Management Information System Finance - computer and IT engineering

These subjects are to be mugged up repeatedly. And after doing that too, they don't score well enough. It is a general observation that these subjects show a particular repetitive structure of questions. After getting a brief idea of which these questions are, you can go for studying them from the standard books suggested by the university. I would suggest you not to go for the local author books.
Answers which are written in context with the local authors usually don't score marks. Besides that it was our general observation that this subject demands specific terminologies and names exactly in the same manner as they are given in the reference books. Also you can go for the Question paper solutions, model answer sets for these subjects at the last hour. You can directly mug up the answers from these solution books when the time is less. But, then you won't be able to score. It will surely help you to pass. That's what has been our experience.
Remember that if you refer to the frequently asked questions in the university prescribed reference books and make notes of them on the already solved printed solution sets, you will surely make your answer much enriched. That will help in scoring more.

Discrete Structures - Computer and IT engineering

     This is one subject which tests your understanding rather than your recalling capacity. So, whenever you study for discrete structures remember this fact. You have to understand the concepts and then that will clear the subject. It is more like mathematics. But, in this mathematics, it is not the formula that you have to memorize but the method or the process of a particular concept is to be remembered.

     Lets understand some of the individual topics. (1) Sets and propositions. We usually have a preliminary idea about this topic. If not, then you will have to go through it in the introduction of the chapters. After this is done, the real job of scoring marks comes into play. All further concepts (e.g. quantifiers, induction principle, normal forms, etc) under this topic which are likely to occur in the exam (which is done after a careful observation of the previous year exam question papers) are clearly understood. (2) Graphs, (3) Trees, etc. Here we can see that there are some topics such as graphs and trees, where only certain few concepts are very much important from exam point of view as well as the knowledge point of view too. These are the real scoring aces in the pack. For example, the Travelling salesman problem, Euler and hamiltonian circuit and path, prims and kruskals theorem, min - max theorem, etc. I would like to tell the computer and the IT engg students to get these concepts clearly understood, because they will cross your path somewhere again in the future. Most probably the Travelling salesman problem, Prim and Kruskal, Binary trees, Spanning trees, etc are applicable in many codable logics. The other topics can be, (4)Permutations and combinations - here you must know both the formulaes as well as the procedures of problem solving. (5) Relations and functions - important topics can be, warshal's algorithm, Pigeonhole principle, job scheduling algorithm - (important for Operating systems subject also), etc.

     The crux of dealing with this subject is only in understanding the importance of a concept from exam point of view after systematic analysis of previous question papers, then understanding it from a good book and then repeatedly revising the process of solving it. That's all. It's almost the way i said it for mathematics.

How to write even though you can’t

First and the foremost thing about doing this is that you can play this game only when you have created good influence on the examiner in the earlier questions. I would suggest completing the answers to the questions which you know perfectly. after completion of such questions you can go for the tampering part of rest of the answer paper. There can be two situations wherein you will have to use this technique in two different manners,
1st - calculation oriented problem solving question papers and
2 nd - purely theoretical question papers.
I will speak of the theoretical one's first,
you are almost sure that all that you knew perfectly in the question paper, you have written. Now, next job would be to go for those questions which you know about to a lesser extent. try answering them. Try to recall anything and everything about them from your mind. Make your own links and assumptions about the answers and judge something based on your meager (now that you haven't studied) knowledge of the subject and present it according to the other last moment saving techniques, such as in a haphazard manner on the answer sheet.
About the problem oriented subjects,
use the formulas, do some scribbling work, which even though scribbled should appear to make some sense. No one can guarantee how much effective it may prove. But, as i said this is going to be your last stand, and examiners are not machines, they are humans, and even though humans can show intolerance, they can be patient and emotional. Now, if you are still unsatisfied, try to make some theoretical statements about the step that is being taken in the problem statement. Let's say, instead of writing,
step 1 : surface area of cylinder = 2*3.14*rh
step 2 : surface area = 2*3.14*(5)*(7)
step 3 : surface area = ANS;

write,
according to the given conditions we have to find the surface area of a cylinder
we know that surface area of cone = 2*3.14*rh, ................ eqn (I)
where r is the radius and h is the height of the cylinder
now, we are given that
the radius of the cylinder is 5 whereas height of the cylinder is 7
so substituting the values in the above formula given in eqn (I), we get,
............
and so on.
this example is for a known formula. if, you cant choose anything, you will have to choose your ingenuity...

