An American based researcher Peter Weyand found that at the top speed an elite sprinter like Usain Bolt’s foot will typically spend 0.08 seconds in contact with the ground during each stride as compared to about 0.12 seconds for an amateur athlete.

So it seems that the fastest sprinters spend about 60% of the time in the air, with no foot on the ground, while for an amateur athlete, this would be 50%.

Top athletes in the world have consistently proven how technique is more important than just robust random training.

Apart from world-famous techniques, these athletes always have some secret techniques which give them an edge over others, to chip off the milli-seconds off of competition.

Habits to Become a Topper

Students are always on a lookout for tips on how to become a topper but is it really possible to reach the sky without coming out of your comfort zone? The reason why toppers stay ahead of others is that they have good habits. Listed below are some of the habits you can inculcate to become the next topper.

Regularly Attending Classes

The key is not to tread lightly around any chapter. Be it a school lecture or a coaching class, taking part in classes actively can help you gain a lot of knowledge. Further, it is one of the top habits you need to inculcate to become a topper as being regular in your classes will help you keep a track on what is being covered under each subject through which you can minimise the chance of missing out on any topic in the curriculum.

“If you fail to plan, you are planning to fail.”

Planning is the most important habit you should follow to become a topper. Devise plans which are more realistic and less hectic. Identify your strengths and weakness and formulate a time table accordingly. The result will be visible only if you follow the time table strictly.

Understand More and Cram Less

More thrust should be put on clearing the concepts and less on mugging up. Flowcharts, mnemonics, tables, graphs, etc are some of the creative techniques you can use to remember important details. Not only will such methods help you retain information for a longer period, but it will also make studies less monotonous.

Regular Revision

While looking for habits on how to become a topper is necessary, it is equally important to follow them. As long as you go through what you have already learned, it is called revision. But the moment you add any extra information, it is just regret. Revision not only helps toppers to retain information for a longer period but also helps them in doing a self-analysis on their preparation. Thus, giving an opportunity to work more on weaker areas.

“Practise Makes a Man Perfect.”

Solving mock papers regularly and practising previous year question papers give toppers an extra edge. It not only helps gives you the real exam feel but also helps you analyze the areas in which you lag. Further, exams follow a specific paper pattern. Following this habit will thus help you improve your speed and accuracy.

Say No to Last Moment Exam Preparations

Another success mantra you need to follow to become a topper is that you should always avoid last moment preparations for an exam. Plan ahead, create a study schedule at least a month or two before and start covering topics in terms how difficult or easy you find them. If you decide that you will study a day or even a week before the exam, you will end up procrastinating more and more and will not get ahead your exam preparations in any way! Remember, studying is a habit built over time. You need to devote at least an hour every day for each subject and work on topics that you think are complex and with time, you will end up conquering them!

Get Interested in What You Are Studying

While cramming concepts is what many students find the easier shortcut to acing an exam, you must know that mugging up something will only make you remember it in the short run. Finding interest in the subject you are studying will actually help you explore it in depth and you will end up learning a whole lot more than what’s there in the textbook! Amazing, isn’t it? So, whether its Maths, Science or Social Science, you need to find ways through which you can spark up your curiosity towards those subjects and you will end up acing every exam!

Mistakes can definitely put you down but if you look at the other side, they will also highlight your drawbacks and weaknesses that you can strengthen. So, every time you fail or get lower scores than you expected, try finding where you lacked and what you should concentrate on! Magic happens when you make mistakes your best teacher and guide!

Don’t Limit Yourself to Mediocrity

If you accept your circumstances, it means that you are content with where you are. If you are someone who gets from one grade to another scoring just passing marks, you need to see the massive scope of improvement which can guide you towards the path of becoming a topper! Don’t accept mediocrity, set bigger goals for yourself so even if you fail, you will end up doing much better than earlier!

Stay Curious

“The important thing is to not stop questioning. Curiosity has its own reason for existing.”

Albert Einstein

Since you are exploring the best habits on how to become a topper, you must know that you are already curious about finding the right ways that can help you score better in studies. The greatest scientists like Einstein and Darwin emphasised upon the power of being curious. By asking questions and exploring new things related to whichever subject you are studying, you will move further from textbook knowledge and learn about it in a much better way that will help you retain important concepts in exams.

