Chill! Don’t stress, don’t cram, say cool-headed toppers

Bengaluru: A day before her exams, she read storybooks and comics, or watched television. Supreetha MA, who scored 99.8% in the SSLC board exams and bagged second rank in the state, was keeping her mind free of stress. Ranjan BS, now famous for A 100% in the recent exam, didn't get into a pickle either. These toppers, like many others, believe a cool approach helps ace the dreaded boards.
"I didn't touch my school books a day before the exam. I would read comics or just spend the day in front of the TV. Last-minute studying was never an option for me. During revision, I would stick to the timetable I had made for myself and make sure I finished it in three hours. I couldn't study more than that," said Supreetha.
For Ranjan, scoring full marks in all his subjects was not the aim, but only the fruit of his efforts. "I never took any tension about the papers once I had answered them. There was some fear over how I had performed, but I didn't get demotivated. Scoring good marks was more important than topping and ultimately, with the right kind of attitude towards the exam, nothing seems impossible," Ranjan told TOI.
For Michelle Nazareth, Karnataka topper in the ISC exams, there is no good being forced to do well; instead, the extra push should come from within. "My elder brother and sister were also toppers during their school days. But for me, there was never any pressure to come first," she said.
"I knew I had to do well, but topping the exams was never my aim. There was no point getting stressed about the exams. One must study with a will to do a great job," she added.
Sudarshan R made Karnataka proud when his name appeared in the second slot on the all-India ICSE board list. "I never immersed myself in books and am not all that brilliant either. For me, it is important to have a passion for studying which anyway makes the whole process much easier," said Sudarshan, a student of Chinmaya Vidyalaya, Bengaluru.
He added, "But I do believe in studying early in the morning instead of at night, as my mind is fresh after a good night's sleep and I can concentrate better. I would put in only 3-4 hours of study throughout the day, a month or two before my exams were to start."
Pramatha P (99.7%, SSLC) of Poornapragnya High School fears she would have turned asocial, had it not been for the importance her school placed on extra-curricular activities. "There was this boy in my class who would just immerse himself in books and not come out with us even for class outings. Unfortunately, he didn't score as much as he had expected, given that he was trying so hard," she said.
"It is very important to be a part of other activities too. It gives us practical knowledge and instead of just drowning ourselves in books, we must participate in extra-curricular events as well," Pramatha added.
BOOKS ARE NOT EVERYTHING
The overall development of a student is prime to excel in any endeavour. The world is becoming more competitive by the day and it is our responsibility to ready the students to take on all challenges. But along with having a mixed bag of academics and co-curricular activities, it is very important these students also maintain discipline and good behaviour towards everyone. In the end, even as toppers, they must be good people first.
Lavanya Mithran | principal, Bishop Cotton Girls' School, Bengaluru
Handling both extra-curricular activities and academics is not everyone's cup of tea, and I believe students must be able to take responsibility for what they want to devote more time to. The student who topped in school this year had devoted 90% of his time to academics, whereas the student who came second was a mix of everything. In the end, the qualities of a topper vary from student to student.
Saroja Sridharan | principal, Chinmaya Vidyalaya, Bengaluru