Regular revision, mock tests, reference books: CBSE class 10 toppers of Apeejay Mahavir Marg share their mantra for success

“I am very happy not just for myself but for my parents who believed in me. They have told me to not take this success to my head but keep working harder,” Aaryan Suri from Apeejay Mahavir Marg said in an interview.

Aaryan’s mantra for success was not strict adherence to a timetable. It did not work for him, he said. “Ahead of my exams, I had seen some interviews of previous school toppers. The one thing that I learned was the importance of in-depth studying. About two-three months before the examination, I turned fully towards NCERT which helped me a lot. I would make a mental plan of the topics I needed to cover in a week. As for a daily timetable, I did not follow it much but studied only when I felt like it… My teachers have been equally supportive throughout the academic year. They also played a huge role in my success.”

Echoing Aaryan’s thoughts, his batchmate Roopanshi Marwaha expressed gratitude to the Apeejay faculty. “The sudden announcement of the results came as a big surprise. Needless to say, getting 99.5 per cent in CBSE term I is a very big deal for me. My parents were very happy and teary-eyed.”

Talking about the contribution of the schoolteachers, Roopanshi added, “The teachers made online classes very interesting for us through PowerPoint presentations and animated videos. I did not have to join any coaching class but did self-study instead. Mock tests and pre-board exams also helped us practise. Timetables don’t work for me. However, not procrastinating is also a very important part of the preparation process.”

Apeejay Mahavir Marg student Gurchet Singh said his parents found it difficult to believe at first that their son had scored 99 per cent. “This is the first time ever that I have scored such a high percentage. It surely feels great. My parents couldn’t believe it when I told them about it. So, I had to show them a photo of the result. Some of my teachers, however, said they were expecting such a performance from me.”

“The teachers played a big role in this. Besides self-study, I also watched online lectures, all of which contributed to my success. I set small targets for myself in terms of how much of the syllabus I had to complete in a given amount of time,” he added.

Having secured 99 per cent, Bhumika Aggarwal is gearing up for the CBSE term II now. “The score that I have achieved has motivated me to work even harder for term II. I read the NCERT thoroughly. Regular assignments were also given to us by the school, which helped us prepare well,” she mentioned.

Among the toppers are also Hunar Pasricha and Mannat Bindra, who also scored 99 per cent.  “I had constantly been preparing for the exam and it was definitely overwhelming to see my score. It was the cumulative effort of my teachers, parents, and me,” Mannat stated, adding that she aims to get a perfect score in term II. “Meanwhile, there is also the National Talent Search Exam (NTSE) and the Olympiad coming up. So, I have set a timetable for myself to divide my time for studying accordingly. I study for about 15 hours a day. But I also take out time to destress. In the morning, I go to tennis class, which refreshes me. When I am bored of studying, I go up to my terrace and listen to songs. I also read storybooks or chat with my parents in my free time. Closer to the board exam, I have decided to devote more time to solving practice test papers, which are very helpful. I also believe in the regular revision of topics.”

“Some part of me was confident that I would score this much,” added Hunar. “When I am studying for an exam, I set a target in terms of the marks I want to achieve in a particular subject, and work more on the subjects that I am relatively weaker in.”

Apart from NCERT, Hunar also referred to other books while preparing for the board exam. “For the exam, I bought a lot of reference books and studied from them during the final three months ahead of the board exam in November. That helped me a lot. Since childhood, my parents have been asking me to follow a timetable but from my experience, I have found out that I perform better when the schedule is flexible.”

Talking about how the school helped, Hunar, who wants to be an astrophysicist, added, “The pre-boards and mock tests were a big help. In fact, they were more difficult than the board exam. The teachers helped us a lot—we did some extra reading for almost two months after the syllabus was finished. They shared suggestions and possible questions, which helped further.”

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“Congratulations to students on their stupendous results in the CBSE Class X Term-1 Examinations 2021-22. They have further raised the bar of our excellent academic standards in the School. I am proud of their achievements, and wish them good luck in their future endeavours.”

-MR. GIRISH KUMAR, PRINCIPAL, APEEJAY SCHOOL, MAHAVIR MARG