Students take recourse to Guide books during exams rather than text books

Updated on: Wednesday, February 27, 2013

Examination time is probably the only period of the year when the university students turn pages of books. With just few days left for the examinations to start, guide books are registering brisk sale.

The students have no time to go through textbooks. They prefer guide books to study the entire syllabus. It is a common belief among the students that guides and easy notes are the keys for success in the examinations.

Thus, attending lectures and purchasing textbooks hold no importance for the students as the guides are serving three-in-one purpose of time-saving, cheap availability and a good result.

"The guidebooks saved me last year. I don't think these will let me down this year either," said Akansha, a student of Mahila Maha Vidyalaya.

Sachin, a student of DAV College, said that guidebooks are of immense help, especially to students who don't study throughout the year. The entire syllabus is covered in a very simple language.

Varun, a former student of VSSD College does not agree. Majority of students who take the help of guides and easy notes are not very bright. "Those who want to excel will, of course, study hard throughout the year. But, most students will take up jobs which are not even remotely linked to their course of study. For them, it's a waste of energy to work so hard," he added.

But even bright students agreed that for passing the compulsory and subsidiary subjects like environment or language, relying on guidebooks is not a bad idea. That is because the honours papers need a lot of effort and even lecturers do not take subsidiary classes very seriously.

"In fact, I know several students who just mug up guidebooks and score reasonably well. This exposes the inherent fault of our education system," said Namita.

The humanities students generally prefer guidebooks and sample question papers. The science and commerce students show an inclination towards sample papers. "Science is an application-based subject. Guidebooks can't help science students much as these can't encompass the practical side of the subject," said Manish, a science student . "Sample papers give proper indication of the pattern of questions. The more I practice on sample papers, the more confident I feel," he added.

However, the dependence on guidebooks and sample papers is reflected by the marked increase in the pre-examination sale.

Sanjay, a bookseller, said: "From December onwards, there's a considerable rise in the demand for guidebooks and sample papers. Guidebooks have a cover price of Rs 60-150 but these are made available at a much cheaper rate."

Students take recourse to Guide books during exams rather than text books

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