Parents educate their children not only to get knowledge but also to get a good job and earn money. Today, it has become necessary to earn money to eke out a livelihood. We are living in a competitive world in which success in securing a job depends not only upon the student’s ability to pass the examination, but to score more marks and to get a high rank, if possible. There may be a selection committee to recruit candidates for various jobs by conducting interviews and written examinations to satisfy themselves whether the candidates possess the required merit and qualities. Unless a candidate scores good marks in the Public Examination (10th Class or Intermediate), he stands no chance of being called for the interview. Thus, it is necessary to score good marks for selection to the higher courses and for securing a decent job. It is like the struggle for existence and survival of the fittest.

There is no magic or mantra to score marks in the examinations. There is no shortcut to success. One has to work hard, study methodically and prepare oneself for the examination. Many students spend their time in idle occupations like gossip and watching T.V. and begin preparing for the examinations when it is too late in the academic year. Their last minute efforts without regular study will prove abortive. It may even affect their health and make them fail in the examinations. Regular and methodical study of each subject will go a long way in securing good marks in the examinations. Parents themselves should desist from viewing the programmes on the T.V. and set an example to the children. Besides, they should keep a watchful eye on the movements and behavior of their wards. This should not look like policing. There should be affectionate treatment, close attention to their needs and a word or two of encouragement.
It is the duty of the concerned subject teacher to tell them about the strategies in tackling the questions because the approach differs from subject to subject. It is not enough if the teacher finishes the syllabus in a mechanical manner and washes his hands. He should explain to them the methods of answering each type of question. At least one week before the examinations , he should give them useful tips about what the examiner expects from the student. For example, essay questions, short answer questions and objective questions require different ways of dealing with them.

As far as mechanics of writing are concerned, the following guidelines will be useful in scoring good marks. Many students do not know the importance of hand-writing. Hand-writing must be neat, clear and easy to read. The examiner consciously or unconsciously allots a few marks to good hand-writing. Legibility and intelligibility are favored. Some people write beautiful letters which are not legible!

If they want to score good marks, students should not stuff their answers with unwanted material. Many students are under the wrong impression that they get more marks if they write more matter. Quality of language and brevity are given more credit. Only when the students have mastery of the content, they will be able to decide what is more important and what is less important. It requires analytical skill and critical ability to remove the chaff from the grain. Sequencing, i.e. step by step presentation will be of great help in scoring good marks.
Grammar plays a vital role in scoring good marks. It is necessary to avoid grammar mistakes. One way of avoiding grammar and spelling mistakes is by writing simple language and short sentences. Many students are in the habit of getting by heart and reproducing the matter. Such answers will not receive good marks. They should answer the questions in their own words. This requires regular practice from the beginning of the academic year.

If the answer requires more than ten or twelve lines, it is necessary to observe paragraphing. For every two or three points or ideas, a fresh paragraph should be developed. Where there is a linkage of ideas/points, the next paragraph should be started with a  transitional phrase like ‘Therefore’ , ‘Consequently’ , ‘Nevertheless’, etc. To acquire command over language, one should read as many books as possible. The teacher should advise the students what books are suitable for them. In every good library, there will be a Children’s Section containing books and magazines. This kind of training and preparation are essential from the beginning.

Now a days , many students are taking Sanskrit and French as second language subjects because there is a widely held belief that they can score very high marks which will count for the total! I have seen a few junior colleges run by private managements with three or four sections of Sanskrit language. They told me that Sanskrit is a scoring subject! Of course, we are not concerned with such scoring of good marks which does not reflect the real standard of the student. We are concerned with the right way of scoring good marks in a fair and healthy competition.