Formulating a Study Plan for 10th Board Exams

It isn’t easy to prepare for an exam that is touted as “the biggest exam of your life”. (I wouldn’t lie; it really is!!!) With old lessons sitting heavy in the head, new ones piling up, well-wishers clocking your study hours and finally, the study hours decreasing by the day, the countdown to your first board exams can be a scary affair. But, does it have to be? Not if you have a smart little study plan for 10th board exams in place.

Every study guide on the planet will say ‘organize your time’ and ‘make a study timetable’. But how do you do it?

So, for all those biting their nails and dreading about the impending danger, check out this study plan for 10th board exams!

What an Awesome Study Timetable Looks Like:

Please Note: This is just a sample timetable I had created for the month of September 16′. You could modify it as per your preferences (whether you are a night owl or an early riser), add a few more hours of studying and use it for the last few months before the 10th board exams.

Preparation Strategy for Class 10th Board Exams

Start early.

Students tend to ignore their body clock. When they are on preparatory leave, most students study late into the night and end up sleeping in the morning. Start your timetable waaaaaay in advance, so you have enough time to revise everything. You might even need to make a few different timetables.

Give a colour code to each subject.

It will be easier to navigate your timetable this way and you will be able to see more easily if you have a fair balance between all of your subjects. Also, it looks visually appealing.

The cliché: Planning. 

Don’t just dive straight into it. Think things through first.

Break it down in achievable targets. 

Take a separate piece of paper. Then, under each subject, list all of the things that you need to know. This might be all the topic areas for that subject, what you covered each week in class/tuitions or the different sections of the exam.

Be specific. 

What exactly do you need to do in order to feel confident in all of the areas you listed in step 3? For example, if one of the topic areas is ‘trigonometry,’ list the exact page numbers and exercises that you will do to practice trigonometry. Then think about how excellent it will feel when you reach the end of your timetable and you never have to do trigonometry ever again.

Create a schedule for one subject at a time. 

This way, you can be sure you’ve covered everything. Make sure that you are realistic with how long each exercise is going to take.

Factor in time for BREAKS. 

You cannot forget the time spent on food and sleep. Everyone works differently but generally speaking, a 5-10 minute break every hour is a good amount. Give yourself the night off every once in a while as well.

Read about why you shouldn’t forget your hobbies during 10th board exams preparations here.

Mix it up; don’t make it monotonous.

No one likes studying maths for 6 straight hours. Give yourself a mix of subjects each day so that you decrease your chances of losing interest really quickly. Most people are more productive in the morning, so try mixing up the time of day you tackle different subjects as well.

Don’t beat yourself up.

A study timetable is not set in stone. You might find ways to improve it as you go. Be flexible with what you’ve written and be prepared to move things around if you find that your estimations of the time were a bit off. It’s a good idea to use a pencil…

Try and set a specific time to study every day and you’ll find that it makes things so much easier. Look at the classes you have to attend, work out the time that you need to get to them and then set a realistic time every day, so it almost becomes like part of your daily timetable.

Remember that the grades you get in the 10th board exams do matter and they determine, to a large extent, your career graph. Put your best foot forward and don’t panic. Take the exams with full confidence and with a positive attitude. There’s no reason for you to flounder.

Preparation tips for Subjects of Class 10th Board Exams

SCIENCE

You need to primarily take care of these following areas – Chemistry, Physics, and Biology. Students who are thinking of taking up the science stream in class XI should strictly focus on all these three areas as this will strengthen their foundations.

Keep the complete list of formulae, experiments, and derivations

Don’t even think about skipping the science laboratory lectures and classes. Use the science laboratory as much as you can for every single experiment.

It is crucial to use NCERT books that can be followed thoroughly to score well in Science. All the question papers revolve around the concepts given in the NCERT book, so keep that in mind.

Many science formulas have rules that you strictly need to follow and use them correctly. Let’s say, for using quadratic formula; you need to change the equation to the standard quadratic form.

PHYSICS-You need to get a good grip on the basic concepts of the subject. Most of the questions from paper contain direct formulae- and theorem-based questions. Therefore, learn them thoroughly to solve questions correctly. Try solving formulae and theorems from last years’ 10th board exams papers and model papers for various problems.

CHEMISTRY-The best part is that this high-scoring subject needs lesser time for preparation. So, you can get the required speed and accuracy by solving different problems you can achieve through in-depth study of the subject and extensive practice. Go through the name reactions thoroughly; create charts of formulae along with names and revise them as and when possible.