Bad handwriting and university papers

Bad handwriting 'may' prove a boon

Unfortunately, I have seen students with bad handwriting scoring well even when they haven’t studied much. Best way would be writing in a haphazard way. As if, you really don’t care who the hell you are writing for and who the heaven is going to read it. Whatever happens you should keep your writing discernible, It should be readable, but with 'effort'. So, the examiner must be able to read it but for that he must have to strain his eyes and cock his eyebrows to the fullest extent. Slowly wrinkles will  mark his forehead and he will ignore what you have written and just go through the answer as if he is getting it, give you average marks and page turn over. Lo! you have got marks for something you practically knew about almost nothing. But, remember that this is an extreme crisis situation live-saver technique. And I cannot assure you that this works. I just presented before you the logical rationality of the situation.

Besides this writing big and spacious should make you use more space on the answer sheet and thus should favour you in fetching marks from the already sleepy examiner.

We always enjoyed saying, ''Write more and make it heavy".

Importance of writing extra questions

Imagine that you are a university’s paper checker, getting (God knows) anywhere from 2 Rs to 20 Rs for checking a paper (as far as I have heard, they get very less money for a great deal of work) how would you check a paper? Especially, in a country like ours; I would say the examiner must be so tired of checking the papers of all sort of masterminds from all sort of handwritings to all sort of ideas. Imagine the situation. Now in such a situation if he/she accidentally missed to realize that this particular question is an extra for a previously checked question, what will happen? You would certainly get marks of something that you don’t own. In certain conditions they may prove as your life savers. May be you can even get your subject out of a possible back log. I too experienced this once, when I got couple of marks more than I had actually attempted. Now look, I haven’t been to the university and asking how did this happen? But, what if, it did work if you are lucky enough. Will you leave such a chance! Think yourself.

Importance of writing both the sections

Let us assume that you haven’t studied at all. Now you will be able to finish at the most 3 or 4 units. I would suggest that you do 2 units from the 1^st section and 1 or 2 units from the 2^nd section. Reason for this is,

We usually spent nights on discussing how the question papers must be checked by the university? The most common possibilities that came out were,

1. Section 1 and Section 2 must be checked by different teachers. Now, how does this has to be so? If it was not so, then they would have been collecting both our papers (Section I and Section II) at the same time. But, they make different bundles of both these sections. So, these papers must be going to two different teachers for checking.
2. Now let’s say you have written only one section, you studied only 3 units and you wrote the whole 1^st section very much perfectly. Even then the examiner may feel unsatisfied with some of your answers (which happens for sure, else toppers would have been scoring more than 90 marks in most subjects). So he ends up giving you 40 marks.
3. Now, if you haven’t studied anything from section 2, so you leave the section 2 paper blank. That examiner gives you 0 and you end up getting 40 in all for that subject.
4. Better why take that risk. Instead study the 3^rd unit from section 2. Now let’s see what happens in this case.
5. You write the questions for first 2 units in section 1 perfectly well. Let’s say you have attempted 34 marks questions. The examiner for section 1 gives you around 27 to 28 marks for good answer. Remember the upper limit for the examiner for the paper is 40 to 42 (approx) – which is for full attempt and well written answers. While giving you 27,28,29,30 he won’t feel that these are too much, out of bound.
6. Now, we come to the section 2 part, you have studied only 1 unit well, you write approx 16 to 18 marks questions on that unit. Now the examiner checking your paper sees that you have attempted only 16 or 18 marks question. (Remember that for passing in a subject you would need 40 combined from both the sections).  In such situation don’t you think the feeling of being merciful would rise in the examiner’s mind? So he must feel pity and give you 14 marks out of 16 or 18 for the same. Now with the first section fetching you 27 and the second section getting 14 your score sums up to 41. You can easily say, ’I haven’t passed with 40’.
7. This was an average scenario. Now just imagine that you are lucky enough that day. You can score anything between 42 to 45 for studying just 3 units. Calculate yourself what will happen if you are able to study 4 units, 2 from section 1 and other 2 from section 2 before going to exam.

I am pretty sure that this should work. Considering the emotional aspects of the examiner and assuming the process of giving marks as an exponential function with respect to attempts made (especially when university topper also never fetches 100 marks), I think I can mathematically prove it. :-)

Now all this happens when the examiners for both the sections are different or at the least the same person is checking them at different time. Else it does not matter and you are still safe.

Applied Science - Physics, Chemistry, Polymer theoretical, etc

About Applied Science

Applied science is particular difficult to pass after studying for just few days. It must be because it has got a lot many concepts to remember and lot many points to be mugged up. But, passing can be made easier by doing a general study of the question paper sets like jigar, easy solns etc. Sometimes you won’t find compatible enough questions in the answer sets (available in the local market) also. Then don’t panic. Before starting the study (for which we use the local authors) try to figure out which is the book from where we get the maximum number of questions. This is the book you will have to study through.

Remember, the techniques of 'mathematics' post can be applied to Physics section after studying the theory part of every formula, i.e., how it is derived and from where it comes. Try to decipher frequently asked problem based questions from the question banks for previous years. Same with chemistry to some extent.

