Disciplined minds and determined hearts brought triumph

From topping Class VIII, now stepping into Class IX (academic year 2024-25), success didn’t come overnight—it came through pages turned at dawn, doubts cleared after class, and dreams chased with quiet determination. Their days were guided by timetables, their minds focused by goals, and their hearts strengthened by the support of parents and teachers.

Meet Advik Behl, Aarish Saini and Aarush Gupta from Apeejay School, Model Town, who scored 98%, 96.4% and 96.1% respectively in their final exams. Speaking about his preparation strategy, Advik said, “My preparation strategy was simple. I did not want to put myself in much pressure so I tried to study regular at fix hours so that I didn’t have to rush my syllabus. I tried to revise as much as I could so that I was sure that I can do well in the exams. My time table contains many different things as I like to engage myself in as much activities as I could. Firstly, I went to school. After returning home I studied for a few hours in my room. Then I headed out to play tennis and basketball followed by swimming for cardio and relaxation. Then I’d come back to home and revise some important parts of my syllabus before going to bed.”

For Aarish, being regular with studies made all the difference. “I tried to understand every topic in class itself so that I didn’t have to struggle later. After school, I’d revise what was taught that day and note down any doubts to ask the next day. Before exams, I focused more on topics I wasn’t confident in and solved lots of sample questions. Small things like writing my own notes, teaching topics to friends, and solving questions again and again really helped me,” he added. 

While Aarush believed devoting fixed number of hours to studies. “My study schedule is all about that I study daily the topics covered in class and at the end of week I thoroughly revise all the topic again. But this schedule is not fixed as I don’t study when I don’t want.”

Each mark scored was a reflection of countless hours of preparation, discipline, and self-belief which also came along with its set of challenges. 

“The most challenging part of my exams was to keep up with my revision and study in continuity as it’s hard to keep revising the same thing again and again still after you have done it. But, I kept my mind straight and kept pushing myself to be better than yesterday. This is how I came over this phase,” explained Advik. 

And Aarish and Aarush, the main struggle was the pressure in the last few weeks before exams which was the hardest. “We had this fear of forgetting things or not doing well. But we reminded ourselves that we have worked hard all year. Talking to our parents, taking breaks, and even listening to music helped us relax. Once we got into the flow, everything felt more manageable.”

Their academic excellence is not just a result, but a story of grit, responsibility, and a deep commitment to growth. They now stand as beacons of inspiration for their classmates and school community.