Majority of the students face the problem of concentrating on preparation for the examinations, particularly with too many diversions in the present scenario. So let us try to understand what exactly concentration is, to begin with. “When concentrating fully you are so absorbed in what you tend to forget yourself and the surroundings. And, you are unaware of the passing of time, and what is happening around you.” The next thing in our mind is how long can I concentrate? The length of time for which you can concentrate fully depends on factors such as your enthusiasm on what you are doing, your skill at a particular task, your emotional and physical state of mind, and your surroundings at the time.
There are two types of concentration:
• Short term concentration that helps us to observe the thing for a very short time.
• Long term concentration that helps us have focus on certain thing for long time. Studying requires long-term concentration.
 With any form of concentration it is important to concentrate on only one thing at a time. If you are studying, but half your attention is elsewhere, you will always struggle to maintain good concentration. Set aside time for studying and focus only on that. We need to make a conscious decision to concentrate on our studies. If you just drift away from your work, with a relaxed or care-free attitude you will probably start thinking about the other things. Now,  it’s getting difficult by the day to have a long term concentration when there are so many distractions in our surroundings, particularly during the examinations. So let us try some tips to improve concentration during exams.
It has been scientifically proven that mind can concentrate only on things which are simple and easy to understand. Breaking a task into smaller parts will make it less daunting and approach will be more positive. If we you  are trying to study a textbook for exam, then you can set a target for yourself of finishing one chapter at a time. There are certain things that we need to take care of while trying to improve concentration.

Choose a place were they are fewer distractions:
 Study in an area away from distractions such as a library, study lounge, or an empty classroom. Make sure your environment is conducive to studying, no TV, and no telephone. Try avoiding visual distractions by pulling curtains on windows if you are sitting near one. Many of us have a lot of unnecessary movements like shaking hands and legs while we are trying to study or even when we are trying to concentrate. Avoiding these unnecessary movements to you preserve your valuable energy, maintain composure and improve concentration.

Plan to study:
One of the important things to do before we start studying is to have clarity of thought as to how we want to go about. Start studying with what we want to accomplish. Before sitting down to study for the exams, be clear what chapter you want to study now, how much time do you intend to study etc. Be as specific as possible and move on to some other task only after you complete this. It is nothing but drawing out a perfect plan for your studies.

Before we start studying we must make sure that we have everything that is needed like books, papers, pen and etc. Jot down things that are on your mind before you study. Set a goal for yourself that is realistic. That means the target is approachable and achievable. Taking a three-minute break for every 30 minutes of study is a good guideline. Make studying an active process; take notes and make review sheets. Intersperse different kinds of study into one session, e.g. reading, writing, taking notes, memorizing, etc. Mix topics that are easy and difficult and interesting and dull topics

Maintain consistency:
Maintaining consistency is very important choose the same place to study everyday, try to see that the setting of the place where we study is simple. And also study in the same posture as we do when writing our exams because it has been proved that we recall better when we are in the same posture and similar situation as we are when we are memorizing. Hence avoid lying on bed and reading. Study at the same time each day. A regular schedule can help us frame this as “study time”.

Sleep:
We should make sure that we do not lose on our sleep because many of us study till late hours by reducing the sleeping hours. But, we require at least six hours of sleep to make our brain function without tiredness. It is always good to study in the morning hours than night hours. Sound sleep is very important because it helps us to relax and we are more focused after a good sleep.

Exercises to improve concentration:
Watch Concentration: Sit in a chair and place a clock with a second hand on the table. Follow the second hand with your eyes as it goes around. Keep this up for five minutes, thinking of nothing else but the second hand, this is a very good exercise when you only have a few minutes to spare, if you are able to keep every other thought in the stream of consciousness subordinate to it. As there is little that is particularly interesting about the second hand, it is hard to do this, but in the extra effort of will power required to make it successful. Always try to keep as still as possible during these exercises.

Sit in a comfortable chair with a still posture and see how you can keep yourself focusing. This is not as easy as it seems. You will have to center your attention on sitting still. Watch and see that you are not making any involuntary muscular movements. By a little practice you will find that you are able to sit still without a movement of the muscles for fifteen minutes. At first, I advise you to sit in a relaxed position for five minutes. After you are able to keep perfectly still, increase the time to ten minutes and then to fifteen. This is as long as it is necessary. But never strain yourself to keep still. You must be relaxed completely. You will find this habit of relaxing is very good. Sitting still can help you avoid unnecessary body movements thus improving your concentration.

Generally, exam anxiety is often marked by negative point of view. As we are studying, try to repeat positive affirmations. Remind yourself of the positive experiences you have encountered and tell yourself that you are working hard. And hard work will bring success. Tell yourself that you are capable of doing things. This process will help us in improving our concentration.