Exam preparation for the CBSE Class 10 and CBSE Class 12 board exams requires discipline and habit forming to follow a revision schedule meticulously and study methodically. Students get numerous suggestions and ideas from others to achieve that discipline and habit formation. However, there is only so much they can do - they need parental support. To match children's enthusiasm and energy, there are some daily habits parents can also develop to support them during board exams.

Whether your child prepares for the Class 10 CBSE board exams or the Class 12 CBSE board exams, your role goes beyond providing study materials or hiring tutors. You can adopt habits that align with their exam prep strategy, helping them study smart for CBSE board exam and contributing to your child’s success.

We have previously discussed how parents can support their children, how they can prepare their child the day before an exam, and how they can offer hands-on support in assisting exam preparation. This article explores the eight daily habits every parent should develop to help their child’s exam prep journey.

1. Conduct End-of-the-Day Reviews

Every student is unique; some may not prefer parents’ intervention, especially periodic supervision. However, they can get stuck while revising difficult topics or suffer burnout. So, regardless of their preferences, as a parent, you can develop the habit of reviewing their progress daily at the end of the day. 

You can still check whether they have completed revising portions for the day as per the revision timetable without being too intrusive and putting pressure on them to speed up revision.

You can achieve a balance between reviewing the progress and being nonintrusive by determining when and how you intervene. If your child sticks to the plan or falls behind slightly, and if you believe they will make up for the lost time, then you can decide against intervening. If they fall back significantly, you can gently remind them and offer the support they need. The goal of developing this habit is to ensure that when your child falls behind the schedule, you are in a position to support and motivate them.

2. Verify Achievements Against Objectives

Verifying what they have revised on a particular day and ensuring they have fully understood those topics is critical for preparing your child to deliver in the CBSE Class 12 or Class 10 board exams. Again, this depends on the preferences of your child. Some children internalise everything they revised that day, remembering what they learnt, without parental support. For them, writing a timed mock test once, to simulate the real-world exam conditions, is enough. For others, parents must verify what they have learnt on any given day.

To make this a habit, allocate 30 minutes to one hour every day while you help your child prepare the revision schedule. You do not need to test them; you can ask simple questions to gauge clarity. Use gentle, open-ended questions instead of checking like a supervisor. Keep the tone encouraging and collaborative rather than evaluative. Verifying and double-checking your child's learning can give you and your child peace of mind and confidence while attending board exams.

If your child is comfortable with a more intrusive approach, you can choose to set a daily learning goal, be it completing a chapter, revising formulas, or solving a model paper. Developing this habit of verifying their daily learning ensures topics marked on the timetable are not merely ticked off, but understood thoroughly and internalised.

3. Adjust the Daily Schedule Based on Performance

Exam prep for CBSE class 12 and class 10 board exams does not necessarily go smoothly as per the plan from start to finish. Your child may have highs and lows during the exam preparation. On some days, they may over-perform, covering more topics than planned; on other days, they struggle to fall into a rhythm and complete the revision, as per the revision timetable.

Failing to cover topics within the allocated time can cause stress and derail exam preparation. As a parent, you must identify these highs and lows, give them the necessary motivation to overcome their difficulties, and help them become adaptable by adjusting the revision schedule according to their daily goal achievement. You can promote flexibility in the daily routine to ensure proper time management and prevent burnout. Discuss if they need more time on the next day for a difficult topic or if they can move a subject to another day to balance the workload.

4. Ensure Key Questions from the Day’s Topics Are Covered

One of the best board exam tips is prioritising important questions from past years and high-weightage topics. While prioritising them and preparing the revision timetable, you would have referred to the sample papers,  chapter-wise most important questions, toughest questions, numericals, derivations, diagrams and graphs, etc, and the topics that carry more weightage in CBSE board exams. So, these questions and topics usually take up a sizeable duration on the daily revision plan. You can verify if your child has covered them all at the end of the day. Developing this habit aligns your efforts with your child's smart revision strategy and boosts student success.

5. Put Things Where They Belong

While you may have created a clean and distraction-free environment in their study space and organised revision tools for their convenience, you can also develop the habit of reorganising them at the end of the day. It is a crucial daily routine, especially since your child may not have the energy or patience to clean up the space at the end of the day.

When books, notes, pens, pencils, geometry set, and other tools remain scattered on the desk, it will distract them when they start exam prep the next day, causing delays and demotivating them. Also, it increases the risk of losing their notes and prevents them from revisiting a topic at the last moment.

Quickly cleaning up books, notes, stationery, and digital tools improves focus. But you must get your child's opinion on organising their notes and inform them where you have kept them, so they will not lose track of their notes. Ensure only materials relevant for the next day's study plan are visible. This habit promotes smoother mornings during board exam preparation.

6. Prepare a Special Nutrition Plan for Focus and Energy

As a great parent, you already fulfil your child's nutritional needs. However, exam preparation brings a whole new level of nutritional demand for a child, as their brain works overtime. Fulfil those additional demands by consulting your dietitian, preparing a dedicated exam-special diet plan with expert help, and providing your child with a balanced diet rich in proteins, healthy fats, fruits, and hydration. You can also add supplements to ensure alertness and stamina during long hours of exam preparation.

7. Habitualise a Daily Dose of Motivation

Board exams are mentally taxing, and your child may not necessarily discuss their fears and mental stress with you readily, even if you volunteer to listen to them and support them. In that case, you can develop the habit of allocating time for the daily dose of motivation. Do not force a conversation, but make sure they hear a few encouraging words and receive recognition for small milestones. Remind them that they are doing well, and effort matters more than perfection. Emotional support helps reduce anxiety and improves focus, both key to exam motivation.

8. Enforce a Daily Sleep Routine

Sleep is non-negotiable. Poor sleep affects memory retention, mood, and performance. Students often try to stretch their revision session beyond the schedule, especially when they cannot meet their daily goals. But studying at the cost of a good night’s sleep is counter-productive. So, help your child wind down early - no screens post-dinner, a warm bath, or calming music can help. Lead by example - make a habit of getting to bed at a fixed time. Prioritising 7–8 hours of sleep daily is one of the most impactful study techniques you can promote.

Final Words

Cracking the CBSE board exams is not just about completing reading and revisiting books and spending many hours studying, but also building the ecosystem around your child. As a parent, your daily habits, attitude, and presence shape that ecosystem.

By developing these eight simple habits, you can offer study help and the emotional and practical structure your child needs to Study Smart for CBSE board exam success. It is a partnership, and your role is more powerful than you might realise.

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