One subject which scares students the most is Mathematics. The fear is mutual for students of Science, Commerce as well as Humanities. Simran Vaidya of Chitkara International school said, “Maths is my weakest subject and it requires most hard work, however without maths, getting the overall score is impossible."

Prerna Kumari of GMSSS 37 B adds, “I lack clarity and confidence in Mathematics. I need to understand how to plan before exams so that syllabus is covered in time.”

Teachers' Take :

Hindustan Times spoke to Davinder Singh, lecturer Mathematics, teaching since last --- years in Government Model Senior Secondary School 19.

Planning of Paper

Examination pattern overview is a must for planning your time. You should look for the choices that a given in the internal questions, accordingly you can decide the topics to study before and after. Internal choices, as well as pattern, can be seen in the sample papers on CBSE site online. Pattern almost remains constant annually; however, there are some slight changes always.

"I always advise my students to go through difficult chapters well in advance before the examination starts. These tough chapters cannot be revised in the 5 days preparatory holiday of that you get in the exam. Remember, the grey areas cannot be covered in the 11th hour," added Singh.

"According to what students have discussed with me, Integration, Relation- Functions as well as probability are the tough spots and time-consuming. Students should study all these topics before your exam starts and revise during the holidays," said Devinder.

On the other hand, there are certain topics which are very easy as well as very scoring. Students should make sure that they do not leave these scoring topics behind. For an average student as well as a topper, without clearing topics good marks are not possible. Easy topics include Matrices, Determinants, and Derivatives, Linear Programming, Vector and 3D.

"It is also must to go through NCERT textbook thoroughly. Whether they are solved or unsolved, all sums must go through pen before exams.

Every day, at least 2 hours of mathematics study should be there to revise well," said Singh.

"During the 5 days preparatory leave, start with revising the easy and scoring topics. After they are done, touch bulky topics. Each topic can be revised at max in three hours."

But Singh also adds, "It is also important to relax. Walk in the park for 45 minutes can do wonders."

How to attempt paper of Maths

"On CBSE's site, the answer sheets of top scorers are also made public, students can see how to present their answer sheets," added Singh.

While attempting paper, presentation matters a lot. Singh explains, "Presentation means, how to write and how much to write. In maths, the trick is to solve questions step by step as each step carries some mark."

He further adds, "The time of 15 minutes given to read the question paper is the most crucial time during the exam. In these 15 minutes, students should plan what are easy /difficult/moderate questions for them and accordingly begin with the section in which they know most of the questions."

"Also to be noted, CBSE also puts some trap questions in the paper. These trap papers are made to waste students' time. No question should be given more than 9 minutes," adds Singh.

Seniors Speak:

Rishabh Jain from Government Model Senior Secondary School in Sector 16 scored 96 % in +2 and is pursuing the bachelor of commerce from SD College.

How did you prepare for the board exams?

"As soon as the syllabus was covered at school, I started covering it all over again afterwards. I started in somewhat mid-January and covered most of it by the end of February, except for physical education, which I started covering in my preparatory off-days."

How did you relax during preparation?

"I listened to music, played games and watched movies sometimes. I helped my parents with household chores and sometimes did some yoga, to relax my mind. What helped the most was taking short naps to give my mind some rest."

What was your schedule like during exams?

I used to freshen up by 10 or 11 am. Then I would study for 2 hours or so. Then I would have my lunch and some sleep for an hour or so. After waking up, I would freshen up and study. I kept short breaks at intervals of 2 hours or 3 hours of study depending upon the subject. Then I would have dinner by around 9:30 or 10 pm. After this, I would spend some time with my family and then, do some late night revision of what I studied in the day. Finally, retire to sleep.

What advice you want to give to your juniors?

Do not under-study or over-study. Also do not 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 it will be okay.

What is your ideal stress buster ?

Playing simple games like Sudoku or Cards on phone/friends is a great stress buster.

How did you prepare for Maths' Board?

I firstly completed NCERT book, then I solved the past 7 years question papers, thoroughly. During my 12th grade, I gave a lot of practice tests of all units of Maths. That helped me built trust and confidence in the subject.

First Published: Feb 18, 2019 18:38 IST