“The Key Is to Study Smart,” Says Priyanka Ratnu, Topper – XII – CBSE: Commerce Division at Tagore Public School, Jaipur

Mumbai: “Plans are of little importance, but planning is essential.” ― Winston Churchill. The whole buzz around this year’s board results is finally over after a season of nervousness and uncertainty. Amidst the pandemic, the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) declared the CBSE on Monday.

With students securing top scores, a few hard working students have emerged as the toppers of 2020 in various categories. One such student is Priyanka Ratnu, a student at Tagore Public School, Vaishali Nagar, Jaipur, who scored 94.6% and bagged the first position in the XII Commerce division of her school.

The 18-year-old, who studied commerce, narrated her entire experience -from the start of her academic year to the results. On sharing her success mantra, she said, “Hard work and steadiness is the key to success. Students should be organized from day one of the board preparation.”

Below is a Q&A with Priyanka where she narrated her success story and her journey through conquering her board exams.

Considering the ongoing situation, this year, the results have been in talks for a long time now. What were you feeling before your conclusion, and how did that change after you saw your score?
Honestly speaking, I was very confident about my result because I had written my exams very well. Therefore, when I finally saw my score, I was thrilled that my strategy worked well.

Who would you call your most significant support throughout this journey?
Indubitably, my teachers for the academic support and family for the moral support they provided throughout my journey. The school also played a significant role in preparing the students for boards. From providing a healthy environment to conducting motivational assemblies, the school management was beneficial. I would like to thank the Principal ma’am for their kind help, the support provided to us, and a pleasant learning environment.

How would you narrate your experience regarding the support provided by your teachers and your school?
In the monthly tests and pre-boards, I was not able to perform excellently, but my teachers were so encouraging of me. My teachers have always been encouraging of me, and they always advised to be confident and do multiple revisions with a focus on basic concepts.
I still remember those days when I used to face a lot of difficulty in Accountancy and Economics, but my teachers were always there to solve my doubts and encourage me. They always believed in me.

How many hours a day did you study? Did you follow any pattern, or was it instantaneous?
My strategy was to have long term goals and then to break them into daily, achievable goals.
My study hours differed because of the tuition’s test series and routine schedules. But on average, I tried to manage 4-5 hours on all working days. I used to study more briefly and with full focus on weekends for straight 7-8 hours.

What method did you follow for writing answers? How did you develop the concept of writing longer answers for more marks? Does it work?
The answer writing style is essential for boards. I learned this hard lesson by my school teachers, who guided me to write an accurate answer by ruling out all the possible mistakes. I tried to complete sentences instead of half-ones. I followed the Intro – Body – Conclusion format and wrote in points.

Do you believe NCERT books are sufficient for studying, or do you think other reference books are required?
I would like to tell all the students that except for Accountancy, I did not study from reference books for any other subject. For the practice of questions in Accountancy and numerical in Economics, I used to refer to questions from other books. NCERT books are more than sufficient and clear the concepts in the best possible way.

How did you manage your time and divide it for all the subjects?
I planned the time I would devote to each subject. I consider myself extremely fortunate because I was able to concentrate and focus on my studies with the help of my teachers and family. In the last few tests, I was able to score well, which was a morale booster.

Any studying secret or your secret mantra you’d like to share?
I used to analyze where my demotivation is coming from, and I worked on that. Solving the problem, which is the reason behind the lack of motivation, is very important. There was always a latent desire to prepare for boards, but the desire got wings when my teachers believed in me and started working hard with me. Time management, Patience, and perseverance are the sine qua non for this exam.

Speaking at the occasion, Priyanka’s teacher, Mr. Virendra Kumar Gaur, also exclaimed his happiness. “CBSE results are out. It won’t be wrong if I say it is beyond the cheery results. On a personal level, my students have given more than satisfactory results. Priyanka Ratnu, class 12th, has bagged 1st position in the Commerce Division of school. Her work ethics and discipline have helped her to achieve this feat. I congratulate her on achieving this milestone and wish her all the best for future endeavours.”

Speaking on guiding students for their exams, he continues, “I have been into this profession for five years. After watching students from close quarters, I’ve understood the challenges students face with all the possible distractions present in their surroundings in this era of fast internet. I believe the traditional way of doing studies is still the best, and one should maintain a close amalgam between them.”

Priyanka has made her school proud. All in all, she got the right equilibrium at home and school; she is grateful to her parents for providing her the much-needed moral and emotional support and her teachers for extending a helping hand in academics.