I will keep adding and editing this post as and when possible, perhaps after consulting my friends about this subject. Keep looking for it, if you want help for Applied Science.

Engineering Graphics

I would like to talk much about graphics. I have seen many people who are afraid of graphics. I never was. :-)  So it would wise of me to share with you what exactly I did for graphics.

I would suggest please join a good class (yes, of course an intelligent suggestion). Graphics is one such subject which requires just the understanding of the concept and nothing else. All you ought to know is how this will look from right side, left side, front side, from bottom and from up. This is easy if you get a good tutor who can hone up your natural ability of viewing and imagining objects in 3 dimensions. Yes, imagination is the most important part. I would not deter to say that if you study graphics all by yourself it will take a good long time.

Either you must have a good teacher in college or you must have joined a good private class OR you are super talented personality. Once you get the basic concepts of how the views are created, by your mere imagination you can understand the situation and conquer any problem that is thrown at you. Besides this, beware while joining classes, because this is a subject where I have seen even private tutors who are unable to complete the syllabus. Some of them are authors of few books too.

Remember, graphics is a subject which is to be enjoyed like a game. When played well and practiced regularly after your lectures, it will always score best in the end. If you are good in remembering the contents of the syllabus (which is shortest as compared to any other engineering subject) in minute detail you will score high.

Key points-

1. You must have a good teacher for graphics. Except, as I said, for super talented personalities (about whom we shouldn’t be talking here)
2. You must get it understood clearly.
3. You must revise whatever that teacher taught everyday. And keep yourself updated. This will help in getting a good score.
4. Don’t feel ashamed in getting any problem cleared from the teachers right at that moment. Because in graphics if you miss even a single thing, you won’t understand anything further. For example, if you don’t know how to project a slant line on LHS view or RHS view, how the hell can you know to project a slant plane rectangle?
5. You have to remember only the right projections that are to be done with respect to particular situation remembering the particular position.
6. If the teacher is good, please don’t ever bunk the classes.
7. Use the geometrical instrument called as ‘drafter’ for drawing and don’t waste time in using scales, rulers, protracter compasses, etc. this instrument is awesome and don’t under-estimate it’s power, which is a common mistake (I did it, almost till the end). Learn to use it, fix it, align it.
8. There are variety of French curves available in market. Go for the flexible one’s. Don’t keep using that ‘chinddhi’ plastic paper French curve. The flexible French curves let you adjust the curve in a better manner.
9. And please keep practicing and enjoying the problems in graphics. It is not necessary that you have to practice with all the geometrical instruments at hand. You can just do it rough, using approximate measures on rough paper without any instrument.
10. After doing all this and referring the same class notes before exam, you don’t have any need of studying for graphics any more. You can easily score a 100. (Concepts and practice are two success pillars of graphics)

Now lets come to a crisis situation. You have few days in hand and you don’t know a single line about graphics.

1.       Get to know the line.

2.       Understand how the question papers are set. (Usually the question papers are set according to the units, with the 1^st unit featuring Lines and their projection, 2^nd planes and their projection and so on ). You can actually predict what type of question can come in the exam. Everything is same, just the words are different, a flagpole becomes a building and a building becomes a tree.

3.       Here in graphics you can’t jump to any other unit directly. Prefer studying them one after the other, in sequence.

4.       Whatever you learn, do it perfectly. Finally it will be OK if you do, around 3 4 units perfectly. (for passing). Though I would like to tell, it is a scoring subject and not a tough one, if understood clearly.

5.       You must be able to finish the 3 4 units in 2, 3 or 4 days according to your understanding capacity.

Nothing else can protect you from the wrath of graphics. In graphics,

‘It is not the subject that will murder you, it is but the mind that will betray you.’

Mathematics

Mathematics was one of my favorite subject since childhood. While undergoing the engineering MATHEMATICS treatment, I developed a complete boredom towards mathematics. Fourier series, this series that series, laplace, complex numbers, some sort of 3D figures, areas under curve, under cone, under this and under that. This was not really expected after twelfth. As a matter of fact in the coming years after the era of Mathematics in my engineering life, I never really used even a Pythagoras theorem.

Well, for MATHEMATICS you don’t have any shortcut whatsoever. You can study lesser topics but then you will have to do them very finely. I myself had managed to do just 2 and a half units out of the 6 for my MATHEMATICS II paper. I scored 40 (with no grace marks – mind well !). But, yes you can study for these Mathematics papers in 3 to 4 days depending on varying intensity of understanding and intelligence. You have to keep in mind few things.

