If there is a lesson that this year’s CBSE class XII toppers have for upcoming students, it is paying attention to the school revision examinations and solving the question papers of previous years. “The fact that I took the preparatory exams in school seriously aided my preparation,” says Varsha Vivek — the probable topper in the city who has scored a jaw-dropping 494/500.
Admitting that she has been bowled over, Varsha, a student of Bhavan’s Rajaji Vidyashram, candidly admits: “The news is yet to sink in. In fact, I did not expect such a high marks tally.” The efforts she invested for the IIT-JEE too helped her, although she had to abandon the coaching classes by December due to frequent school tests.
Her favourite subjects being Physics and Maths, Varsha springs a surprise by stating that pursuing a career in pure sciences is a no-no. “I was told that pursuing a career in pure sciences may not be advisable, as there aren’t enough institutes of repute. Hence, it will be engineering, preferably in computer science,” she says. She laughs at the suggestion that she would be a role model for her younger sibling, a brother, who is in high school.
In a corollary, Madhunika S, a student of Chettinad Vidyashram who scored 488, says: “The school revision exams were so difficult that the board exam proved to be a cakewalk. Solving questions of previous years also aided me.” She has also cleared the SAT (a common entrance test for most admissions in the US), and has admission offers from two US universities.