CBSE Results 2025: ‘I just wanted to give my best,’ says Saanvi Pajni, secures 499 out of 500

Though her exams had gone well, she hadn’t matched her answers with the official answer keys, choosing instead to wait and see. When she finally saw her results, she was in for a surprise, a near-perfect score.

With a full 100% in four subjects, Saanvi had secured an outstanding 499 out of 500. While she hadn’t expected to top, her mother wasn’t the least surprised; her faith in her daughter had never wavered.

A consistent student and a diligent worker, Saanvi had wished to top but never let that wish become a pressure. “I just wanted to do my best,” she says.

Her preparation strategy was straightforward: she practised all the questions her teachers gave her, added a few extra, and made sure her revision was easy and effective. History and Geography were her biggest challenges, too much to memorise, too much to cover, but she didn’t let them overwhelm her.

Her study routine was entirely school-based, with only two to three days off in the entire year. She had enrolled in online tuition classes but stopped by November, well before her February board exams. When studies felt too much, she’d turn to her favourite pastime, watching cricket. She even watched the India vs Pakistan match on her birthday, just two days before her Social Science exam. “It was a prep match, how could I miss it?” she laughs.

Cricket, short walks, and talking to friends or family were her go-to ways of managing stress. But her biggest pillar of support? Her mother. “Whenever I was struggling, I’d talk to her. She would help me plan how to get through it and even tell me honestly if I was doing something wrong. It was a kind of catharsis.”

In Class 11, Saanvi has opted for the non-medical stream and dreams of joining an IIT. She knows the road ahead is challenging, but she is optimistic about the road ahead. “My family was overjoyed, probably more than me,” she chuckles. To celebrate her amazing performance, her family met for a dinner last night, filled with love.