India has always been a land of opportunity, be it for spice traders, gold diggers, or ambitious young citizens looking to make their mark in competitive exams. Most parents are great cheerleaders for the cause of the occupational advancement of their progeny. This is why most children grow up, with parental exhortations to become either a doctor, an engineer, a civil servant, or a bank/Government/public sector employee. As the competition to land these jobs intensifies with time, parental efforts to encourage their children to land coveted occupations tend to intensify. This translates into cost escalations for most families, due to costly tuition centers and coaching classes and infinite amounts of time and energy lost in commuting. Most miss the fact that coaching centers do not establish subject matter; they simply regurgitate established subject matter that is usually spelled out in the humble textbooks that abound in every bookstore.
The secret to success lies in following the steps stated below. It may be observed that these steps have more to do with internal motivation, organization, and self-discipline than with anything a coaching center can do. No coaching center can appear in a competitive exam on your behalf or take your decisions for you.

Step 1 - Believe in Yourself : First and foremost, believe in yourself. If you think you can do it, you will certainly do it and be confident in your abilities. Coaching centers do not have a magic wand that can make you a different person.

Step 2 – Build a Study Plan : Have a game plan to complete all materials within a specific time frame, and stick to the plan. Stressing out over workload, or daydreaming about distant possibilities, are not substitutes for actual laborious effort. Set realistic goals, and don't give up till you achieve them. The quality of time devoted matters as much as quantity. Devote that time of day when you are most productive.

Step 3 – Strengthen Your Understanding of Subject Matter : Read fundamental theory in your subject area diligently to ensure that you truly understand the subject. No coaching center has to re-discover the wheel for you. Read every textbook on the subject matter relevant to your area. You cannot build a skyscraper on a flimsy base. Get your theoretical fundamentals clear. Do not memorize, but rather understand the concepts. Most people mistake memorizing sophisticated information as a substitute for thorough knowledge and have unclear fundamentals, which is why they eventually fall prey to innocuous questions in competitive exams.

Step 4 - Practice, Practice & Practice : If you are attempting to clear any competitive quantitative exam, such as IIT/JEE, then practice extensively, solve question papers for the last five-six years. Try coaching junior students since this will help develop problem-solving speed and build confidence and strengthen computational abilities.

Step 5 - Dedication : There is no alternative to being self-disciplined and dedicated. It is always a great idea to work in meditation, and physical exercise along with your study routine, to get a balanced mix. This helps to imbibe more information in a shorter period. When you set yourself a learning goal, stick to it no matter what. Dedication builds confidence and bolsters long-run retention of subject matter.

Step 6 – Invest in Daily Doses of General Knowledge (GK) : Most competitive exams for civil services, Government jobs, bank jobs, etc., will have some general knowledge content. The best way to have this GK is to listen to the news at least twice a day, be it on the radio or TV, and read at least two major newspapers every day. This implants most GK matter in long-term memory and reduces the stress and time commitment required to remembering it.

Step 7 - Maintain Positivity : Recognize that you control your efforts, but have no control over the universe, so if things don't work out, then find a related avenue or try again, but be confident that you did the best you could have done. Make your peace with yourself. There is no one unique route to success- so despite your best efforts, if you find that a door closes, it is up to you to find a window that will open up new opportunities. The work ethics you develop along the way will help you throughout your life.

Summing up, believing in yourself makes you accomplish anything you want. Set a goal and put your heart and soul into achieving that goal. You lose confidence when a coaching center is involved because you do not learn to think for yourself and do not develop self-confidence.

Where there is a will, there is always a way.