The CBSE board exams remain one of the most testing periods in the life of a high school student. At the same time, CBSE board exams provide tremendous learning opportunities. From travelling to another school to write examinations to writing several mock tests, the board exams give you several life lessons. The first-time writers, class 10 CBSE students, are more likely to experience anxiety and worry. Mistakes in board examinations are not the end of the world, but understanding some of the most common mistakes students make will help you avoid them. Here are 10 common mistakes made by students in board exams.
1. Leaving Portions Unfinished Up Until the Last Day
From mental stress to exam anxiety, several factors impede your exam preparation. They can force you to leave some topics untouched until the last moment. In the end, you may run out of time. So, avoid distractions and procrastination to ensure you cover all the topics and prepare well for your class 10 or class 12 CBSE board exams.
2. Not Revising the Day Before
Class 12 CBSE students often refrain from revising the day before the exams to avoid frantic revisions and recalls. However, simply looking up your notes or textbook and seeing that you already know what is there can boost your confidence. On the other hand, keeping the day before the board exams free of any studying activities can create room for distractions, which could potentially disrupt the exams. If you do not want to avoid overloading till the last minute, you can revisit only the key topics and the important questions that you may have identified while prioritising topics before preparing a revision timetable.
3. Not Marking the Questions Correctly
Failing to mark the questions appropriately is one of the biggest mistakes students make in class 12 and class 10 CBSE board exams. It is something that schools include in their exam preparations and frequently reinforce. Correct answers marked with incorrect question numbers will lose you marks. For example, if you write the answer to a three-mark question and wrongly assign the question number of a ten-mark question, you will lose marks on both questions. Be extremely careful to mark your responses accurately.
4. Failing to Practice Previous Year Question Papers
Being first-time writers of board exams, class 10 CBSE students often make the mistake of not referring to prior year papers. Failing to practice the previous year's exam papers is a serious mistake. It prepares you to comprehend the test format and the weightage each topic bears, saving you a lot of time throughout your exam preparation. CBSE board exams usually follow the same format year after year; comprehending and rehearsing past year's papers will provide you with a blueprint to follow.
5. Writing without Planning
Being prepared is a crucial aspect of writing CBSE board exams. Exam prep should consist of studying, reviewing, and preparing how to approach every exam. For example, it is advisable to first complete the sections in a 10 CBSE board exam question paper with the highest weightage in terms of marks before moving on to sections that carry fewer marks. By meticulously organising your paper, you will have committed the majority of your time to answering the more difficult and time-consuming questions, eliminating the need to scramble at the end.
6. Leaving Blank Answers
When there is a blank space next to a question number, you will not receive any marks for that question. Those who evaluate the answer papers invalidate marks for everything left unanswered. If you know only 50-70% of the answer to a question, you must write it down rather than leaving it blank. Write whatever you know!
7. Pondering Over the Same Question
Being stuck in the same question for a long time can prevent you from answering other questions. So, if you spend a lot of time in the exam hall over-analysing, cross-checking, and striking out answers to a question, you will cannot complete all the answers on time. So, it is better to limit the time spent on a question. If you are stuck, you can skip to the subsequent questions and finish the unfinished answer later.
8. Bad Time Management
Poor planning of exam prep and the exam can lead to inadequate preparation and incomplete answer sheets in the board exams. To avoid these, study smart for CBSE board exam by planning your exam preparation with a proper schedule that takes everything from priorities to breaks into account and writing mock tests to practice time management in board exams.
9. Ignoring Instructions on the Question Paper
The instructions on a question paper are quite clear. They specify the word limit for each part and offer directions for attempting an alternate question. Treating the alternative questions as distinct questions is one of the major mistakes that both class 10 and class 12 CBSE students make. So, it is vital to carefully read the instructions on the question paper and follow them without fail.
10. Panicking under Pressure
Emotions run high during the CBSE board exams. But the secret to acing the exams lies in remaining calm. If you have prepared well, revised thoroughly, and practised the previous years’ papers, you have nothing to worry about. To control your anxieties during your board exams, remain confident, and if required, manage your breathing and regain your composure.
Final Thoughts
These are the 10 common mistakes that students often commit in board exams. By learning these common mistakes and devising a strategy to overcome or avoid them, you can excel in the CBSE board exams.