With school final term and board exams round the corner, students and parents are anxious and nervous about academic performance. Here are three books which offer practical and useful advice on how to prepare for and attain success in school, college and beyond – Mini P.

Six Secrets Smart Students Don’t Tell You by R. Chandan Deshmukh
Publisher: Penguin | Price: ₹198

According to Chandan Deshmukh, a popular TedX speaker and author of this eminently readable manual, there are three types of students — excuse makers, go-getters and the cocktail. Excuse makers have ready alibis even when they have the most conducive study conditions and are generally indifferent towards study and success. When questioned about poor test scores, their standard answers are: “My parents don’t know the subject, so I had no one to guide me” or “My relatives were visiting at the time of exams.” Go-getters are the antithesis of excuse makers, and the cocktail student is a mix of the two stereotypes.

In this breezily written book, Deshmukh shares the success mantras of successful students and provides practical advice on how parents and children can beat the rigid education system with a mix of grit, determination and imagination.

Five Lies My Teacher Told Me: Success Tips for the New Generation  by Chandan Deshmukh
Publisher: Westland | Price: ₹145.00

Who determines your success? The nosy relation, Facebook friend or you? Is success attained by chance or by hard and smart work? In this lucidly written book, Deshmukh shares useful tips to achieve exams and career success. He discusses five common lies often told by parents and teachers. For instance, has your teacher ever told you any of the following: ‘You don’t have studies in your genes’ or ‘You are a student. Do nothing but study’ or ‘You are incapable of achieving anything’. Deshmukh advises students to believe in themselves and work hard and rely on themselves to achieve their goals.

Chanakya In the Classroom: Life Lessons for Students By Radhakrishnan Pillai
Publisher: Rupa | Price: ₹207

Chanakya aka Kautilya, the famous teacher, philosopher, economist, jurist and advisor/minister in the court of King Chandragupta Maurya (322-297 BCE), is eulogised as a master political strategist and founder of economics and political science of ancient India. He authored the famous political treatise, the Arthashastra, in the 3rd century BCE.

In his latest oeuvre, Radhakrishnan Pillai, best-selling author of the Chanakya Series, offers carefully selected teachings of this revered polymath which remain contemporary and relevant for students of all ages. Among them: ways and means to improve concentration, define purpose of life, practise discipline, observe punctuality. Also how to self-learn, develop questioning and debating skills and cultivate devotion and duty.