For improving focus in Studies and Achieving Success in Exams, use a powerful process called the SEGMENT INTENDING PROCESS.

Segment Intending

In today’s fast life we take on many roles in one day. If you are a student, you have to study, you are in some clubs, you play some sports, you go out with friends, you spend time at home with parents and maybe you have your boyfriend or girlfriend. If you are a working professional, you have your work day, in which you have to do lot of multi-tasking, get lot of things done; you have your family, recreation, etc.

So basically no matter who we are, we are constantly going in and out of different segments. So this process of segment intending becomes very important to achieve harmony and good results in each of our segments.

First let’s understand, what are intentions. Intentions are the underlying thoughts and desires behind our actions. For example: a doctor cuts a patient’s body and a thief may also cut someone’s body, but the intentions behind them are completely different. So now let’s see the segment intending process.

Before starting any segment, become aware what are your underlying intentions behind the actions you are going to do in that segment. Set forth clear thoughts consciously regarding two things

1.  How you would like that segment to transpire and

2. What outcomes would you like to have out of that segment

Give your 100 % care and attention and positive vibrations to the segment you are entering. Ideally do this as a meditation after reaching alpha level of consciousness.  Then start the actions of that segment. When you start a segment this way, you will increase the efficiency of the segment and bring much speed and clarity to the creation process going into the segment. Also the creation will be in tune with what you want as per the law of attraction and allowing.

So now lets apply the segment intending process to the segment of studies. What is the main challenge?

The challenge is mainly that of focus, isn’t it? The mind goes here and there, especially when you sit to study.  The secret lies to be completely in the study SEGMENT. For example, when you enter into segment of studies, if you are thinking of going for a movie later, then you are not 100 % in the segment that you are in. Later you go for the segment of the movie but while watching the movie you remember that you have not finished your studies and you start worrying. Now you are not completely in the Segment of watching the movie either. What’s the result? You are divided. YOUR FOCUS is not there. You don’t do well in your studies, nor do you enjoy the movie completely. So be completely in whichever Segment you are in and make your intentions clear before going into the segment.

To be 100 % in the study segment make your study segments short, sweet and focused (SSF). Often what happens, we decide that we will sit for many hours to study and the result is that we are not too focused. Instead make the intention of sitting for shorter periods of time and make it short, sweet and focused (SSF). You will find that you accomplish much more. And of course take interest and make it fun. When you do that, you are bound to accomplish much more, understand much more, and remember much more, and automatically do well in exams as well.

You can and should use visualisation and meditation to enhance your study segments. Also you use some affirmations after the meditation. For e.g.,

• I am becoming better at studies
• I am enjoying learning new things
• I am enjoying the challenge of this subject
• I am remembering more and more everyday as I meditate everyday
• I am becoming more and more relaxed and focused
• I am able to study much faster having reached Alpha level of consciousness and getting much more time to play and recreation.

Doing well in Exams and handling exam anxiety

When you go for your exams, remember to carry lot of Positive Energy with you. As per the famous Law of Attraction, you will attract results to you, based on your thoughts and feelings. So when you go for exams, and are over anxious, worried, then you are going to attract the negative results. Little worry is good to keep you alert, but too much will spoil your recipe of success. Instead be positive, vibrant, and remember the Sutra

Do your Best and Leave the Rest

All you can do is give your best. After that leave the results to the divine with complete faith and trust that whatever happens will be good. Do the related meditation from my Empower CD which i have developed for students, before going for any exam. Some Affirmations that you can use, once you have reached alpha level of mind before your exams.

• I am doing well in Exams
• My mind is becoming very sharp and is all ready for the exam as I am in focused and relaxed state of mind
• I am giving my very best in the Test
• I  am attracting  —- % in this Test

You can make your own similar affirmations and repeat them several times in your mind especially when you have reached Alpha level (Alpha level of mind is the relaxed state of mind , the though vibrations are around 10 Hz at the Alpha Level)

There are always questions going on in your mind about how you should prepare for NTSE. You are always looking for recommended books, study material and practice tests.

Although there is no set syllabus for NTSE, the questions are based on the level of Class 7th and 8th. A student in class 8th, appearing for NTSE, must brush up his knowledge on Science, Social Science and Mathematics. It has been found that the questions asked in NTSE are more or less based on NCERT books. There are a few websites like www.TCYonline.com that provide study material for NTSE preparation. Free Mock NTSE and Topic Wise Tests are available on the website. A student can also check his national ranking from TCY Analytics.

A student should not worry at all about the syllabus. Questions asked are more or less the same as in class 8 boards. A student from any board can easily answer all the questions. Websites like www.TCYonline.com offer free practice questions to give you a feel of the questions.

