Imagine scoring 97.2% in the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) Class 12 board exams. Imagine staring at the screen in disbelief as the congratulations start pouring in, the phone calls refuse to stop and your family looks up at you with the pride every student quietly aspires to.For most students, this feeling would be enough to stay on “cloud nine” for days. For Kashika Dhingra of Shiv Nadar School, Gurgaon, that moment became real on May 13, when the CBSE declared the Class 12 board exam results.“It was better than I expected. I was definitely in disbelief,” she said. “I was on cloud nine for the first two hours. It was a blur, phone calls and congratulations.”But beyond the score, beyond the celebration, and beyond the topper tag is a story that many students this year deeply relate to.Because while every student is a topper in their own way, stories like these still deserve to be told out loud. Not to create impossible standards, but to encourage, reassure and remind students that success is rarely as perfect as it appears on results day.Often, the most meaningful lessons are hidden in the parts no one talks about enough, the burnout, the stress, the self-doubt, and the struggle to keep going.And while the world praises the sleepless nights and endless hustle and bustle among young students, toppers like Kashika begin to say something different.
“These are the hottest months”
Much before the results were out, Kashika was already doing more than just preparing for the board. A student of humanities, which includes psychology, sociology, political science, English and legal studies, she was simultaneously balancing extracurricular activities, competitive exams, college applications and entrance test preparation.“I think this is a story that every 12th grader shares with me,” she said. “These are the hottest months.” There is something wonderfully honest about this phrase. In a country where academic stress is often normalized, students are rarely heard openly admitting that they too feel exhausted.“Me and most students like me, we have been balancing exam preparation, extracurriculars, coaching, college admission rounds and boards for the past one year,” he said. Yet instead of romanticizing stress, Kashika talks about the importance of slowing down.“The best way to create is to create a valve for that pressure,” he explained. “Whether it’s talking to your friends, taking time to pursue your hobbies. It can be something as simple as going out for a walk.”Then came an observation that is painfully familiar to this generation.“What often happens in my generation is that in our breaks we scroll or are on our devices, which adds to our restlessness and our anxiety.”It’s the kind of advice students rarely hear amid motivational speeches about working harder and sleeping less.
Mantra for his preparation: “NCERT, NCERT and NCERT”
Like many humanities students, Kashika had to tackle subjects that demanded extensive reading and memorization.“All my subjects are theory subjects,” she said. “Something that comes with that is a lot of learning and memorization.” But despite the pressure of preparing for the board, his strategy remained straightforward.“The only way to go about it is to stick to your NCERT,” he said. “It’s basically an answer key for your boards given to you months ago. You just need to read carefully, read line by line and read as many times as you can.”He supplemented this with previous years question papers and online resources. Later in the conversation, when asked to describe the three biggest ingredients behind his preparation, Kashika laughed before answering, with many of the toppers silently agreeing.“My three keywords would be NCERT, NCERT and NCERT.”“That’s the only thing that can help you. That’s the one guarantee you have in the board exam – nothing outside of this textbook will be tested.”
Are humanities subjects really “subjective”?
Students from a humanities background are often told that getting high marks can be unpredictable because the answers are subjective.Kashika disagrees. “With a standardized examination system that is the Board, even the subjectivity that is commonly seen in humanities subjects is not really there,” he explained. “The questions that come up are very application-based, not opinion-based.”According to him, the key lies in presentation and clarity. “The best way to go is to organize your answer effectively, making sure all your points are solid,” he said, adding that examiners often go through multiple bundles of answer sheets each day.His advice reflects an important reality of board exams – knowing the answers is important, but presenting them clearly is equally important.
Does how many hours you study really matter?
Perhaps the most refreshing part of the conversation came when Kashika talked about study hours. In a social media environment full of “16 hour study a day” content, her approach felt grounded. “I don’t believe the number of hours is very important to your preparation,” he said. “I think it’s a lie. It’s a joke.”Instead, she believes that students need to understand their own study styles and routines. “Some people study better at night. Some people prefer to wake up at 4 am and start their study routine. So, I don’t think the number of hours really has to play that big of a role. It’s how much you’re doing in whatever time you’re doing it.”As for herself, Kashika admits that she is more of a night owl. “I studied till 2.30, 3 o’clock,” she said. “If we’re talking about a realistic figure, four hours a day at most. It’s going to be a really tough day.” In an age where productivity is constantly romanticized, his honesty feels quietly comforting.
Boards, CUET and the changing reality of students
Even after the board exams were over, he was not stressed. On the day of the interview itself, Kashika appeared for the Common University entrance test. Along with boards, he also spent months preparing for law entrance exams such as AILET and SLAT.“The last six to nine months have been a whirlwind of competitive exams and entrance exams,” he said. Asked how CUET preparation differs from board preparation, Kashika explained that though the syllabus remains the same, the skill set changes completely.“CUET is completely MCQ-based. It is a computer-based test while boards are long subjective answers,” he said. “It’s testing your time management. It’s testing your attention to detail in the book.”He pointed out that in CUET even the small details of textbook dictionaries and boxes often become important.
His golden advice for aspirants
“Having fun is definitely something that is very important to CUET.” Interestingly, Kashika believes that CUET has become necessary as competition based on board marks alone has intensified significantly over the years.“Most people now score 90 plus or 95 plus,” he said. “Competition has increased so much that CUET needs to carve out its niche to deal with it.”
His message to struggling students Exam anxiety
Towards the end of the talk, Kashika talked about something that students rarely admit openly, exam anxiety.“I’ve definitely experienced test anxiety myself,” she said. He explained how students often enter examination halls with fears replaying in their minds.“What if I don’t know the question? What if I’m forgetting the date?” According to them, it becomes important to calm the mind before entering the examination hall.“I’ll try to take a few minutes before I get in the car, put the textbooks aside, no more revision, just be in a kind of meditative space,” she said.“The best way to go is to clear your headspace before going in.” Then came perhaps the most important piece of advice he offered during the entire conversation.“Don’t let your exams consume you,” she said.“There’s going to be a lot of them this coming year. You’re going to be doing college interviews. You’re going to deal with situations you haven’t dealt with before.” And in the midst of all that pressure, she wants students to remember one thing:“Make room for the things you love to do. Communicate with your friends constantly. Check in on them. That’s the only way you can rely on the community around you and have a support system.” For students waiting for results this year, this message matters more than any percentage.
