E-Paper
Boards 2019: ‘Mathematics can be fun’, here’s how to plan for the paper and score high| Teachers and toppers advice here
Boards 2019: Mathematics can be fun but for those who find the paper scary, read on.
It’s considered to be a very “tough” subject with many students saying they find it “scary”, but teachers say mathematics can be fun if you understand all concepts, going through the problems over and over again have a patient coach to help you.
Planning the paper.
Laying emphasis on exam pattern overview before planning of revision strategy, Davinder Singh, mathematics teacher at the Government Model Senior Secondary School Sector 19, says you should go through the question papers of previous examinations carefully. Look for the choices in questions and choose topics you would want to master first.
You can get a fairly good idea of the choices and pattern in the sample papers uploaded on the CBSE site.
The pattern almost remains constant every year; albeit with some slight changes.
“I always advise my students to go through difficult chapters well in advance before the examination starts. These chapters cannot be revised in the five-day preparatory holiday that you get in the exam. Remember, the grey areas cannot be covered in the 11th hour,” adds Davinder Singh.
What’s tough?
Simran Vaidya of Chitkara International school finds math to be her weakest subject, requiring a lot of hard work, but without which a good overall score is impossible.”
According to discussions with students Davinder Singh says most of them cannot tackle integration, relation- functions and probability. These can also be time-consuming. Students should familiarise themselves with all these topics before the exams and revise during breaks between exams.
Topics which help boost scores that students should revise thoroughly before anything else are matrices, determinants, and derivatives, linear programming, vector and 3D.
“One must go through NCERT textbooks thoroughly. Whether they are solved or unsolved, try to once go through all the sums before the exams,” he says.
Every day, not matter what subjects you revise, reserve at least two hours for mathematics,” says Singh.
Responding to Prerna Kumari of Government Model Senior Secondary School, 37 B, that she needs to understand how to plan before exams so that syllabus is covered in time,” he says “during the five-day preparatory leave, start with revising the easy and scoring topics. After that attempt the bulky topics. Each topic can be revised at the maximum in three hours.”
Too tired after that? “It is also important to relax. Walk in the park for 45 minutes can do wonders,” says Singh
Check out answer sheets of top scorers
“Answer sheets of top scorers have been uploaded, on the CBSE site. Students can see how to present their answers,” advises Davinder Singh.
Presentation matters. “You get to know how to write your answers and how much to write. In math, the trick is to solve questions step by step as each step carries marks,” he adds.
“Students get 15 minutes to read the question paper and that’s the most crucial time during the exam. This is when they should identify the easy, difficult or moderate questions and begin with the section which would be most scoring for them.
Also to be noted, CBSE papers often have trick questions. That’s aimed to trap the students into wasting their time so it should be ensured that no question should be given more than nine minutes, he adds.
Seniors Speak
‘Don’t panic in the exam hall, it’s not a life or death situation’
Rishabh Jain scored 96% in the Class 12 boards while studying at the Government Model Senior Secondary School in Sector 16 +2. Now pursuing the bachelor of commerce from SD College he talks about his preparation strategy for the crucial exams.
How did you prepare for the board exams?
“As soon as the syllabus was complete, I started revising it all over again sometime in mid-January and covered most of it by the end of February. Only physical education was left out, which I revised during my preparatory off-days.”
Any relaxation tips?
“I listened to music, played games and watched movies sometimes. I helped my parents with household chores and did yoga at times. What helped the most was taking short naps to give my mind some rest.”
Your schedule during the exams?
I used to get ready by 10 or 11 am and study for two hours followed by lunch and a one-hour nap. After waking up, I would freshen up again and study. I took short breaks at two- to three-hour intervals depending upon the subject. Dinner was over by 9:30 pm or 10 pm after which I spent time with my family followed by some late night revision of what I studied in the day. Then I would retire for the night.
What advice would you want to give to students writing the exam this year?
Do not overdo it but don’t neglect studies and don’t take any subject lightly, even if you have studied it thoroughly before. Also, do not panic in the exam hall. It is not a life or death situation, and everything will be okay.
Your ideal stress buster ?
Playing simple games like Sudoku or Cards on phone. My friends are also great stress busters.
Your math revision strategy?
I first completed the NCERT book, then I solved question papers for the last seven years. While studying in Class 12 I solved test papers of all math units which helped me built trust and confidence in the subject.