The question pattern is similar for both State Level and National Level exams. The exam is  in two sections:
Section A: Mental Ability Test (MAT)
Section B: Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT)

Questions in MAT section are selected from Directional, Letter Repeating Series, Analogies, Blood Relations, Classification, Coding, Decoding, Logical Diagrams etc. This section checks the students’ ability to judge, visualize, think, evaluate and differentiate. This section consists of 100 multiple choice questions (MCQs) of one mark each. Each MCQ is provided with four alternatives and you have to choose the correct one. There is no negative marking.

Questions in SAT section are based on Science, Mathematics and Social Science. This section tests your Text-Book knowledge. There are 35 MCQs from Science, 35 from Social Science, 20 from Mathematics and 10 from mixed subjects. There is no negative marking.

The State Level exam. is for screening purpose only, and these marks are not carried forward to National Level.  To qualify for the National Level Exam, you have to be in the top ranks of state-quota allotted by NCERT. The state-quota is based on AIES (All India Educational Survey) data.

Students who qualify for National Level Exam are called for selection test and interview. The interview carries 25 marks, and is of 15-20 minute duration.

Take the case of the Smiths. They did come across few ‘math commercials’ during their daily commute on their favorite FMs, but found nothing worth their ‘investment’ on their kids. Neither did this Guilford couple find local paper ads that appealing.

As parents of their tenth grader, John, neither the Smiths had the time or resources to drive him to a tutor’s place. But then their son’s falling grades had become apparent. They were in dire-straits, till one fine morning a colorful flier at their door came as a pleasant surprise to them.

Much to their relief, they learned about an education company, TCYonline.com, which is currently providing one-on-one live Math tutoring over the internet. Instantly, dad Smith had to call up John asking him change his vacation plans and return home.

John has always found Algebra difficult. But this online tutoring site has made a world of difference in his study plan. Thanks to scores of free worksheets and summer programs like ‘Speed Math’ available on the website, www.tcyonline.com, he is on cloud nine these days. In fact, he is recommending his class-mates too to enroll and get benefited by various sessions by TCYonline.com.

It is worth noting that TCYonline.com, through its math program called ‘STEPS’, is offering Math tutoring and test preparation at all levels and closely follows the Carolina state-aligned curriculum. ‘STEPS’ is designed to meet the students’ needs at their individual level. The live tutoring service uses the (state-of-the-art) virtual Whiteboard technology, with audio-text capability.

There is no complicated software to download to your computer and no extra equipment to purchase. The service is offered daily, throughout the year. This means that there is a minimal impact on other outside activities like music, dance lessons and sports.

TCYonline.com’s North Carolina affiliate, Jeff Baker is of the opinion that this company’s ability to provide in-home educational support services indicates a ‘growing trend’ among national /international on-line business.

“Research has indicated that there is a continued challenge for students in math and sciences which has led to a decline in college majors, research, and the profession as a whole,” he said expressing the hope that his association with TCYonline.com would help address the national educational challenge.

Recent statistics provided by NC Public Instruction, Union County student services and testing (The Charlotte Observer-unionneighbors.com), indicate that only 23% of Charlotte-Mecklenburgh schools have met the AYP requirements which include Math, Reading, and Science.

Union county schools met 51% of the AYP requirements, whose goal is 100% AYP in 2013-2014. Union county ranks among the first among the state’s largest school systems. Based on a preliminary report on 2008 results, union county public schools came in ahead of Wake county (24%), Charlotte-Mecklenburg(23%, Guilford (40%), Cumberland (34%), Forsyth (24%), Gaston (25%), Durham (17%) and Johnson (50%).

“In order for our students to be globally competitive, we must look for additional alternative instructional resources that will provide mathematical and scientific skills,” stressed this educator, a one-time teacher and later a Principal himself.

TCYonline.com has successfully tutored over 2000 students in the past three years. The best part is that there is a plan that fits every household budget. The company offers hourly, weekly and monthly rates. A monthly unlimited tutoring package costs only $149. Moreover, homework help for those really tough math problems is just a click away.

Parents can enroll their kids for any of ‘STEPS’ programs like SAT, ACT, GRE, GMAT, including State level exams either by visiting the website or calling up toll free 888-757- 8377 or (888) 75 STEPS for more information.

Launching a bunch of school programs for the students, the CEO, Kamal Wadhera said that ‘Speed Math’ coupled with ‘Basic Math’ could do wonders to the students this summer. Touting as the ‘mantra of the East’, Wadhera opined, “Our students should make the most of their summer vacations by beefing up their basic math skills and ‘speed math’ would go a long way towards that end.

