The exam is very tricky, hence there are a lot of chances to make mistakes. Even a single mistake might knock you out of the competition. So, it is essential to keep some things in mind while preparing. 

Improper Time Table:

• Not making a proper study timetable is one of the most common blunders. 
• You need to make a clear preparation strategy for each subject and every topic after strongly analyzing the syllabus and its weightage. 
• If not done properly, you might end up spending more time on a vast subject that has less weightage.

If you are a student enrolled in a classroom program then you can follow the study plan suggested by the institutes. If self-study is your plan, then you can opt for postal programs from Made Easy or others.

Multiple Study material:

• There is a common misconception, that more study material results in better preparation. However, the reality slightly differs. 
• It is advisable to go for the best books which will help you in the preparation and time management.
• You can opt for study material by institutes such as Made easy. You’ll get books, workbooks, previous year's questions as a single package which will be enough for the exam preparation.

Skipping Revision:

Many students tend to move on to new topics without revising the completed ones. So, revise regularly and strengthen your concepts.

Neglecting previous year questions:

• Many students fail to recognize the importance of solving previous year's questions. 
• The fact is that solving these questions helps you to become familiar with the exam’s pattern. 

Improper test series strategy:

• Every aspirant wishes to crack the exam in the first attempt. 
• Enroll yourself in test series from renowned institutes such as Made Easy as they help you analyze your performance and help you improve your shortcomings. 

Make sure you give your 100% with a clear preparation strategy and you’ll achieve your goal.

Among these four colleges, the college order for the best college would be - Hindu>Hansraj>Miranda>Ramjas

1. Hindu is the best among them as it has the best placements and is a place for many other opportunities like extra-curricular activities. Only the colleges like St. Stephens, LSR, and SRCC can compete with a college like Hindu.
2. Hansraj is good for NSS, clubs, and the CSE department as it has a friendly and helpful faculty. It is a 30-minute distance from the metro and is far from the metro station.
3. Miranda is the same as Hansraj but the only difference is that it is co-ed and is near the metro. In academics, it's the same as the Hansraj.
4. Ramjas doesn't have a good administration nor a good crowd. Students have created chaos on the campus by involving in fights. Although, one needs to do good research before getting to a conclusion for Ramjas.

Therefore, Miranda, Hindu, and Hansraj would be better options. However, a student should take admission to Miranda College as it is near to the station and has a good cut-off.

If you are passionate and serious about a career in design, then try to rely on your potential, aptitude and knowledge about the subject matter. All design entrance exams value creativity and originality, and no coaching centre can help you ‘learn’ creativity or instil originality in you. 

Following are a brief overview of the exams:

Thus, instead of paying huge sums of money to coaching centres, you can follow some of these suggestions:

• Be observant. Try to notice and observe everyday objects and things from a design perspective. You must analyse details, designs and shadows of daily objects; think about them in an original manner.

• Study colour schemes for the entrances. Questions related to colours are absolutely necessary. Representation and their symbolism is a must.

• Study advertisements on television and various social media platforms. A lot depends on these, so try to study them, their purpose and targets.

• To improve your English language skills, you can read newspapers and articles. It is the best way to develop an extensive vocabulary, and brush up on your general knowledge. A huge portion of the exam is dedicated to language skills, so try to build your vocabulary, study idioms and common phrases and more.

• Brush up on your mathematical skills. If you understand the basics and you can easily score well in the math section of the exam.

• Try solving questions related to logical reasoning as frequently as possible. Logical reasoning is extremely scoring and a significant section in various exams.

• Arihant Self Study Guide is the best book for design preparation. It is thorough, covers all the aspects of the exam and helps you prepare properly. You must solve previous year questions to get a grasp over the type of questions asked and the level difficulty of the exam. 

These are some of the alternatives to coaching centres which you can follow in order to crack the exam. Rather spending money on coaching classes, try these suggestions to crack the exams.