Exam Tips From Labeeba Bakhtawar

Hi, I am Labeeba Bakhtawar. My course is BA (Hons) Economics and I am in my first year. At GAEE JMI, I am a part of the Marketing team. I am mainly a graphic designer and have a keen interest in learning to work with various designing software. My interest in economics began in 11th grade when I had the subject combination of physics, Chemistry, Mathematics (PCM), and economics. However, soon after, PCM was pushed to the sidelines, and economics had all of my attention. I aspire to work in the field of Economic Advising or Islamic Banking i.e. banking system in accordance with the Shariat in the future. In my free time, I like to watch web series/movies and listen to music.

Why Jamia Millia Islamia?

In my opinion, Jamia Millia Islamia is one of the most prestigious institutes in the country. It is a central university with a global reputation that was recently accredited A++ by NAAC. There are numerous departments to choose from for undergraduate, postgraduate, diploma, and research courses. It is packed with an eminent faculty and the infrastructure is great. One amazing factor is that unlike other universities in the country, it is not divided into colleges. Thus, once admitted to the university, you are a Jamian and will remain one for the rest of your life!

What I love about my course: 

As previously stated, my primary interest is economics, and I am thrilled to be studying the subject I had hoped to study. My degree provides me with knowledge in microeconomics, macroeconomics, statistics, econometrics, and other diverse areas of economics. It covers the majority of the undergraduate-level content of the subject and prepares me for upcoming postgraduate-level entrance exams.

My entrance exam preparation experience: 

My entrance exam preparation included working on several sample papers and previous year’s papers from not only Jamia Millia Islamia but also from a variety of other institutes, because what’s the harm in practising more? Instead of studying in bits and pieces all day, I committed to rigorous practice for a set amount of time. This rigorous practice did not that I had to abandon all of my extracurricular activities. In fact, studying and doing things outside of it went hand in hand for me, and it worked out perfectly.

Timing myself well and staying organized most of the time (okay, yes— everyone has cheat days) helped a lot. I also found the practice process enjoyable because certain aptitude testing questions were challenging. I felt like I was solving a puzzle most of the time. 

Tips to ace your admission test: 

1. Keep practising sample papers, as many as you can get your hands on.
2. Set a three-hour timer and be strict to complete whatever you know very well in that amount of time when you practice.  If you are lenient with yourself, have a family member take your paper at the end of three hours.
3. During the exam, concentrate on answering correctly rather than attempting all of the questions and getting them wrong. This will lead to a loss of marks due to negative marking. So, getting a zero is preferable to losing marks for incorrect answers.
4. Be attentive and mark your answers properly on the Optical mark recognition (OMR) sheet. Double-check the question numbers and answers you are marking.
5. Do not stress yourself at all. Stress leads to making blunders in your performance, personally speaking. A few people work better under pressure, most do not. Then again, stress isn’t the best thing for your mental well-being.
6. Cut yourself some slack on weekends and treat yourself to being productive all week. Cheat days are not a bad thing. You also do not have to miss out on your social life just because of an exam you need to prepare for.
7. Be confident and completely honest with yourself. 

What I wish I knew about the preparatory process:

One thing I wish I had known about the preparation process is the importance of the General Knowledge questions. That section was a little challenging for someone like me who isn’t always up to date on current events. I strongly advise that aspirants brush up on their general knowledge.

What to expect on exam day:

The exam day may be chaotic but in a good way. The first thing you should do before leaving your house is double-checked that you have all of the mentioned and required materials for the exam i,e, your admit card, photo ID, and stationery. If at all possible, memorize your roll number. Otherwise, you will have to keep on checking your admit card throughout the exam. 

Checking out your exam centre beforehand and paying a visit before the big day can also be beneficial. Try your hardest to arrive on time. When you arrive at the centre, you must show your admit card at the gate, and the officials present will explain where you will be going in detail.

Do not even consider using unethical methods, and when you arrive at your assigned classroom, turn off your phone and hand it over to the invigilator. The answer sheet is then given to you, and you must correctly fill out all of your information on the OMR sheet. When the bell rings, the question paper is finally distributed.

Then you must sit for three hours and give it your absolute bestl. After three hours, you submit your answer sheet and keep the question paper and a carbon copy of the OMR sheet with you. That’s all there is to it. You will be guided well at the centre.

Here’s what I have to say to the future aspirants: 

Make the best of your preparation time and do your best. You will get an amazing result and qualify with flying colours for sure!