If you devise a proper study plan, practise your lessons frequently and look after your health, you can easily score 90% in your 10th board exam. You don’t have to be a ‘topper’ always or do night studies; what really works is consistent, smart work.

Think 90% as more of a target, a goal, rather than a dream.

Scoring 90% doesn’t mean you should know the whole syllabus by heart thoroughly. It signifies that you have understood the topics well, you can solve the problems confidently, and that you are able to write precise answers during the examination.

Marks in the 10th board exam are the key that allows you to choose your stream in Class 11 and help you look good in the school records but none of them tell the levels of intelligence or how successful you will be in life. What they show is how effectively you have planned, practised, and managed your time.

Build a simple daily study plan

It makes sense to start a study schedule early and spend a little time studying every day instead of waiting until the last minute. The first thing you should do is to create your timetable, taking into account your habits and mood, you really follow it.

Make a list of all your subjects and chapters, then mark with a circle those that you think are a little difficult or more important.

During the school days, your studying should be planned with at least 4.5 hours of study time, including the time that you will be spending on revision, and when exams are very close, 6 hours in total will be sufficient.

So you may plan your day like this:

Morning (before school): 45, 60 minutes of a tough subject like maths or science.

After school: 1- 2 hours of the next subject, like social science or English.

Night: 30 – 45 minutes of light revisions from your notes.

For your brain to remain active, don’t forget to take a brief break (around five to 10 minutes) every 45 – 50 or 90 minutes of work.

Learn your syllabus and test pattern

Never study blindly. Learn the subject areas of the exam before you start. The original document that you received with the Class 10 CBSE syllabus will be the foundation for your examination at the 10th level. Go to the official website or any reliable source to download the most current syllabus. Check: The chapters with higher marks are Maths, Science, and Social Science. What are the sections for English as well as Hindi papers? And what are the kinds of questions (reading and literary, writing, grammar). Additionally, you should be aware of the pattern for exams, including total marks, the number of tests, the number of internal choices and the time limit. This way, you’ll be able to concentrate more on the high-weight chapters and get practice in the style of the actual paper.

Make NCERT books your primary study material

NCERT textbooks should be your key study material for the 10th board exams as a significant portion of the questions comes directly from them. Be sure that you:

Go through the entire book once, but not just once, two or three times at least.

For Maths and Science subjects, solve every example and exercise question.

Learn word-for-word definitions, diagrams, and key terms from NCERT.

For Social Science study HISTORY, GEOGRAPHY, CIVICS, and ECONOMICS NCERTs thoroughly and mark important dates, events, and points.

For English and Hindi, NCERT is your main resource for grammar learning, literature understanding, and reading practice.

Make your own short note

How to remember your study content effectively? One of the best ways to remember is by taking your own notes. Writing things down in your own words is more effective for your brain to understand and remember.

Maths: Keep one distinct formula book and solve as many examples as you can in the usual form of problems beside each formula.

Science: Separate pages for formulas, definitions, and labelled diagrams.

In the case of Social Science, you can create quick notes for several parts, like dates, names, causes, and effects, and there is also a separate point for the map.

Moreover, using highlighters and colored pens to mark the most important points will make your last-minute revision faster and easier.

Practice past papers and sample questions

It is not possible to get 90% in the 10th board exam just by reading theory. You must practice solving questions as if it is time for an exam. Once you have studied at least 60, 70% of the syllabus:

Begin by solving the previous year’s and the sample question paper.

Set a timer and finish each paper within 3 hours without any disturbance, just like in the real exam.

After every paper, mark your answers sincerely. Write down:

Which questions did you get wrong?

Whether the mistakes were due to a lack of knowledge, confusion, or time management.

Go over with the topics that you are not so good at the following day so that you do not repeat the same errors in the real exam.

Revise regularly using a simple pattern

After you read the material once, you are going to forget most of it; that’s why it’s necessary to go over the material. Follow a well-known revision pattern:

The next day after the initial study, revise the chapter. Revise it again after one week .Revise it again after one month. During the last two months leading up to the 10th board exam, focus should be on revision and practice of mock tests instead of consulting a large number of new books.

Get better at time management and answering questions

Being able to manage your time efficiently during the exam is just as essential as knowing the right answers.

After you get the question paper, spend 5, 10 minutes just reading all the questions carefully.

Take the questions that you think are the easiest first; this will set you up mentally and also help you to gain marks quickly.

If you find that one question is eating up a lot of your time, feel free to pass it, and if time permits, you can return to it later.

Reserve 15 to 20 minutes at the end to check your paper and correct minor mistakes.

Besides that, concentrate on making your answers clear and presentable:

Use suitable headings and underline key words.

If possible, make use of points in your writing instead of long, complicated paragraphs.

In Math and Science, show your steps, write formulas clearly, and draw clean, properly labeled diagrams.

By doing so, the examiner will find it a lot easier to understand your answers and thus, be willing to give you full or almost full marks.

Look after your health and stress

To do your best, your body and mind have to be in good shape.

Give your brain a break after studying, and do not forget that your brain stores the information when you sleep.

Try to get a good night’s sleep. 7-8 hours each night.

Eat simple, home -cooked food, drink lots of water and eat the fruits for energy.

Exercise at minimum 20 minutes an afternoon, It could be on foot, stretching out, or playing a basic game.

If you feel stressed or confused, talk to your parents, teachers, or friends instead of keeping everything inside.In addition, you could perform easy sporting activities or writing your mind in a journal to relieve anxiety throughout exams.

Get guided support from Mentrovert

Sometimes, even if you study a lot, you are still not sure what to study, how to plan your day or what stream to choose after the 10th board exam. And that is why having a good mentor can really be a lifesaver.

Mentrovert is a student-centred platform that provides exclusive career guidance and emotional support, mental health support to school students. It is a place where students, particularly those under the pressure of the board exams, can communicate readily and comfortably with an experienced and compassionate mentor. Mentors at Mentrovert are well, versed with the CBSE system and 10th board exam requirements and will be glad to assist you in: