Star Performers: ‘Solving sample papers helped us succeed’

Every student learns in a different way, and their academic journey is shaped by personal habits, challenges, and experiences. Four students from Apeejay School, Mahavir Marg, (academic year 2025-26): Nishaant Kapoor, Dishan Kapoor, Raghav Mehndhiratta, and Amulya Arora offer a glimpse into how regular practice, teacher support, self-discipline, and balanced routines helped them stay motivated, improve their understanding, and prepare confidently for examinations throughout the academic year.

Nishaant enjoyed Science, especially chapters related to space, force, and the human body because they felt interesting and connected to real life. He liked practical activities and experiments since they made learning more engaging and easier to understand.

“I began revising for the exam a few days in advance and prepared short notes with important points and formulas. I focused more on topics that I found difficult and practised sample papers and previous years’ questions to improve my confidence. I also tried to avoid distractions and take short breaks while studying so that I could stay focused for longer,” this now Class IX student said.

Whenever he didn’t understand a topic, he would ask his teachers or friends for help and sometimes watch videos to understand concepts better. “My teachers always supported me by clearing doubts patiently and encouraging me to keep improving through regular practice,” he added.

What helped Dishan the most this year was consistency. “I revised daily for around thirty minutes and made sure to clear my doubts in class without delaying them. Solving all the NCERT questions regularly also improved my confidence considerably. In the beginning, Math was difficult for me, especially topics like square roots and cube roots, but daily practice and watching YouTube tutorials helped me improve gradually,” the Class IX student stated.

His preparation for exams was almost three weeks before the finals. “First, I completed all the chapters; then I solved NCERT exercises and previous years’ papers; and finally, I revised everything from my notes. I preferred studying in 45-minute blocks with short breaks in between because it helped me stay focused. My teachers supported us by arranging doubt classes, giving practice sheets, and providing regular feedback, which helped me improve steadily,” the now Class IX student shared.

Raghav realised that his preparation was going well when he started scoring better in practice tests and felt more confident while answering questions during revision. This year, he made several changes in his study routine, and it helped.

“I followed a proper timetable, revised topics regularly, and practised more sample papers to improve my speed and understanding. I also read the NCERT books many times because they helped me strengthen my concepts and remember important details more clearly. Whenever I had doubts, my teachers supported me by explaining concepts again and motivating us to stay positive. Apart from academics, playing basketball and spending time with my family and friends helped me stay relaxed and mentally fresh,” this now Class IX student said in conclusion.