Meghna Srivastava scored 499 out of 500, or 99.8 per cent — the highest in the board so far.
Creating a new record in the Class XII CBSE examination, 17-year-old Noida resident Meghna Srivastava fell just one mark short of scoring 100%.
A humanities student, Srivastava scored 499 out of 500, or 99.8% — the highest in the board so far. The previous highest was 99.6%, scored by Raksha Gopal in 2017.
Srivastava scored a perfect score in economics, psychology, geography and psychology, and 99 in English. A student of Noida’s Step by Step School, she told The Indian Express that an “undying consistency” and managing to remain “organised” helped her accomplish the feat. She has been studying in the school since 2009, when she joined in Class IV.
An only child, Srivastava said she wants to pursue Psychology (Hons) from the University of British Columbia. Apart from psychology, her favourite subject is history, she said.
“I never had a fixed number of hours devoted to studies, nor did I attend any coaching or tuitions. My school, parents and teachers have been my torch bearers,” she said.
Her father Gautam is an associate professor at Manav Rachna University, while her mother Alpana is a human resource manager at a multinational company in Gurgaon. They have been living in Noida for the last 20 years.
“We always strive to build a stress-free environment at home, never pressuring her and frequently asking her to relax. She has always been a diligent girl,” said Alpana.
Though she has got a perfect score in economics, Srivastava said it was frustrating to sit for a re-examination, which was held after reports that the paper had been leaked.
She has also been actively engaged in several community projects such as adopting flood-affected villages in Uttarakhand and helping ensure sanitation, water purification and first-aid facilities. An avid reader, she said she enjoys books by Malcolm Gladwell.
Her uncle, former CBI director Anil Sinha, told PTI that Srivastava has always been a “bright and studious girl”.
(The writer is an intern with The Indian Express)