Board date-sheets out, students ramp up prep

With the release of date-sheets for Class X and Class XII examinations of both CBSE and ICSE boards, students across the region have dived into full-throttle preparation.

Class X examinations for both boards are set to start on November 17, which leaves the students with about two and a half months to prepare.

Pre-board examinations, in almost every school in the region, are set to start in the first week of December — a litmus test for the students looking to gauge their exam preparedness.

Exhorting students to not panic as the exams approach, principals of most local schools are of the opinion that students simply need to remain consistent with their preparation.

‘Keep distractions away; ensure you don’t burn out’

“At the moment, they need not prepare as per the board date-sheet. Students must look at the pre-board examination date-sheet, and plan their schedule accordingly. Our first pre-boards will start from December 2, and the second round will be held in January. There is no need to panic or stress out. Students just need to keep their phones switched off and put all distractions away. They must study, and relax in between so that they do not burn out by the time the board examinations are around,” says Rashmi Vij, principal, Police DAV Public School.

CBSE schools have been emphasising the need for students to focus on NCERT books — ensuring that no part is left uncovered.

Ritu Kaul, principal, Delhi Public School, offers some last-minute tricks.

‘Make formula lists, short notes for revision’

“Students can make lists of formulas for mathematics, physics and other subjects, putting these in front of their study tables so that they practise these daily. They can make short notes for lengthy chapters for quick revision ahead of the exams for which they do not have preparatory leave,” she says.

Individual attention for pupils with less marks

“In October, we made new sections of students based on their performance in the half-yearly examinations. We are working on students with unsatisfactory scores in a different way; and focussing on our topper section with an entirely different method. We have made small batches of students with less scores to ensure individual attention. We are giving them frequent tests so that they gradually build confidence and start delivering. With this method, we expect ‘slow learners’ to increase their result by 20-25 per cent,” she added.

For topper batches, schools have been readying question banks wherein high-order thinking is involved — which schools believe can help students who are already scoring more than 90 per cent score an additional 4-5 per cent.

Kaul also advises students to solve at least one sample paper of any subject each day for a more thorough self-evaluation.

‘No need to solve all 10-year question papers’

Rajiv Paliwal, principal, Innocent Hearts School, says: “This year, we are having only one pre-board examination. There shall be practical examination from January 15 to February 15. We want our students to focus on self-study after their pre-boards.”

Regarding solving question papers of the last 10 years, a commonly suggested practice, he said, “Students can solve question papers of the past two-three years, just to get the hang of the pattern. Going further back may not help much as the board hardly repeats any questions from examinations held that far ago.”