Investing in stock market during pandemic helped CBSE Class 12th student score 99.2%

Gulvani explains that the secret to success is because of practicing model question papers and sticking to textbook syllabus. “I enjoyed studying accountancy and mathematics because it is practical, while I found it a challenge to study business studies. However, I prepared myself for business studies after analyzing the questions carefully,” said Gulvani, who usually studied for seven to eight hours a day with breaks in between. “I usually unwind by listening to Eminem’s rap songs and watching cricket,” added Gulvani who is from National Public School.

The class 12 CBSE results announced on Friday showed that Bengaluru stood second with a pass percentage of 98.64, after Trivandrum (99.91%). A total of 16.8 lakh students registered and 16.6 lakh students appeared for the examination, recording an overall pass percentage of 87.33%.

Anantharaman Subramaniam Iyer, a science topper who secured 98.4%, believes learning to enjoy the material is as important as studying. “I don’t find it helpful to focus on study hours as such. I study only as long as I can. Breaks are important. Learning to enjoy the material is as important as studying. With entrance exams for almost everything these days, it’s important to not get caught up in simply trying to ace them,” said Iyer, who plans to study computer science at Georgia Tech.

He also added that, “I enjoy science because it seems like the best way to understand our natural world. And there’s plenty of good science writing by Carl Sagan, Richard Dawkins, Charles Petzold and others to sustain that interest.” Iyer loves to play cricket, badminton and is now trying to become a swimmer.

Diya Sreenivasan, humanities stream topper from Bengaluru kept her formula to success simple – textbook and worksheets. Sreenivasan who scored 98%, attributes her success to teachers who have helped her understand and break down the topics. “I think the exam schedule which was spaced out, reduced the academic pressure. As far as preparation goes, I took it one day at a time. I used to set a goal for the day and cover as many topics as possible. My formula was simple- practicing worksheets given by my teachers and sticking to textbook content,” said Sreenivasan who wants to pursue economics in her higher studies. The 17-year old is a basketball player and is interested in architectural photography.