Keep Yourself Motivated

While inculcating all the key habits to become a topper, you must also keep yourself motivated. Don’t put too much pressure on yourself but also set goals that are realistic enough to achieve. Give yourself second chances whenever you fail and motivate yourself to be better than others.

Sticky Notes:

No! No! By sticky notes I don’t mean for you to stick multiple small notes all over your house and make it look like Sherlock Holmes’ house. What I mean is Stick to your notes.

What we tend to do at the last minute is that we get caught in the busy traffic of exchanging notes, scanning or sharing notes in group chats. Now, this is a secret study tip of toppers – They stick to their own notes which they have created on their own, from the start of the year and they never let someone else’s style of writing confuse them.

So, sit with your coloured pens and notebooks right from the start of the year and make notes. Revise them multiple times, keep adding little squiggles to it if you wish to. But read only those towards the end. And if you want tips on how to create a

A Sight before Good Night:

Sometimes, we are like over excited to complete the syllabus. We want to be that friend who picks up the phone and says, I have completed 10 chapters today … and there’s silence at the other end.

But have you ever seen a topper say this? Toppers know that our memory is fickle.

What we have read today, we are likely to forget tomorrow. Toppers know that spaced revision is the key to good memorisation. But we have so much to learn, if we keep revising what we studied earlier, then how will we ever complete our syllabus? Besides, everyone knows about revision, how is that even a secret?

Now the real secret here is learning the art of quick revision and making it a habit. So, at night, just before going to sleep, keep a habit of opening your notes and just go through it just for 10 mins. Your subconscious brain will do all the hard work at night while you sleep and you will have a strong recollection the next morning.

Pareto’s Principle:

A topper is not necessarily the person with the most knowledge but definitely someone who knows how to write the best answers in an examination. A famous economist Vilfredo Pareto coined the famous Pareto’s Principle or 80:20 ratio. This is
a great technique to use when we have too many things to do and we need to choose a few of them.

So, according to Pareto’s principle – about 70-80% of your questions will come from 20- 30 per cent of your syllabus. And toppers secretly find out what that 20-30% most important component is.

Ha ha! No, they don’t have any secret agents in the education department, but instead they spend time analysing the past question papers and that gives them a clear idea of exactly which topics to focus more on and what line of questioning is
usually followed by the examiner.

In fact one big myth is that toppers study more number of hours than average students – Pareto’s principle helps them to Study Smart, Not Hard.

Close your book:

This secret tip will surprise you the most. Studies have shown that our brain processes information much better when we allow it to breathe in a little bit. This means that when you are studying with an open book, we keep on feeding our brain
with new information and it gets very little time to process anything.

On the other hand, if you read a topic and close the book and try to think about it, this is where the brain tries to interlink various other thoughts to make a concrete understanding.
So, let your brain chill a little bit and see the magic.

Best Tips on How to Become a Topper

Now that you are familiar with the habits of a topper, let us go through some tips and tricks on how to become a topper:

• Work smart, not hard: This is one of the most important tips on how to become a topper. Reading and revising from limited sources is much more beneficial than reading from a  multitude of sources because it will help you build a solid foundational base.

• To err is human. The reason why this is an important tip on how to become a topper is that it reminds us of the fact that we are humans and humans do make mistakes. But only those who work on their weaknesses can make it to the top.

• Prioritize: This is an art that can be mastered by only a few. Once you understand the difference between relevant and irrelevant tasks, the only will you be able to achieve your goals. 

• Apart from the basic tips on how to become a topper, you should also maintain a healthy lifestyle, take regular breaks, and practice the art self-discipline.

Tips to Write a Perfect Answer

To become a topper, it is essential that you know how to write perfect answers in the exam. Given below are some tips that can help you achieve better marks:

• Write to the point answers
• Use flow charts in your answer
• Underline or highlight important points
• Use tables and lists
• Label the diagrams
• Proofread your answers

 

BONUS TIP

Keep it Funny, Honey :

Research has shown that people remember humorous things much more vividly and for longer duration due to increased alertness and reduced negative emotions.
So, the trick of making a joke out of concept or slipping it into some humorous conversation with your friends or siblings will give you an edge over other students.
This trick will not only help you to remember any topic but also keep you free from stress, increase your energy levels and make the topic more interesting.