Class 10 CBSE toppers give credit to the teachers for their success

Taking the Board exam for the first time can be stressful. However, parental and teacher support together with their sheer hard work, gives an edge to them over others. The class X CBSE result at Apeejay School, Pitampura was outstanding once again – there were 12 centums in all; 56 students scored above 90 per cent; 91 students scored 89-75 per cent, and the distinction per student stood at 3.93.

Rhea Sharma, who scored an aggregate of 97.4 per cent and ranked No 1 at the school said that she is thrilled with the result. “I was expecting to score 95 per cent. So when I got 97.4 per cent I was over the moon. I have opted for Science (non-medical). I want to pursue Computer Science,” Sharma said, whose dream institute to study is IIT.

Simran Parmar, Manasshvi S Srivastav, and Amber Dhir ranked No 2 with 97.2 per cent. Dhir parent said that it was the hard work of his teachers that he has managed to do so well. “Without a guide or a mentor it is difficult to score well in an exam. I scored centum in Hindi, Math and Social Science; in English 91 and Science 95. For Math I studied from Together With and the rest was NCERT,” Dhir added.

Parmar, who also aggregated 97.2 per cent and ranked No 2 has opted for PMC with Computer Science, said being regular and attentive in school helped. “School teachers put in a lot of effort, just we need to pay attention and practice daily whatever is taught in school,” she said.

Srivastav, who scored a 97.2 per cent as well and ranked No 2 with Parmar and Dhir, said that when she got to know her result she was ecstatic. “My mother has even recorded my reaction. I was so happy that I started crying. I have opted for PCM and plan to do engineering,” Srivastav said.

Harshit Gupta, who ranked No 3 with 96.6 per cent at the school, said that he was a bit disappointed with his Social Studies marks. “In Social Science I managed to score only 73/80. This was disappointing since I had scored 79/80 in my pre-Boards. In Math I have a centum; Science I got 77/80; in Hindi I got 75/80, and in English 78/80. I have opted for PCM and want to do engineering.

Adit Bansal, who also ranked No 3 with Gupta with 96.6 per cent said that he studied continuously from the beginning. “I studied all year around. As the teachers progressed with the chapter, I would come back home and revise,” Bansal said, who has opted for PCM and scored 99 in SST, 98 in Math and Science, 97 in Hindi, and 91 in English.

Success mantra

For Dhir, the success lay in studying consistently. “From the time I came into class X, I began preparing for this exam. I didn’t study long hours but I was regular. Even before I had come into class X, I had bought the books and started studying before the new session began,” Dhir said.

Sharma attributes her success in the Board exams to studying from the NCERT, practicing to write answers, and constant guidance and support of her teachers.

Bansal said that he only studied for five to six hours in a day. “But there was a difference. When I sat down to study, I ensured that there were no distractions around me,” he said.

Advise to students taking exam in 2024

“I would suggest that students should study and work hard from day one. Don’t wait for the last moment to study. Doing everything towards the end will not help. Second, stay focused,” Sharma opined.

Tackling pressure

Sharma said that to begin with, there was some stress and anxiety. “Everyone kept saying this is Board year, so there was a bit of fear. But then my mother and the teachers guided me and told me to take this like any other exam,” Sharma recalled.

Dhir said that he felt no pressure before the exam because he loves to study. “Since I love to read – it can be a course book or otherwise – I didn’t let the pressure get to me. I like to read all kinds of books. So much so that I could find time to read a couple of books even during my Board year,” Dhir shared.

Parental support

Gupta said that he got a lot of support from his parents and the teachers. “If I had any doubts the teachers were always there to help out and encourage me,” he added and said that while was a little stressed, he had heard that Board exams are easy and marking was lenient.

“I maintained a schedule of studying regularly throughout the year instead of waking up just before the exams. To tackle stress, I got help from family and relatives in combating stress. I also took breaks in between studies to relax,” Parmar said.

While there was no pressure on Bansal, there was some anxiety. “During the exam day, we get 15 minutes. I quickly got used to the pattern and became relaxed,” Bansal said.

Study plan

Gupta ensured that he hit the books from one day. “A few of my friends studied much later and still scored well. So, I don’t think it is necessary to study like I did. But it worked for me and I am happy. I studied purely from NCERT books. Only for Math I consulted RD Sharma as well, Gupta said.

Srivastav, unlike Gupta, started studying only in November. “I had not taken the Boards seriously before the pre-Board date sheet was declared. But I managed to complete my syllabus before the first pre-Boards. In my exams I was scoring in the 70s but I was not satisfied with SST marks. So for the second pre-Board I only studied SST and scored a centum in finals,” Srivastav said.

Routine on D-day

“I would get up at 4 am and just relax. I spent that time to refresh my mind and not try to cram and do last minute study,” Dhir said, who has opted for PCM with Computer Science since he wants to pursue engineering.

Sharma’s study plan was simple. “On an average, I used to study for four to five hours including the coaching classes that I attended,” she said and added that there was no pressure on her to score well. 

“On the D-day, I didn’t study after 6 pm. I relaxed and slept early so I had a good night’s sleep,” Gupta said.