With the HSC exam set to start on February 26, students are fumbling with last minute preparation. Students are swamped with varied study material. "Don't cram lessons; you will not be able to reproduce the matter," counsels Anita Phillips a senior faculty at Mithibai College.

Teachers are also cautioning students against malpractices. "Students often resort to malpractices, when they haven't done enough revision. This is a time to refer to personal notes," said Shivani Mehta, a private tutor.

Many students are unable to judge the length of the answer to be written. "Students must remember that quality measures higher than quantity. Examiners read answer books thoroughly. Don't fool them with drawing spaced out margins and writing long illogical answers," informed Suman Narayan, professor at Mithibai.

Educators advise that students should take full advantage of the language papers. "For instance the section on poetry has questions on figures of speech, which are quite easy to read and memorise. Simple tips like attempting all questions, neatness in answering questions are only going to help," added Narayan.

Gauri Rane/ DNA-Daily News & Analysis Source: 3D Syndication