When millions of students appear for the CBSE Board Exam, why do only a handful reach the top positions? Every year CBSE board exam results bear testimony to some miraculously outshining results, with students scoring nearly 100%. Ever wondered what their special strategies are that help them shine brighter? Their success secret lies in their habits: how they go about preparing, performing, and teaming it all with their hard work. Discover the CBSE board exam toppers’ habits that help them outperform the competition and set them apart from the league. Learn from these 15 habits of CBSE board exam toppers and make your study pattern more effective to attain the maximum marks in your board exams.
15 habits of CBSE board exam toppers
1. Opt for the right study material and create your notes- self-study
Getting the best books and guides is a must for all students. Toppers always have NCERT books and NCERT solutions at hand. Additionally, many CBSE board exam toppers have claimed that self-prepared study notes are the real weapon to success. They are written in their language while highlighting the important keywords. They help them narrow down the vast textbook material and ultimately assist in easy and quick revisions.
Also, notes taken during class lectures help students remember important concepts that the teachers emphasize in the class. Active learning and creating one’s notes have helped every topper maintain exceptional grades.
2. Understand and then memorize
Mugging up all that is a part of the CBSE syllabus has never been a topper’s strategy. Instead, understanding it all has been every topper’s goal. Apart from a few formulae and technical terms, all concepts require a thorough understanding, not rote-memorization. Toppers understand every crucial point in the textbook.
Understanding the concepts helps in the long run and allows you to cover the most challenging topics. So, do things the topper’s way: read and understand all the concepts, practice, and revise.
3. Never cram it all in one shot
All successful students know that all the topics in the syllabus need undivided attention, and thus they space their work into short study sessions to maximize concentration. They rarely try to cram all of it in one go. A CBSE topper elaborated on her strategy and revealed how she never extended her study hours beyond her learning constraints.
It is okay to quit when you feel exhausted. A tired body loses its efficiency. So, when you try to complete major portions by sitting down to study for long hours continuously, you stress your brain, and you may not be able to retain that information for a long time. So, if you desire to make it to the top, inculcate the habit of organizing your study into regular, shorter study periods.
4. Set realistic targets
This habit is one of the most important ones that toppers follow. They set a specific target for every study session. While setting a target, they consider their capabilities and ensure that the target is realistic. It is vain to decide that you will complete 100 questions in an hour. Because when you end up not being able to achieve this unrealistic target, it adds to negativity and pressure. So, make your study sessions more productive and decide on a reasonable target to achieve success.
5. Never delay your study schedule
Every second topper will tell you to prepare a timetable. However, preparing a timetable is not enough. The most imperative success tip is to follow that timetable religiously. If you read the stories of successful students, you will find one thing in common: they do not procrastinate in their study sessions.
Although it might get tough to follow a pre-planned schedule, you will have to do it to create your success story. Moreover, when you put off even one study session for the future, things accumulate in your basket. You end up rushing and rushing leads to errors and lower quality preparation.
6. Multitasking is a big no-no
The human brain can focus on only one thing at a time, and multitasking reduces your efficiency and performance. Every topper never took multiple tasks simultaneously as it is not advisable for high productivity. You must move on to the next task once the first is finished and you are satisfied.
Multitasking not only creates chaos but also adds stress and confusion. There is a possibility that you might get confused with the topics, leading to poor performance. So, inculcate the habit of prioritising tasks and accomplishing one task at a time to achieve success in CBSE board exams.
7. Frequent revisions
Often students mistakenly associate the term revision with last-minute preparation. Revisions are not to be kept for the night before the exam but throughout the time of preparation. We tend to forget 33% of what we hear or read in twenty-four hours if we do not review it. So, frequent revisions are one habit of toppers that you must inculcate as soon as possible.
All successful students find time to weekly review all that they have covered throughout the week. This strategy helps them get a command over the knowledge they have gained so far. Also, it prepares them for learning newer concepts based on the facts they went through in the previous week.
8. Participate in study groups and discussions
Do you prefer group studies? If not, try to do so because several toppers have shared this as one of their core habits. It often happens that a group member might raise a point that you would have ignored otherwise. So, it is good to be in touch with your peers, learn about each other’s doubts and solve them to strengthen your concepts.
An enriching discussion with your peers on a concept can help expand your horizon. When you impart your knowledge to others, you also take knowledge from them simultaneously. Group discussions helped toppers when they came across issues and were able to approach teachers.