1. Studying as many topics as possible but perfectly.
2. Writing down the formulas in a notebook or marking them in the text books at the beginning of the study. Let’s say you decide to do 2 units (out of 6) of mathematics. Write down all the formulas of these two units on a sheet of paper. Now go for understanding from where these formulae have come; i.e. try to understand how these formulae are derived. Now learn them, mug them, do whatever you can, so that you can remember them. (This is not a difficult task). Keep revising after every 6 to 7 hours. By the end of the second day you will have all those formulae at the tip of your tongue. In order to assure your passing you can keep few more units in range of your study (say one more unit from section II – as to why section II refer the other article 'importance of writing both the sections'). Now in the remaining big span of time keep solving examples of these studied units from text books and checking the answers accordingly. By the end of time and start of exam you will walk confidently into the exam hall with few but perfectly done units and vomit everything there on the canvas of paper with confidence.
3. Now while writing the papers, start with your most studied section. Start writing it neatly. Keep at least the first 3 or 4 pages neat and clean (but not empty). And that you can do perfectly well after studying some part.
4. Now that you have gained the confidence of the paper checker you can go for the tampering part. How to do it, you can read it in ‘ How to write even though you can’t ’ post.
5. Remember that those formulae which you mugged up, but you did not study, come into picture now. You are finished with whatever you can write (including all optional questions 'why to write the optional questions ?'). now check out the other questions, read them, think which formula you can apply. You are not sure, confident, not knowing the steps, etc. Don’t worry, just use the formulae, do some derivation work and write some steps. Let it be right or be it wrong. Just keep on writing whatever and all that you can.
6. Remember! Never keep one section blank. No one can help if you keep both.

THAT’S IT. THIS MUCH IS ENOUGH FOR MATHEMATICS.

YOU CAN SURELY USE THESE TRICKS IN PROBLEM SOLVING SUBJECTS LIKE APPLIED MECHANICS, SUBJECTS OF MECHANICAL ENGG, ETC.

General analysis

First year of engineering is considered particularly difficult by most of us. Instead, when we arrive in the first year we are told by many as to how first year is the only year which is difficult and then not the others.

But mark my words, it is not so. The other years are more difficult (for not studying people of course).  It is just that most of us become serious after the first year about our career, ultimately leading into a feeling of ease about the later years. Also, it is in the second year that we are acquainted with our true subject. Civil, mechanical, electrical, electronics and few others study some of the subjects which are truly a part of their further education. But, as for IT and COMP students there are many subjects such as Basic Civil, Basic Mechanical, Applied Science – Polymer, Chemistry, Some part of Physics, etc which is almost as useless as anything else that can be called useless.

I don’t deny the amount of knowledge they give each one of us, but still, as to the recalling capacity of human brain, and the possible usage of that knowledge in future, has always been a part of debate among all of us. So, the question now is how to clear subjects like this?

I have seen many students failing in MATHEMATICS (I, II, III), Graphics, Applied Mechanics, Applied Science, etc again and again every year. Some are unable to suffer the brunt of these subjects and then they go back home after couple of years. Well, for understanding how to pass in these subjects one should also understand what is the need of this subject.

Let’s continue with the analysis of subjects one by one. Arranging the subjects in a proper manner would ease your search for particular subject. One post per subject approx.

Personal message

All the four years of my engineering life I kept on experimenting about exactly how to study for the engineering exams.  It is one of the common problems that most of us face; sometimes we study and still we cannot score even 'well'. I saw many of my class mates struggling with this phenomena. I wish we all could score equally. 
Finally the engineering life came to an end and I managed to secure satisfactory marks with a job in a good company (also a pleasant distinction in my last semester :-) ).

This blog is dedicated to all those ‘like me’s’ who struggle all their engineering life in not studying and yet want to manage at least a respectable job at the end. These are real life stories and incidents and practices, with names of the characters and places changed. But, if you find any relevance please consider it a coincidence and ignore it, because it is not you.

Of course, the backdrop of all this drama is PU. And I assure you, that after not studying for the entire semester how you can still manage to cross 60. Even the university understands all your problems. So, all you need is a bit of hard work at the time of exam. And some oil for the midnight lamps too. And then SUCCESS is yours. Enjoy the blog as if it was a fiction novel, implement it in the way you and your innovative mind wants it to.

One more thing, always remember,
"The answers are always there,

there - in your mind.

Invent them."

Enjoy.

Introduction to the Blog

This is not some sort of unfair means to pass in exams, it is but a way of understanding what resources you have at your expense when the time is short and the fever is high. Personally, I would never suggest anyone to go through any of this. But still, I want to write this here because I know the tension we face at the last moment and through this I would just like to suggest you people that, "never drop the weapon until the last man is dead". So, please, what ever happens never keep any back logs, because the question papers are not worth keeping any.

Engineering exams have always been easy and by going through the syllabus and previous question papers you can always find easier ways to study. This blogs explains you some of the similar things. Study well, study right, and score more !!!

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