Class X: Board exams made EASY!

Has your appetite reduced? Are you losing sleep? Are your teachers and parents being overtly ambitious, and pushing you hard? If yes, then welcome to the year of the Board exams! You have just entered Class X or Class XII, and this is a crucial year for your career future.

So, follow these Topper dos and don'ts, and score!

The dos

Know your syllabus
Refer to the CBSE website for the updated syllabus of this year, and know it completely. As you go through the contents table of your subject textbooks, you will see familiar topics, which may have already been introduced in your previous classes, especially in math and science. You should have a clear picture of familiar and unfamiliar topics.

NCERT textbooks rule
Irrespective of the books prescribed by your school, ensure that you always refer to the NCERT textbooks, carefully. It has been a tradition with CBSE to mostly map the question papers to NCERT textbooks.

Previous years' papers always help
Get into the habit of solving questions from previous years' papers. These are easily available and accessible on educational websites like Topperlearning.com and CBSE. You can also pick them up from book shops, but make sure the publisher is authentic. Make sure you have the latest papers, too.

Follow CBSE (or relevant board) sample papers only
These are generally released in September or October on the CBSE website. Whenever it happens, consider it your 'first standard mock test' before moving on to any private publisher's papers.

Keep your eyes and ears open
CBSE, being a dynamic body, is continuously in the process of reforming testing mechanisms by changing the syllabus, marking schemes, exam patterns, etc. So, stay updated.

On your marks, get set, go!
Understand the marking scheme followed by CBSE, by going through SMART answers of previous years' papers solved by experts or CBSE. Every question has a specific marks break-up. Your familiarity with the format will help you guess the probable marks allotted for the various steps involved in the correct answer.

No cramming
It's important to learn and understand your concepts well, if you want to score more in the exams. Cramming, without understanding, will take you nowhere. So, make sure you have understood the concepts well before cramming anything.

The don'ts

Stick to your CBSE syllabus
Don't put unnecessary pressure on yourself by studying more than the scope of your syllabus. Nothing apart from the prescribed syllabus will appear in your exams.

Refresher books are for revision
The key to success in the exams is to always start with NCERT textbooks. Use refresher books or guides only to refresh what you have already studied. This will confuse you less.

No 'guess papers' at the start
These papers are for practising, only when you have finished revising the entire syllabus of a subject, at least once. By starting with these you will end up confusing yourself and panicking.

Avoid peer pressure
Always prepare for the exams as per your needs and abilities. Studying what's outside of your syllabus just because your friends are doing so could prove to be a waste of time.

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Illustration: Dominic Xavier