Dos and Don'ts for Class X Board Exams - Learn the exam etiquette

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What are the key mistakes to avoid in Class 10 Board exams? Read ahead to know tips for last-minute preparation and paper presentation.

Tenth-grade students in India are soon going to take on the mammoth task of appearing for one of the most formidable exams in their academic journeys – Class 10 Board Exams. Their exemplary result depends on their ability to study well in advance, be attentive to their presentation and writing style, and predominantly be cautious during the tests.

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Let’s help you understand how to maintain your cool while preparing over the next few days and what exam etiquette to follow during the tests:

Things To-Do 15 days before Writing the Exam

Avoid being puzzled by new ideas

A fortnight before the exam, do not try to absorb new topics and ideas. Getting perplexed with new topics is common but that leads to waste of precious time. Work with your strengths, keep it simple, and cover essential and high-weightage topics.

Cover one easy and one difficult subject / topic per day

Include both difficult and easy topics/chapters in your holistic study routine per day. For instance, if numericals in Physics pose a challenge, but Biology is easy to learn, revise these two in succession. This helps you stay active throughout without diminishing your mental capacity. Don’t revise too many topics together.

Use Quick Revision tools – quick-notes, flashcards & formulae chart/poster

Avoid reading entire NCERT texts, instead use short notes, flashcards, brain maps and formulae chart/posters to recapitulate important topics and formulae throughout the day. This is more advantageous than sitting with textbooks for hours. Reach out to your teachers in case of doubts, or watch the concept video of the tricky topic.

Repeat solving questions from practice / mock tests

Solving as many previous years’ papers / practice tests / mock tests as possible is the quickest way to remember question patterns, gauge your own preparation level and instill time management. Also, planning timings beforehand for each section and leaving 15 minutes at the end for revision is vital.

Keep adequate breaks in your timetable

Don’t forget to choose a means of relaxation to take a pause, recharge and de-stress your mind. You may take a short walk, practice meditation or yoga and ensure that you incorporate short breaks during your study sessions. This will significantly improve your attention span and comprehension of the subject.

Refine study schedule as per need

Getting stuck with ideal plans and not tweaking them as per requirement is a bad idea. Create a realistic study plan with fitting outcomes to make it more productive. Review your timetable daily and make necessary alterations to cover the left-out topics or time-consuming areas the next day.

Practice grammar skills & analyze solutions

For language subjects such as English, Hindi and Sanskrit, work on your grammar skills since sentence formation and accuracy is checked by the examiners. In order to enhance writing style, practice writing compositions through sample answers, previous years’ questions and then refer to the sample solutions and toppers’ answer sheets to improve upon your mistakes.

Things To-Do while Writing the Exam

Allocate time to each section / question

When you get the question paper, divide the overall time between different sections. Leave 15 mins at the end for revision. Do not spend too much time on short answers otherwise you will rush through the last few long answers resulting in reckless errors.

Read questions carefully

Read the complete question twice and pay attention to the question stem and key words. Do not start answering a question just by reading a few words. This may lead to careless errors.

Strike off completed questions on the question paper

This ensures that you don’t leave any question unanswered inadvertently.

How to present the paper?

Write your paper in blue or black ink only. Do not use green or any other coloured pen.

Draw the margins on the left-side of the answer sheet for question number and on the right- side for rough work.

Write in neat and legible handwriting. If you make a mistake, strike it out neatly with one single line.

Leave a line between answers. You may also draw a line at the end of every answer to enhance neatness.

Try to attempt the questions of a section in sequence. In case you are not sure about a question, leave some lines and come back to it later.

Do not use SMS language and short forms. Use formal, academic writing style and pay attention to spellings.

Do not elaborate too much while writing answers. Stick to the word limit / marking scheme.

For very short answer / objective type questions, underline the answer or the main keyword. You may also highlight / underline / draw boxes around important points.

For distinguish between questions, answer the question in points within columns. Do not write in a paragraph.

In Science, draw neat and labelled diagrams using a sharp pencil. Give a proper title to each diagram.

In Social Science, for map-based questions, write the question number on the top left corner of the map and attach the map in the middle, not at the end of the answer sheet.

In Mathematics, write down all the given information in order as it appears – Given, To Find, Formulae, Proof and Answer (in units).

In Mathematics and numericals of Physics, put the final answer in a box (with units).

In English, write compositions and answers in paragraph as per word limit. Do not write in points.

Keep in mind that your health plays a crucial role in your performance on the day of the exam. So, take proper sleep, avoid stress and keep these pointers in mind to give your best shot. All the Best!