9. Avoid last-minute cramming
If your goal is to make it to the topper’s list, put an end to the last-minute cramming of new topics. Most students assume that they can score high even if they start preparing a few days before the exam. The reality is quite the opposite. You can get passing marks, but you won’t be able to emerge as a topper. It is not that simple to complete the entire syllabus and revisions in a short time. Rather, this practice leads to stress, tension and anxiety.
CBSE board exam preparations cannot be done overnight. The last few days before the final CBSE board exam are for revision and not for cramming new topics. You must pursue proper planning to prepare well for the exams. Toppers never risk stressing themselves in the exams; they inculcate the habit of preparing for the exam much before the due date.
10. Pursue that you love
Toppers keep their interests alive as it energizes the brain. Continuously studying and sacrificing all your hobbies harms your mental health, and therefore, toppers indulge in extracurricular activities and enjoy their interests. Several toppers have shared their stories of how they managed to balance their study and passion simultaneously.
Remember that your passion or hobby works as a stress buster; it refreshes the mind and develops attentiveness.
11. Maintain a healthy lifestyle
It is a common myth that toppers study for 15 to 16 hours and that they study early in the morning and late into the night. Contrastingly, every topper has always emphasised how they ensure at least seven to eight hours of sleep. Adequate sleep strengthens your brain and helps it retain the information you learned during the day.
It is never wise to trade away your physical and mental health for long study sessions. Good nutrition, physical activity, adequate sleep, exercise, and positive thinking have been on every topper’s regime.
12. Never be hesitant in asking for help
Clearing doubts at the right time is the key to building concepts. Everyone has certain doubts; if you are not troubled by them, you are not doing it right because the more you dive in, the more you desire to understand things completely. A common error that most students commit but the toppers don’t is that they let the doubts pass away. You must ensure that you jot down all your doubts and have cleared them with your teacher.
Seeking help from friends or teachers can help you in solving your problems. Contrastingly, those who hesitate to ask for help indulge themselves in a lot of confusion and poor performance. Clarity of concepts is a prerequisite for success in any CBSE board exam.
13. Practice time management
Time management is one such habit that sets toppers apart from the crowd. It is vital to have a clear picture of the time when you begin your preparations and plan accordingly. Also, it is a must to keep track of all your activities throughout the day. This habit helps avoid unproductive activities.
Time management is also important when you are practicing for your final exam. You must understand how much time you can devote to every type of question.
14. Assess yourself
Self-improvement can only be achieved after regular self-analysis. Toppers understand this idea, and thus they ensure that they analyze where they stand in their preparation race. They constantly increase the graph of self-improvement to achieve their goal.
There are innumerable ways available to assess your preparation. You can take mock tests, practice tests, solve previous years’ question papers, and practice via CBSE board exam sample papers. Assessments boost your confidence and help you get familiar with your strengths and weaknesses.
15. Be confident- not overconfident
Confidence is toppers’ shield as being nervous and frantic restricts growth. At the same time, some worry is beneficial in pushing you to perform, and overconfidence can be harmful.
You must believe in yourself and develop trust in what you do. To make it to the top requires a lot of hard work, for which you need confidence in yourself. Lack of confidence can cause a student to lose concentration and interest in studies after a certain point. To inculcate the habit of being confident and staying motivated to land success.
Bottom Line
Conclusively, toppers do not worry about their study hours; rather, what they put into those hours takes them to the top. They do not do new things or are born with some special traits; rather, they combine hard work and smart work that takes them to the top.
FAQs about 15 habits of CBSE board exam toppers
1. How many hours do CBSE board exam toppers study?
Toppers do not have prolonged study sessions; rather, they maintain the regularity of studies. Almost every topper stresses that 5 to 6 hours of study per day is sufficient if one is regular, stays organized, and does not indulge in distractions in the study period. Sticking to a timetable and balancing studies and hobbies is the key to success.
2. How many hours does a CBSE board exam topper sleep?
Toppers suggest that approximately 6-7 hours of sleep is vital. If you do sleep more someday, cut down on some leisure activities. At the same time, sacrificing sleep and studying late into the night or having an irregular sleep schedule has never been a topper's idea.
3. Do toppers use social media?
Most of the toppers had one thing in common, i.e., they all stayed away from social media. Toppers strongly believe that scrolling through pages and spending time online serves as a distraction and deviates them from staying focused on their preparation. Several toppers deactivated their social media accounts to stay away from it completely.