“I strongly urge the students to take up a program or two to master the math with the help of our caring and passionate tutors. There can’t be any better way to give yourself a competitive edge this summer. These brainstorming exercises will really put you in a fast lane,” the CEO added.

As a gesture of goodwill, TCYonline.com provides the students complete time flexibility on the chosen program’s completion.

The summer program details:

Speed Math is an excellent opportunity for the students who believe in speed and performance at the same time. With an objective of making Math a passion rather than a compulsion, this course would include very interesting tips and tricks to solve Mathematical problems in a jiffy. The program provides one line, mental and super-fast methods, along with quick cross-checking systems. TCYonline.com offers a new and entirely different approach to Math which the student might not have experienced before.

Enrichment tutoring helps students brush up their math skills and stay ahead. This tutoring company unleashes the child’s potential, way beyond his imagination. Individualized tutoring plan facilitates the child to learn at his/her own pace. One-on-one tutoring sessions ensure 100% tutor attention and are followed up with regular progress tests, which reinforce love for Math in the child. The program is specially designed to prepare ambitious students to meet new academic challenges.

Math Edge program scientifically evaluates the child’s strengths and grey areas through a Pre-Assessment test (PAT). Once the weak areas identified, the subject-experts start working on strengthening these areas and help the child build up a strong Math foundation. The students can also register on the website (www.tcyonline.com) for specific topics for which they need an additional help.

The SAT program The Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) is the most important test for admissions for sought-after programs in various colleges and universities. Driven by the needs of the students and guided by an exhaustive research, TCYonline.com’s experienced course planners have designed a highly useful program to cover all Math topics expected in SAT. It would indeed be very helpful for students to have a sound knowledge and conceptual clarity to deal with tricky problems and crack the test.

Algebra I and Algebra II programs are designed, keeping the needs of high school students into consideration. The programs aim to help the child achieve higher grades. The company’s experienced and qualified team of tutors focuses on explaining the concepts with practical real world examples. This facilitates easy learning and retention. This not only builds a strong foundation in the subject but also encourages the child to become more inquisitive and enhances his / her power of logic.

The students can visit www.tcyonline.com for further details, including the pricing for various programs. For the uninitiated, it is worth noting that TCYonline.com, through its program ‘STEPS’, has been engaged in one-on-one online Live Math tutoring of K-12 students in North America for over three years now. Backed by over 250,000 hours of tutoring experience with school-kids, the company is shortly venturing into live one-on-one preparation for GRE test and other entry-level examinations.

This North India’s premier chain of test preparation has always been the first to provide such ‘threadbare’ analysis for the students across the nation. This year an estimated 2.3 lakh students will be vying for 1500 IIM seats in the country. The students can checkout CAT solutions on the website at 2.30 p.m. on November 18, 2007.

“This solo exercise would be in maintaining our rich symbiotic relationship with CAT for the last five years in providing a deep analysis of the test”, commented Rakesh Kumar, IT Manager.

Benefits to the IIM aspirants are immense, with CAT analysts providing:
* answer keys or solutions for all the questions
* comparative CAT 07 analysis with previous years question papers
* an overview of the difficulty level
* estimation on the expected cut-offs for IIMs & other premier B-Schools
* topic wise graphical analysis of all the sections

“Every year thousands of aspirants take our online help to assess their performance in the CAT exam. The students can come on live chat or e-mail their queries to our experts to seek admission guidance for various B-schools in the country”, added Mr. Rakesh.

The website www.tcyonline.com is the fastest growing education portal. The company distributes FREE online practice test for MBA and other standardized tests.

The web portal has essentially been the reference site on test preparation, admission notifications, practice tests, B-School updates, etc. Its focus lies in preparing the students interested for a career in MBA, MCA, GRE, GMAT and SAT.

Despite numerous changes in the US university application process, some truths remain the same — namely, you need to ace your SATs if you plan to attend a top-notch university.
The SAT, or Scholastic Aptitude Test, is designed to gauge aspiring US undergraduates. It measures the ability of candidates to solve problems and use reasoning skills at the level necessary for US universities.

Most colleges and universities use the SAT as one indicator of a student’s readiness to do university-level work. Other criteria include class rank, marks (Grade Point Average), extracurricular activities, personal essays and recommendations.

Starting in 1993, the SAT split into the SAT I: Reasoning Test and the SAT II: Subject Tests. In general, universities only require SAT I, but the most exclusive schools often require two or more SAT II Subject Tests.

SAT is held seven times in a year in the USA, Puerto Rico, and US Territories, and six times a year at over 650 other overseas locations.

SAT I

SAT I is a three-hour test that measures verbal and mathematical reasoning skills students have developed over time, and skills they need to be successful at university.

