VTU Exams Experience

Hey reader,

Here I am sharing my experience of preparing for the DBMS exam conducted by VTU. I was pursuing my engineering degree under VTU. During our 4th semester, the COVID-19 pandemic hit India, and we were sent home for what turned into a one-and-a-half-year break. By the time we returned, we were already in our 6th semester. We had online classes for our 6th semester subjects, and eventually, it was announced that our final exams would be conducted offline.

I remember the day before the DBMS exam vividly. My friends and I had no idea what to study. When we looked at the important questions and their answers, we saw that they involved writing programs and providing lengthy explanations. I was genuinely terrified when I saw the code parts written in UPPERCASE.

We had a two-day gap before the exam. On the first day, I focused on covering some important theoretical questions. The next day, I hurried to complete the remaining three modules, which included programming examples. I couldn’t finish all five modules completely, so I stayed up until 4 AM that night and woke up at 6 AM to understand the programs by watching videos. I ended up memorizing the example codes.

The day of the exam was the worst for us. Firstly, I was stressed about the exam, and secondly, I didn’t get enough sleep. Moreover, the food provided by the canteen was terrible; Fearing I might fall sick from eating it, I went to the exam on an empty stomach.

Despite the stress, I managed to complete my revision, cover new questions, and take the exam. I was anxious until the results were announced and prayed every day. When the results came, I had just passed, and I was so happy and satisfied. I decided not to let the tension build up until the day of the exam because it only worsened as the exam approached.

DBMS is a pretty interesting subject, and I was always curious to learn more about it. After the exams, I watched some online videos and finally understood the concepts, which felt much easier. Even though I went through online materials during the exam preparation, the stress prevented me from understanding the tutorials. However, my interest in those concepts grew day by day, and I was delighted to realize that I could actually learn and have a solid foundation in DBMS. Eventually, I was able to work on some examples by myself.