JOIN USIt is said that ‘genius is 1% talent and 99% hard work’. Proving this are the toppers of the Class 12 CBSE examinations 2017 who recount stories of perseverance and toil that enabled them to beat the competition. From burning the midnight oil to handling exam stress, students braved many a hurdle to reach the pinnacle of success. Metrolife talks to the toppers to find out their victory formula.
Science
Elizabeth Kuruvilla
National Public School, Rajajinagar
Score: 97.6%
It was a well deserved victory for Elizabeth. Rather than a fixed study timetable, it was
her attentiveness in class that enabled Elizabeth to score high.
“I listened carefully to my teachers and made sure that I knew the concepts well,” she says.
“We were able to prepare well during the one month we got before exams but still I was not expecting to score this much. I am grateful to my family, friends and teachers for all their support,”
she adds.
Even though both her parents are teachers, they preferred regular enquiries about her studies rather than constant supervision.
“She has been consistent since kindergarten and believed in doing it all by herself,” says Ann Kuruvilla, Elizabeth’s mother.
“She was very confident about the exams, a confidence moulded by her teachers.”
Elizabeth plans to go for Engineering now.
Jyothishmathi CV
Delhi Public School (South)
Score: 97.6%
For Jyothishmathi CV, a strategic approach to studies during the preparation time is what helped her bag good scores.
“Our portions were done by December and we had gone through several revisions before the actual exams.”
“Doing several practice rounds helped to boost my confidence,” she says.
Around 10 to 12 hours of studying along with a focus on important chapters is the right way to go, she reveals.
Her mother Anitha and father Dr Jagadhish Chundury always encouraged her to have a focussed approach and be relaxed.
“We reminded her to be patient and not to compare herself with anyone”
“We always told her to just aim for the best,” says Anitha.
With mathematics and computer science as her favourite subjects, Jyothishmathi aims to be a software engineer.
Rahul N Shanbhag
CMR National Public School
Score:97 %
It came as a surprise for Rahul to score so well in his exams.
He says, “I expected to do well but not such a great result like this. I’m quite happy with the results. I’m not celebrating yet though; I will once I complete my entrance exams as well.”
He has been preparing for the examinations since January. He explains, “I kept practising and studying everything on a daily basis. My teachers guided me along the way as well. I kept a daily target and that helped me not stress too much. Time management was the key to my success.”
He looks forward to taking up Electrical Engineering for higher studies.
Viswajeeet Balaji
National Public School
Koramangala
Score:97.2%
Viswajeeet worked really hard to achieve his good grades and is happy about the results.
He says, “I found Physics to be one of the easiest subjects but I scored the least in that.
I did really well in Computer Science and Mathematics though. I kept revising everything taught since January and I was consistent when studying. I ensured that I studied different chapters of multiple subjects to break the monotony.”
His father Balaji is also extremely proud of his son’s grades though he feels that Viswajeeet could have done better.
He says, “I am very happy and delighted about his accomplishments. He has always been an inquisitive learner and he truly deserves this.”
Viswajeeet is looking forward to going abroad to pursue either Computer Science or Mathematics.
Archana P
National Public School
Rajajinagar
Score: 96.4%
I prepared right from the beginning, if not every day then atleast every second day,” says Archana.
“As the exams neared, I prepared a rough timetable and focussed more on the chapters I wasn’t very comfortable with. It wasn’t a very exact timetable but I was just clear about which subject to study for the day.”
Archana stresses on the fact that it is important to like what you are doing so that the burden doesn’t get to you and adds that she is going to pursue Computer Science with Engineering now.
“We are very excited and happy,” says R Padma, Archana’s mother.
“She always believed in self study and it was her hard work coupled with her teacher’s guidance that enabled her to score so high.”
Humanities
Supriya Kumar
DPS (South)
Score:97.2%
Supriya Kumar’s love for the Humanities stream is what led her to the explore it. “I loved all the subjects in my twelfth standard, which includes the core subjects like economics and political science. This is also why I wasn’t very stressed. Our teachers had finished our portions a while back, which left us relaxed. There has to be effective management of time and efforts, when preparing for exams,” she says.
Her parents Lalitha and Vishnu Kumar are content with their daughter’s performance.
Lalitha says, “The first and foremost thing we kept a check on was her stress levels. We always told her to just channel her energy the right way and be calm and focussed. Apart from setting aside proper hours for studies, I always reminded her to eat and sleep well. Meditating during these times also helps in a better concentration level.”
Commerce
Aishwarya Ramasami
DPS (South)
Score:97.6%
Exam time was taxing for Aishwarya but she was determined to do well. She made a well-planned timetable for her studies, which involved revisions and a detailed study of different chapters. “My teachers also helped a lot by suggesting varied sample exam papers, which I practised. These also helped me to evaluate my performance and concentrate on the plan,” she says.
Aishwarya adds that it is important to concentrate on studies throughout the year.
Her mother Akila and father Ramasami couldn’t be more proud. “We tried to keep her motivated. I had also done my studies in commerce, so I was able to guide her a bit,” she adds.
Aishwarya’s favourite subjects are accountancy, economics and business studies and she wants to concentrate on further studies in management accountancy.
Swetha Susan Saji
CMR National Public School
95.6%
Swetha admits to being a little nervous before her results were published.
She says, “I expected to come second in my school. Some of the papers were tough, especially Math and Accountancy. But I had prepared well for all the subjects and I’m glad my hard work paid off.”
She studied on a daily basis and kept revising the chapters. Her mother Deepa adds, “I’m not surprised that she scored well at all. She has always been very hardworking and that helped stay consistent in her studies. We are on cloud nine.” Swetha is looking forward to becoming a Chartered Accountant.
Vidhya Hariharan
CMR National Public School
94.6%
Vidhya Hariharan is delighted that her hardwork has paid off.
She says her preparation was somewhat last-minute but thorough practice of previous year’s questions papers and adequate focus on reference books stood her in good stead.
“I made sure that I went through all the important basic concepts regularly and I was helped by my teachers a lot during the process,” she says.
Though Vidhya wants to do BCom now, she plans to take up liberal arts later on.
“She always wanted to be a journalist so after BCom, we have given her the liberty to follow her dreams,” says Uma Hariharan, Vidhya’s mother.
Uma adds that she took one month off to help her daughter prepare for the exams.
“I keep telling her not to leave anything till the last minute though,” she says with a smile.
(As told to Tini Sara Anien, Rajitha Menon and Anila Kurian)