Class 10 Board Exam Preparation Tips: How Topper Anshika Scored 90+ Despite a Health Emergency

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Anshika's Story: Consistency Over Last-Minute Cramming 

Most students believe that one intense month of revision before boards will make all the difference. Anshika's journey proves otherwise.

An eSaral student who appeared for her Class 10 CBSE boards, Anshika, secured excellent marks across all five core subjects. But what makes her story remarkable is not just the score — it is what she went through to get there. On the day of her English paper, she experienced severe stomach pain at 4 AM and had to get an injection before heading to the exam hall. She still scored 92 in English.

When asked what made the difference, her answer was immediate: "Start from the beginning. Nothing has happened in the last month. That is just something people say."

💡 Expert Tip by eSaral Mentors: Students who begin their Class 10 board preparation in Class 10 itself — not the week before pre-boards — have a measurably stronger command over application-based questions. Consistency built over months cannot be replaced by intensity built over days.

This is the single most important lesson from Anshika's experience. She did not have an extraordinary study schedule. She had an ordinary one that she followed every single day.

Subject-Wise Strategy That Actually Worked

Understanding how Anshika approached each subject gives you a practical blueprint you can apply right now. Here is what she did for each of the five core CBSE subjects.

What Is the Best Strategy for the Class 10 Maths Board Exam?

Maths was Anshika's favourite subject — but she also admits her scores had dipped in the middle of the year. Her recovery strategy was targeted: she practised the questions her teacher covered in class notes (which were at a strong level), and she solved sample papers regularly. The combination of concept-level practice and paper-solving rebuilt her confidence before the final exam.

Key Maths takeaways:

• Do not skip class notes — well-crafted notes target the right level of difficulty
• Sample papers reveal the paper pattern and help you allocate time during the actual exam
• If you find a topic hard, work backwards from solved examples before attempting questions independently

How to Score High in Class 10 Science?

For Science, Anshika's approach was refreshingly simple: "Whatever sir taught, and NCERT. That's it." There was no extra reference book, no stack of guides. The Class 10 Science NCERT Solutions cover every concept tested at the board level. Reading NCERT line by line — not skimming it — is the foundation of a 90+ score in Science.

Social Science: The Subject Where NCERT + PYQ = Full Marks

Anshika's Social Science strategy was the clearest of all: NCERT and previous year questions (PYQs). Board examiners draw directly from the NCERT for Social Science. Questions repeat with similar phrasing year after year. This means studying NCERT once properly and then drilling PYQs gives you near-complete coverage of the paper.

English and Hindi: Stick to the Syllabus

Both language papers are scoring subjects when students follow the syllabus. Anshika's 92 in English — achieved despite a health emergency that morning — reflects strong preparation built over months, not a last-minute cramming session.

How Many Hours Should You Study Daily for Class 10 Boards? 

This is one of the most searched questions among Class 10 students, and the answer may surprise you.

Anshika studied 2 to 3 hours outside of coaching every day. Not 8 hours. Not 12 hours. Two to three — consistently, every single day.

The word that kept coming up in her conversation with eSaral mentors was "consistent." She did not have 10-hour study marathons followed by three days of rest. She had predictable, daily study blocks that compounded over months.

💡 Expert Tip by eSaral Mentors: Quality of focus matters more than duration. A student who studies with full concentration for 2.5 hours daily will retain more than one who sits with books for 6 hours while distracted. Build a schedule you can actually follow every day — not an ideal schedule you can follow on good days only.

Anshika also managed a health condition throughout her preparation and joined a gym to stay physically active. She was managing classes, gym, health, and study — and still maintained consistency. The takeaway is that you do not need ideal circumstances. You need a manageable routine that you protect every day.

How to Handle a Hard Paper Like Anshika Did 

The 2025 CBSE Class 10 Maths paper was widely reported as difficult. Anshika received the harder set (Set 3). Here is exactly how she handled it — and how you can too.

Her approach during the paper:

1. Attempted questions she knew first — she did not freeze at a hard question. She marked it and moved on.
2. Did not panic when others discussed it after the exam — she trusted her own assessment of what she had answered correctly.
3. Focused on accuracy over quantity — the marks she lost were marks she genuinely did not know. Everything she knew, she answered correctly.

She noted that rumours about grace marks circulated after the paper, but her final score reflected her actual performance, with no unexpected deductions outside of what she already expected.

This is what strong early preparation produces: a student who walks into a hard paper feeling ready, not desperate.

Additionally, Anshika noted that the first board exam itself can feel disorienting — filling in answer sheets, signing in the right place, and managing new formalities. That small administrative unfamiliarity caused minor disruption in her pacing for the first paper. If you are appearing for boards for the first time, practise mock exams under exam-like conditions to minimise this effect.

The PYQ Advantage: Why Previous Year Papers Are Non-Negotiable 

Anshika solved previous year question papers (PYQs) before her pre-boards and again before the final exams. This is not a minor habit — it is one of the highest-leverage activities a Class 10 student can do.

Why PYQs work:

• They reveal which question types repeat across years
• They show you how marks are distributed within a paper
• They train you to write answers in the format examiners expect
• They build timing awareness — you learn how long each section takes you
• They boost confidence by making the unknown feel familiar

For Social Science in particular, Anshika found that PYQs and NCERT together gave her near-complete coverage. The board does not frequently introduce entirely new question formats. Patterns repeat. This is an advantage every student can exploit.

You can access structured Class 10 NCERT Solutions to reinforce your understanding chapter by chapter, and then test yourself with PYQs to consolidate each topic.

What Morning vs Night Studying Tells Us About Study Habits

Anshika's answer to when she studied was one of the most honest moments of her interview: "I can't wake up in the morning. So I mostly preferred nights."

This matters because it dismantles one of the most persistent myths in student advice: that you must study in the morning to be a serious student. You do not.

What matters is:

• Studying at the time when your concentration is highest
• Protecting that time block consistently
• Not forcing a schedule that leaves you sleepy and unfocused because it looks good on paper

Find your peak focus window — whether that is 9 PM to midnight or 6 AM to 9 AM — and build your routine around it. Then protect it.

Anshika also managed her gym schedule alongside her studies and missed some coaching classes occasionally due to her health. She recovered that content through recorded lectures and continued without falling behind. Modern tools — including eSaral's recorded video lectures — make it possible to study on your schedule, not just when a class happens to be live.

For students in Class 9 preparing ahead, building this kind of flexible, self-directed routine now will serve you well throughout Class 10. You can start by working through Class 9 NCERT Solutions to build the foundational understanding that Class 10 content builds upon.

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