Skip to main content

A Few Selected Reads

Explore the Collection →

The Study Strategy That Got Me Through 10th Grade


 Ever since my board exams began, I’ve been reflecting on how I studied and what actually worked. I feel like I’ve cracked a secret code—one that transformed the way I approach learning. Maybe this just worked for me, but if there’s even a small chance it helps you, I’d love to share it. And trust me, as a straight-A student, I know what I’m talking about (well, mostly!).

When I started 10th grade, I was just as clueless as anyone else. I assumed that the same level of effort that got me through 9th grade would be enough to excel in boards. Oh, how wrong I was. The more time I spent in 10th grade, the more I realized that it wasn’t just about studying—it was about understanding. My grandmother always used to tell me to “go in-depth” when learning, and I never really understood what she meant until now. Going in-depth means asking why, questioning everything, and truly engaging with the material. When you do that, information actually sticks.

Think about it—our minds have an insane capacity for memory. We remember childhood moments, multiple languages, and song lyrics without even trying. Learning isn’t about brute force; it’s about taking interest. But anyway, enough of my yapping—let me tell you exactly how I studied in 10th grade and what helped me get through it all.

Math was my most beloved subject, mainly because it’s the only subject where if all your answers are right, you get full marks—no deductions, no subjectivity. During the summer before 10th grade, I hired a tutor and finished the entire syllabus, and let me tell you, this helped tons. School exams were a breeze, and I never had to stress about math at all. Once the school year started, I allocated time from August onwards to solving the NCERT Exemplar, which was a game-changer. Board questions were ridiculously easy compared to Exemplar problems, so if you get through that book, you’re golden. And no, you don’t need to solve the entirety of RD Sharma. That’s just unnecessary stress. Just focus on Trigonometry, Triangles, and Circles, and you’re good. Try solving the NCERT Exemplar at least twice in the months leading up to boards and go through the NCERT textbook multiple times. It won’t seem as daunting if you’ve been studying math consistently before 10th grade. Oh, and a formula notebook is a lifesaver. Write down all formulas and different problem types you come across in Exemplar—it makes revision so much easier. I was pretty confident walking into my math exam, and I’m expecting around 99, but there was this one proving question where I might’ve missed an extra step.

Social was another favorite subject, ironically. I memorized the entire book, and before you think I’m crazy, it wasn’t actually that hard. The trick is to do it habitually, from the beginning of the year. Every time we had a chapter for a test, I took three days to read and write down what I understood from each paragraph, then memorized it. Since I only had to do a few chapters at a time, it never felt overwhelming, and by the end of the year, I had written and memorized all four books. History was my favorite, and it’s still one of my flexes that I can quote almost any page from social.

Science was honestly just social but with extra steps, especially for bio. We had an amazing chemistry teacher, so I barely had to put in effort for that, and physics was just about solving numerical problems. Though, I will say, I hated the Magnetism chapter with a passion.

French was hell in the beginning, not gonna lie, but by the end of the year, I had this weird obsession with learning about French culture. Culture Civilisation was easy full marks if you just memorized the book, but grammar was a nightmare. I highly recommend keeping a grammar notebook where you write down all the rules and exceptions because French grammar made me want to pull my hair out. Seriously. But having all the key words, exceptions, and everything else in one place made it so much easier to revise.

For English, I relied entirely on All In One. The literature and grammar sections had tons of questions that helped me get an idea of how to frame answers. Also, learn as much vocab as possible—it really impresses the teacher grading your paper.

I know 10th grade seems daunting, and the pressure doesn’t help at all, but trust me when I say boards are gonna be a piece of cake if you study. And when I say study, I don’t mean dedicating your whole year to it. I was the most chill person ever in 10th grade, and I still managed to do well. So don’t stress too much. Work smart, not just hard, and you’ll be fine.

Popular posts from this blog

A Cruelly Perfect Machine

There is something intimate about being yourself. To be in control of something inexplicable, unknowable even to itself. It indeed is a strange realization that you have unbridled power over everything —over your actions, your thoughts, the way you interact with your environment. Nothing is left to chance.  But to think about control in the sense of yourself can go two ways.  It is a blessing that our mind was put in a body capable of experience, of life, of love and many such emotions that the price outweighs any lack. Of course, not all are blessed with perfection, but if anything, at least to make the best of what one has, one should feel a twinge of gratitude in life itself. Even for the small moments. But that aside, the fact that our mind and body is our own is astounding, akin to the feeling one might have at the thought of their children, their own in so many ways ineffaceable. However, there are parts of ourselves we don't command. Our irrational fears, intrusive tho...
Read more

Nature Outlaws Definition

  “If everyone is just a product of their environment” I used to ask myself “what then, is me?”. A person born with a silver spoon, for example, would never have the same entitlement as one born not as fortunate. The evils that reside in few may not have permeated if they had someone to look out for them, care for them, and value them as human.  Circumstances, in life, play a huge role in shaping each person. Their family, friends, relationships, opportunities, mishaps—all are lego bricks that form a part of a never finished sculpture. John Locke said our mind is a tabula rasa or blank slate; no one is born of innate ideas, instead, one forms them as we humans are perceptive creatures, we emulate, we mix and match the extant in ways that may be unique but never not existing in the world.  I agree, perhaps we are of a blank slate at birth—our environment, then, controls the brush, painting cryptics that will never be, in its entirety, intelligible maybe until the brush fal...
Read more