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Devansh Shukla, one of the toppers of the Common University Entrance Test (CUET-UG) who is pursuing B Com Honours at Shri Ram College of Commerce, has a few tips for students who want to take admission to Delhi University.
A native of Uttar Pradesh’s Basti, Shukla completed his schooling from Saraswati Vidya Mandir with a score of 98 per cent. Asked how he prepared for the CUET examination, he said, “In the beginning, I prepared thoroughly for the Class 12 board examination. After that I aligned my preparation with CUET standards.”
“During my preparation, I realised that there were a few new topics that had been deleted from the Class 12 syllabus. For them, I took guidance in the last two months from Toprankers, which provided me with mock tests, papers and previous-year papers as well,” said Shukla, who scored 95 per cent in Class 10.
Shukla added that since the syllabuses for Class 12 and the CUET-UG are almost similar, he had no plan to prepare for them separately. On his preparation for the English test, he said, “Apart from CUET, I was also preparing for a five-year integrated programme in management. So the exam required a good command of the English language, especially vocabulary and comprehension. So I prepared for the subject using the coaching platform and also referred to Arun Sharma’s CAT book for verbal ability.”
Sharing some tips on how to shortlist the best college for one’s career, Shukla said, “It depends on the course one is opting for. If he or she wants a career in management they should go for B Com or BBA, for which colleges with good reputations and placement opportunities should be shortlisted. On the other hand, if one wants to appear for government exams like UPSC or something else or maybe pursue a teaching career, then Lady Shri Ram College, Hindu College etc can be considered.”
Shukla said it was also important for students to properly analyse colleges on the basis of their NIRF (National Institutional Ranking Framework) rankings, infrastructure, faculties, environment and placement opportunities, among other factors.
Asked what strategy he had while attempting the CUET-UG, Shukla said, “The basic strategy that I followed was to attempt the questions from the part of the subjects that you have mostly gone through. We had some topics that were deleted. So I focused first on those questions which I had read thoroughly during the board examination.”
Shukla believes that English is a game-changer. He scored 199.64 in the subject. “If I had scored 180 or 170 in English, I could not have got admission to SRCC,” said the boy, who scored 788 out of 800. “I think students should focus more on language papers. They need to brush up on Class 12 subjects and practise using the type of questions CUET has asked in the previous years and mock tests and by reading NCERT books thoroughly. This I believe is a good way to get a dream college.”
“I used to plan my day ahead and did not depend on how much study hours I need, but I used to focus on completing the subject or topic I planned ahead,” said the topper, who restricted his recreation activities two months before the CUET UG.
“In SRCC, we have 35-plus societies,” Shukla said, adding that they were organised by students to conduct events, competitions and other extracurricular activities. “I am involved in students’ political science society, fine art society and students’ quality assurance society. I am also quite active in extracurricular activities apart from academics in the college,” he added.