of information you have are authentic and accurate. In every discipline there are terms that resemble others, but without any connection in between. Antony and Cleopatra is a Shakespearean tragedy while Caesar and Cleopatra belongs to George Bernard Shaw.

Be comprehensive. You can kick off the game from any corner but try to ensure nothing has been left unturned. After locating the year J.M. Keyne wrote Indian Currency and Finance, dig for more: his politics, work, theories and most importantly the extent of his success in predicting the future of our financial odyssey.

About language. Be readable and legible. That does not mean you generate painfully short and uniform sentences by stringing together a handful of words every time. On the contrary use jargon and register whenever necessary. For instance, how many words does it take to paraphrase the pithy expression “Tatas lacked first-mover advantage in mobile phone industry”? Or would not it be better so describe /z/ as a ‘voiced’ sound than to say “when we pronounce /z/ our vocal chords vibrate”? In short apt vocabulary is a must. Remember you are not talking to toddlers but seasoned teachers who know what is what and who is who.

Does luck play a part? Perhaps. But you can’t wait for Lady Luck to amble along and pick you up!!