Boards And CLAT Preparation: How To Ace Both?

Let's discuss certain strategies that might help streamline the preparation with the least amount of stress:

1. Start Early: It is always advisable to provide oneself with enough time to get acquainted with the subject matter and then begin the learning process. Furthermore, the benefits of starting early also include more time for revision and practice over the learned content. However, don't fear if you start later than your peers, just start regardless and be ready to put in the hours religiously.
2. Find Congruity: One must be well-acquainted with the syllabus of both the Boards and the Entrance Exam as this may provide an insight into the similarity between them. The similar topics shall not be redundantly read and can be completed in one-go by filtering and considering the level of knowledge required in both the exams. For CLAT, Vocabulary, Polity and Mathematics could be such topics which might also aid in the Board Exams syllabus.
3. Source the right material: A lot of study material is available online, most of which might not be upto the mark when it comes to these important exams. Finding relevant books, classes, etc. is going to work in the student's favour in the long-run. Navigate and find the best source for your content as it is pertinent that one must rely on quality content for their preparation and not be drowned in a sea of sub-par material to study from, which only results in unnecessary panic.
4. Time Management: Having a proper schedule with enough time for revision, breaks and an all-inclusive approach towards the subjects might greatly improve the score as one is self-aware and brings a proportional balance between both the preparations. This could factually show one's progress and areas of improvement, which might provide a fresh perspective to guide the future course of their preparation. Further, keep in mind the active hours where most of the learning happens, like early morning, for fresh information and keep revision of old content restricted to the hours of lesser brain-activity, like before sleep. (This may vary for each individual and so they shall plan accordingly.)
5. Smart Study: By analyzing one's strengths and weaknesses to devise a strategic plan, one can devote time to both the Boards and CLAT. One must divide their study hours to not compromise on their preparations by having realistic targets for each day. They should prioritise their time-division in light of the immediate and long-term goals accordingly. E.g. One could keep 4-5 hours for Boards preparation and 1 hour for CLAT before and during the Boards, while consistently keeping half-an-hour aside each day for the newspaper. The approach will shift after the Boards as CLAT becomes the sole focus. The time-division shall be done based on one's strengths and weaknesses alongside more focus on the sections that could help one certainly score more in lesser time for preparation, which may vary individually. However, newspaper editorials should be included in daily studies as they improve both GK and vocabulary simultaneously.
6. Be Consistent: One must be disciplined and consistently learn new and related content, revise the old content as human brains do not have eidetic memory. We must constantly read information again to retain it better. Set aside time for revision each day and quiz yourself during such revision to realistically understand your knowledge of the topic. Consistently following a strategy with separate and devoted time to each Boards and CLAT preparation can prove beneficial in the long-run.
7. Practice: The student shall attempt the Previous Year Questions and Mock tests religiously and in test-like settings with a timer, especially increasing the quantum of such practice tests a month before the exam for better preparedness. Further, practice might improve the reading and information-processing speed required in the time-bound exams. This not only prepares the students for the atmosphere of the exam but also makes them more confident on the date of the actual exam.
8. Be positive: Having a positive attitude helps in the long-run as a mentally healthy individual is more productive. Empower yourself with knowledge and feel exhilarated about your goals. While stress is a natural consequence of preparing for two important exams, one must look at the bigger picture and rationally devote their time to learning, practising and proper rest to retain the majority of the content.