BIOLOGY-This subject includes a lot of diagrams, so it’s important to give special attention to diagrams and their theory. Ensure that important terms and their respective functions are remembered. Biology has a lot of learning and memorization of difficult terminology. Write such terms down repeatedly so that you get acquainted with them. Get meticulous with the key definitions as the subject is mostly theory.

MATHEMATICS

Class 10th mathematics is all about basic geometry, trigonometry and the concept of numbers. These subjects build aptitude and concepts that turn out to be beneficial for the students who wish to appear for aptitude-based tests in future.

Class 10 Math formulas may seem very general, but many times they are seen in previous years’ question papers and questions are asked from them.

It’s crucial to keep the concepts/formulas sheet

Go through the usage of all the Math formulas thoroughly.

If you are planning to score an A1 in math 10th board exams, then it’s really important to be in synch with your NCERT book. Almost the entire question paper includes concepts and formulas that are given in the NCERT book.

Try to read the problem, again and again, to understand the exact idea of the question while solving a problem-based question.

On a rough paper, jot down exactly what is given in the question paper and what you need to find. Then, in a methodical way, find what is asked of you.

After the revision is done, you can start solving sample papers, unsolved papers and practice papers within the given set of time.

SOCIAL STUDIES

Social science may sound boring, but one can use study tools to make it fun. Things like flashcards, colourful charts, timelines and funny mnemonics can help you study apart from the textbook and notes reading. In 10th class, social sciences studies are either the beginning or ending.

Go through the course once without trying to remember it; just as you would read a newspaper or novel and try to understand it.

It is important to prioritize your subjects and topics as per the marks weightage and easy and difficult chapters. You can rely on this list to create a practical study schedule.

Make notes for specific points that you feel are important and you are likely to forget, in addition to school notes.

Make a chart that includes important dates, go through it regularly and you will find that you can easily remember the dates.

Make the study subject-wise instead of combining all topics; remember that they were separated for a reason.

Use as many flashcards as possible for definitions and also for various historical events. This technique is a kind of fun and quick revision.

You can practice map work by finding out the important locations you want to remember, then locate them on a blank map

It’s crucial to understand economics and political science, and it’s better to avoid memorizing.

Solve previous year papers/ sample papers and start practicing by writing within the word limits.

ENGLISH

Unseen passage/note making: This section is quite scoring and needs the least amount of effort comparatively.

Writing skills: Stick to formats religiously. Most of the questions on this subject are for 10 marks, divided into 3 marks for the format. Four are for content and three for fluency/accuracy of English. Go through sample letters and also articles from reference books so that you can improve thinking skills and understand presentation skills. Board examiners often give preference to an exhaustive article that has lots of ideas and inputs by the student instead of simple repetitive arguments in fancy language.

Grammar: The only trick here is: practice, practice, practice. Learn the basic rules and attempt as many questions as possible and correct yourself after making mistakes.

Literature: When it comes to poems, have a notebook handy and jot down everything your teacher explains. Please know that just understanding the chapter is not enough as students would need to write 7-10 mark answers in the exam. Keep this in mind, and make an effort to attempt past years’ papers and questions from other reference material. Every long answer has an introduction, body and conclusion. Your aim needs to be about writing 150-200 words spread across 3-4 paragraphs.

HINDI

This subject is fairly scoring and one can get 90+ easily. But to do that, you have to study the NCERT textbooks really well as they are very useful.

You need to get your hands on a question-bank-cum-guide and practice questions.

Solve past years’ papers(Oswal, Arihant or any of the available sources), and cross-check with the solutions provided. In fact, most of the times, questions are just repeated in exams.

The points mentioned above are the only 3 simple you need to score 95+ in the paper.

Things to Do On the Day of the 10th Board Exams

If you will be going to an unknown exam centre, then it is recommended that you visit the center before the exam day and understand the route well. Many times, parents accompany their children to the center on the first day but the kids lose their way if they have to visit on their own and enter the exam hall late. No one wants to lose out on time and miss a section of the paper.

It is also important to not get bogged down by the stress and pressure around you. Try and use the last one hour before the exam to relax. Don’t think too much about the exam as that will add to your tension. Follow this trick. Ask your friends to avoid talking to you about the upcoming exam in the last one hour. It’s crucial to relax so that you can concentrate better at the time of the examination.

Lastly, believe in yourself and don’t let anyone else tell you that you are incapable of doing something. Your perseverance and determination will help you ace the exams and emerge a winner.