What if exams weren’t just about marks, but mastering the art of living? In Exams Beyond the Classroom, Author Shankar Roshan Valiathan invites readers to reimagine examinations—not as sources of stress, but as tools for transformation.
With over 15 years of experience and a remarkable academic journey spanning multiple disciplines, Valiathan delivers a practical, thought-provoking guide that empowers students and lifelong learners alike. Through bite-sized real-life stories and a focus on developing core skills—reading, listening, and writing—this book offers clarity in chaos and resilience in the face of life’s tests.
In this exclusive interview, the author reveals how we can all move from problem avoidance to problem solving—with confidence, courage, and a critical mind.
- Can you provide a brief overview of your book and how it tackles major challenges in today’s world?
This book is written to address the key challenges faced by people who want to improve their 3 dimensional skills – reading, listening and writing; In a world where problem solving is gradually turning into problem avoidance, a structured framework of tackling the complexities presented to both people who want to get better at tackling problems through assertive reading, and students who want to fare far better than they do in their exams.
- What motivated you to write this book, and what unique expertise or experiences do you bring to this topic?
Over my tenure of over 15 years in the field of education, across different subject areas such as investing, finance, competitive examinations, mathematics, architecture, philosophy etc, I have been an ardent believer in tackling problems at the root. Students are unique and so are their problems. However, many students exhibit similar structural problems, which can be rectified through a systematic approach. Over the years, I have personally written 100s of exams, and am currently doing my 6th Masters/Charter program. I specialise in understanding the needs of a student by immersing myself into difficult scenarios in examinations.
- What are some key insights or takeaways that readers can expect from your book?
- Navigating examinations with more confidence – be fearless while writing exams. Let your next examination be a journey, not a painful destination
- Become a better reader, and listener, and therefore a better writer.
- Understand the common problems faced by people in their daily life in the modern era and face them with a clear mind.
- Can you share any real-world examples or case studies from your book that illustrate its core principles?
The book is filled with nano stories – small stories that are byte sized and easily read. These stories are from real like experiences that are prevalent in different demographics across the globe
- Are there any particular challenges or obstacles you encountered while writing this book, and how did you overcome them?
Articulating the problems faced by a student and generalising the solutions in order to address key concerns was the biggest challenge. Understanding how students think and marrying that with the world they are in required particularly deep levels of thinking.
- In an ever-evolving world, how does your book remain relevant and adaptable for readers over time?
The book is timeless in essence, the goal was to enable critical thinking – a key to life.
Grab your copy now on Amazon today and start mastering the art of living!
