The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) will be conducting Class 10th and 12th Board Examination 2020 from the month of February. It is now mandatory for the students to appear in board exams.
Most of the students feel nervous before it and it is quite normal. Students should keep in mind that an irregular and a non-systematic study can lead to loss of marks in the examination.
Board examinations are the first, very crucial examinations in a student’s life. It is imperative to strategize and plan your preparation path if you dream to become a CBSE topper. What distinguishes toppers from others is the way they work their way to score high marks. Here is a list of tips and tricks by CBSE toppers themselves, to help you discover the secrets of their success. Behold and be enlightened!
Quality matters not quantity– CBSE 2017 AIR 1 Raksha Gopal points out that one should focus on the quality of the subject matter he/she is learning rather than trying to cram up too much in one go. She suggested that students should try to set small, practical targets and achieve them with full concentration in order to succeed in engraving the matter in their minds. Qualitative studying helps students comprehend the matter in a more superior manner leading to a deeper understanding of the subject.
Right time to start preparing for the board exams – Though, every student has different learning capabilities so we can’t decide when each of the students should start preparing for the exams. Still, there is a common approach to the exam preparation which needs to be followed. Those who are not done with the revision of the whole syllabus or have not started yet, can start now to ignore the disappointment at the time of exam results.
Good timetable will make the preparations easy – Without a proper planning, it’s almost impossible to reach your target. Therefore, to make an effective preparation for the coming CBSE board exams, every student must prepare a proper study time table first and then make a habit to stick to the same.
Sufficient time should be devoted to self study- After school or coaching classes, every student must take out some time which he/she can devote completely to self studies so as to analyse and practice the topics read in school or coaching class. You must spare enough time so that you are able to achieve some prefixed study targets.
Adopt the best study habits to excel in board exams
To perform well in board exams, each student must have some important study habits which could help them stand in the queue of top scorers. Creating a study plan and sticking to it, being punctual and disciplined, balancing the academic and personal life are some of the good qualities cum habits, which a student must adopt.
Solve Sample papers– 2nd rank holder, Bhumi Sawant, emphasizes on solving as many CBSE Sample Papers as possible. She had solved a number of practice papers before her exams to get accustomed to the paper pattern and boost her confidence. Solving practice papers not only help you identify your weak areas but also helps in the revision of the entire subject matter. This, in turn, leads to a polished knowledge of the topics.
Don’t try to study for long hours– Topper Aditya Jain pointed out that studying for 10-12 hours a day can get you stressed up. He instead advised that students should study for a shorter span of time but with full dedication. Aditya used to study for 4-5 hours a day besides his school hours. Students who are not in a habit of studying for long hours can take short breaks while studying and can easily score well. Studying for shorter durations also helps in maintaining the attention span of the student such that they do not get distracted easily. Also, while studying, students should ensure that they study in isolation. Aditya’s mantra was never to allow even his parents or siblings to enter his room while he was studying.
Solve previous year Board exam Question papers – Topper Soumya Patel recommended that aspirants should solve at least past 10 years question papers of the Board exams so as to get insight into the concepts which are frequently tested. This would help them dedicate more time to the popularly asked topics. If students are lucky, they might get the same topics in their actual test paper. Therefore, apart from the Sample papers, it is advised that previous year question papers should definitely be solved.
Make a strategy to learn long answers for board exam – It’s quite obvious for students to panic while learning long answers as engulfing the massive text is never an easy job. So, to overcome the terror of learning long answers, students must prepare a strategy for long answers, like breaking them into paragraphs, writing them on paper and relating them to the real life situations so as to retain them in brain for long time.
Revise, Revise and Revise!– Almost all toppers lay special emphasis on revision. Revising the syllabus helps in improving retention and increasing the memory span. In the last few months, it is more important to revise the covered syllabus than preparing something new. In fact, important topics should be revised carefully at the end of each week in order to get a grip on them. An efficient revision also helps in bolstering the confidence level.
Avoid social media indulgence– The top three CBSE toppers revealed that they made a conscious effort to stay away from the social media platforms in order to save precious time and avoid unnecessary distraction. Toppers Bhumi and Aditya used their mother’s cell phones to acquire any information on social media and were not given any personal cell phones by their parents. Staying away from these platforms help one prevent wastage of time and invest it in their preparation for exams.
Be positive and relax– Last but not the least, you should be positive and have faith in your preparation. CBSE Topper Mannat Luthara (AIR 3) said that one should never be deterred by failure. Your willpower and optimism will take you to the road of success. Students should focus on staying calm and composed while putting their best foot forward. Being regular in studies does not mean giving up on relaxation. This will help you avoid unnecessary tension and anxiety. Topper Bhumi Sawant would listen to music or go for a walk to refresh herself, during her breaks between studies.
Write your board exam in appropriate way – After preparing hard for the board exam, now it’s the time when your answer sheet must reflect your hard work. You must follow proper technique and strategy to write the answers in best way and complete the exam well on time. Make the best use of the 15 minutes reading time allotted before starting writing the exam.
Points to remember in the examination hall:
- Read the question paper with full concentration.
- First, attempt those questions which you are sure about.
- Mention the number of ‘steps’ while solving your question as there is a criterion of step marking.
- Use pencil and scale to draw the figures. Never draw a figure with the use of a pen.
- If your writing is poor, then you can write in a bigger font leaving some space in between two words.
Take a look!
A- Attempt: Attempt all the questions whether you know the answer or not.
N- Neat and clean: Answer sheet should be neat and clean. Do not forget to cut the rough work done. Avoid overwriting.
O- Observant: Always note the terms and digits from the question paper carefully
O- Organised: Question paper must be solved in serial order from 1 to 30. If you don`t know the solution for a particular question, leave the space for that.
P- Patient: Never lose your patience during the exam. If you do not know the answer to any question, do not lose your patience. After completing the familiar question take a long breathe and think about the concepts involved in that particular question. This will definitely help you to recall some steps of that question.