Good SAT scores can help you gain admission to selective schools and earn merit-based financial assistance.

The SAT I contains Verbal, Math and Writing components, each worth one-third of the final score. There are three Verbal sections, three Math sections and two Writing sections.

In addition, there is a 20 minute ‘dummy’ section, formally called the Variable or Equation Section. This section does not count towards your individual score; it is used to try out new questions for the future editions of SAT. You won’t know which section is the ‘dummy’, so try your hardest throughout.

The first and last sections are always Writing, the first being a 25-minute Writing Essay and the last a 10-minute Multiple Choice writing section. Out of the remaining seven sections, four are 25 minutes long each, and the other three (including the dummy) are 20 minutes long each.

A systematic chart of the question types and and number in each section are listed below:

SAT II

SAT II: Subject Tests are an hour long, and comprise mostly multiple-choice questions. They measure how much students know about a particular academic subject and how well they can apply that knowledge.

Subject Tests fall into five general subject areas: English, History and Social Studies, Mathematics, Science and Foreign Languages.

The following chart demonstrates the available options:

In Part II of this feature, we’ll look at testing dates, test fees and how to apply.

Though the TOEFL is primarily structured for students seeking admission in USA and Canada, the TOEFL is also the most widely accepted score for measuring proficiency in English worldwide. Over 5000 colleges and accredited educational institutions across 90 countries, including: UK, other European countries, Australia, New Zealand, Japan, Korea, Hong Kong and Singapore accept TOEFL scores.

TOEFL is administered by Educational Testing Service (ETS), the testing organisation that also conducts GRE, SAT and other standardised tests.

The new Internet Based TOEFL Test (TOEFL iBT) has been designed to better prepare the students for academic study in an English speaking environment. TOEFL iBT measures both the receptive (reading and listening) and expressive (speaking and writing) skills of university aspirants. The TOEFL score is equally divided between receptive skills and expressive skills, and therefore, a student must do well in all sections.

Test Overview

* TOEFL iBT measures receptive and expressive skills equally. The student is tested for all the four English language communication skills: Reading, Listening, Speaking and Writing.
* The exam has no grammar or sentence structure section. The student’s knowledge of English grammar is tested through actual usage in speaking and writing sections.
* TOEFL iBT replaces the structure section with a speaking section in which students wear headphones and speak into a microphone. The digital recording is transmitted to ETS Online Scoring Network where human scorers rate the speaking.
* The exam also allows note-taking. The students can now take notes while they listen and/or read and they can jot down points before they start to speak or write. Students can use these notes while giving their responses, but they will not be allowed to carry them outside the examination center.
* The Writing section has been expanded to include one integrated writing task in addition to the independent writing task.
* The Reading section usually consists of 3 passages (sometimes 5), each of around 700 words. This section includes categorisation of information and/or filling in a chart or completion of a summary.
* Lectures and conversations in the listening section are a little longer than earlier, but speech is more natural. Although the focus of the listening tasks remains American, there is likely to be at least one lecture in British /Australian accent. There may be questions that measure understanding of a speaker’s attitude, degree of certainty and purpose.
* There will be fixed dates for TOEFL iBT and the students have to make their choice out of the same. Depending upon the number of test takers and the capacity, a test center will normally have 30 to 40 test dates in a year.
* TOEFL iBT scores are reported online. Students can view their scores within 15 working days of the test and will also receive their score-sheet by mail.
* TOEFL iBT is not computer adaptive as was the case with TOEFL CBT (computer based test). Here all the test takers receive the same set of questions. There is also no computer tutorial.

How to register

~ The fee for the exam is $150 (about Rs 6,500).

~ There are three ways by which one can register for the exam: online, by phone and by mail.

~ For the fastest and most convenient service, register online. One can get the online form by visiting the learners and test takers section of the TOEFL web site. A valid credit card is required (American Express, Discover, JCB, MasterCard, or Visa card), or an electronic check (e-check) if one has a bank account in the United States or its territories.

~ To register by phone, call the Regional Registration Centre. Same payment options as online registration.

~ To register by mail, obtain a form through the TOEFL bulletin. Fill in all information on the Registration Form and mail it to the Regional Registration Centre. Mailing instructions are on the form. Registration forms must be received by ETS or your Regional Registration Center at least four weeks before your requested first-choice test date.

~ The Regional Registration Centre address is as follows:

Thomas Testing Private Limited
2nd Floor
DFL Infinity Tower-A, Sector 25, Phase II
DFL City Gurgaon, Haryana -122002
India
Tel: (011) 26511649
Fax: (011) 26529741
Tel: (011) 26511649
Fax: (011) 26529741