3 Habits to be a Topper

Most students believe that Toppers have a very high IQ, but contrary to the survey results, the difference between toppers and average students is slight in IQ. In a survey taken by Disha Publication, the IQ level of the brightest students in a city was compared with the IQ level of other students. Being one of the leading academic publishers, Disha Publication decided to not just create the best preparation material but also use their resources in helping students achieve the best. Hence with the said survey, the resulting difference was not much in terms of questioning the IQ of a topper, but targeted somewhere else.

Toppers and other students differ in terms of habits or systems. Toppers don't make goals. They build habits/systems. Goals are good for setting directions, but habits/systems are required to make progress. Have you ever thought that all students have the same goals, but they achieve different results? It is because toppers have strong systems and processes. So don't set goals. Build systems to ensure lifelong progress.

Dive into the three habits of toppers which take them miles ahead of their competitors:

1) Toppers Work Hard 

Most students believe they work very hard to achieve their goals.

• Some students consider studying two hours after school as hard work, which is not hard work. Students often say that they work hard, attend all the lectures, revise the topics covered, complete the homework, and then work, i.e. they are doing something they were already supposed to do. And not just them but everybody is supposed to do. 
• Are you one of those students who can't differentiate between work and hard work? Do you know the actual definition of hard work? Hard work is when you go out of your comfort zone. You cannot consider something as hard work as long as you are doing it from inside of your comfort zone/you stretch yourself.
• Students who work hard wake up early in the morning and finish 2-hour sessions before going to school. Give a pre-reading of the topic to be discussed in class. It helps them understand the topic better. And even gives them an upper hand when compared to other students. After going back home, they revise the topic thoroughly and even attempt the questions related to that particular topic to make their concept stronger.
• Toppers spend 4-5 hours in self-study after completing/returning from school/coaching.
• Toppers solve 150 Physics questions in a single session of 3 hours, feeling exam tension and pressure, whereas other students would do it casually in 4-5 hours.
• Toppers study 12-14 hours on weekends or days when no classes are there.
• Toppers attempt mock tests in exam-like conditions and follow them with in-depth analysis. 
• Toppers struggle with the question for 2 hours without looking at solutions. 
• Students believe studying in tuition or coaching centers after school is their hard work. No, this is where they are wrong. They are merely doing work and following a routine. 

You must ask yourself whether your hard work is donkey work or smart work. Are you just working hard or working smart with a proper plan and strategy? 

You must remember that without a plan, you are planning to fail. "Hard Work Beats Talent When Talent Doesn't Work As Hard". 

2) Toppers Focus on Self-Study 

In class, a student could be a passive learner, but in self-study, a student always has to be an active learner. You have to actively focus on the subjects or topics you are studying. And that is when real learning happens.

School/coaching helps build the base/understanding of the concepts, whereas you raise the bar and sharpen your problem-solving skills with the help of self-study.

Often we know and understand the question but get stuck- confused-silly mistakes- unable to produce the output – lack of self-study may be the reason behind this. The self-study helps in internalising the stuff. Self-study helps in improving the output as there is no third party involved. 

Coaching/school education is standardised, whereas self-study is personalised. In school/coaching, the teacher is at driving speed, whereas in self-study, you are in the driving seat. Studying at school/coaching is like a spoon-feeding process, whereas in self-study, you have to construct the knowledge and solve the doubts and problems by yourself. 

Success is dependent on several hours of self-study. Coaching is of no use unless backed by self-study. Ideally, 3 hours of coaching should be supported by 9-10 hours of self-study where you focus on theory, revision and problem solving and completing homework/assignments. 

To summarise, self-study differentiates between winners and losers. Many toppers excel without coaching, but no one excels without rigorous self-study. In school/coaching, the syllabus is covered, but the discovery or real knowledge happens through self-study.

3) Toppers Aim for Competence

Many students say that despite hard work, they are not confident. Instead of trying to become confident, try to gain competence. Competence is built over time when you work continuously on a particular area.

You can be confident one day and not confident another day, but if you achieve competence, confidence will come on its own. So focus on competence. Remember, confidence is a byproduct of competence. 

To achieve competence, get out of your comfort zone and in every stage. Aim to take your preparation to the next level. Preparing for any competitive exam is a long journey, and in the initial stages, you don't see the results/output so you have to love the process/struggle. You have to study with the intention that you will start from zero, work hard, get out of your comfort and move your preparation to the next level. 

Once you develop that kind of attitude or get into that mindset and start enjoying your studies, you take your preparation to the next level. In some cases, this passion for taking your preparation to the next level becomes addictive, and that is the stage the game is won.

Toppers first demand excellence from the inside, whereas average students expect excellence from school/college/coaching.

This article is written by Avinash Agarwal, the Director of DISHA Publication. As a seasoned Study Skill Coach, he has written various books on improving Student life and simplifying exam preparation, such as Stop Being a Maggu!, Toppers' Study Hacks, The Secret Code of UPSC Toppers, and Bhagavad Gita - The Story Way.