‘YouTube helped in revising concepts’: CBSE class 12 toppers on using online resources

Bhavya Mohindru, a Commerce student from Apeejay School Saket was desperately looking for his admit card when the CBSE class 12 results were declared. It was his father who finally called him and said that he was contacted and congratulated by the school for his son’s excellent performance. “I was not prepared! We did not have any prior information that the results were coming out. When I finally found my admit card, I saw my result and was very happy. I had prepared well and hoped to score well. But the marks I got were beyond my expectations,” said the school topper, who scored 97.6 per cent.

It was after exam dates for term II were announced that Bhavya realised he had to “pull up his socks and focus”. He added, “My teachers recognised my potential and motivated me to complete the last mile.”

As for his study schedule, Bhavya did not compel himself to study for hours. “I did not have a fixed study schedule. I am not someone who can study for hours at a stretch. I would usually assign myself one or two chapters per day and study them thoroughly. Two days before the exam, I would not try anything new but mostly revise the chapters.”

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A close second, Sumahi Sharma, who scored 96 per cent, did not opt for any tuition. She studied NCERT books thoroughly and solved questions at the back of the books as well as previous-year papers. “I believe self-study is very important. Plus, for CBSE, you don’t really need to go to a coaching centre. My school teachers were a great help. They were my only mentors. They always responded to my questions and queries instantly,” said the topper, who opted for Physics, Chemistry, and Biology for the class 12 exam.

The students also leveraged course-based online resources, especially the content on YouTube, which has now gained popularity among learners. “With so many YouTube channels, it became easier to study for CBSE. They are very helpful,” Sumahi said.

Bhavya explained, “YouTube is good when it comes to revising concepts. I would not recommend it to someone who is studying a topic for the first time because it is not custom-made and the teacher cannot see you. These videos are helpful after you have grasped the concept and want to do quick revisions.”

With online classes and quarantine on one hand and a completely new CBSE board exam pattern on the other, students had a lot to grapple with. “With so much going around, the journey was definitely stressful. Studying at home throughout the day with everybody around is not that easy—there are a lot of distractions. And I would be lying if I say I wasn’t distracted. To cope with it, I watched a lot of Netflix and TV. After a point, of course, you get used to it all. At the end of the day, I did what I had to do, which was study,” Sumahi, who is currently applying to colleges to pursue Biotechnology, shared.

Bhavya, too, found ways to de-stress himself. “I wouldn’t say there was a drastic change in my routine. I spoke to my friends once in a while. I also played guitar. Even between exams, music was something that I found comfort in. Even during the class 10 board exams, my parents took me out to dinner and that was repeated this time as well just to keep my mind off the exam for a couple of hours. It has become more like a family tradition.” Bhavya has already secured admission into Ashoka University for BSc in Economics.

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 “There is no parameter for success… Soaring high has been our nature!”

-Sujeet Eric Masih, principal, Apeejay Saket