CBSE notes – A key to secure better marks

There is no one way to study. Some students go through the whole syllabus while preparing for exams while some students choose to just go through the key points. For some scoring good marks in exams is still a dream. The experts recommend preparing notes for each subject as it is an easy way to score high marks in all subjects. There are several good reasons as to ‘why one should prepare notes?’ And the list, believe me goes longer than thought.

 For preparing CBSE notes one has to go through the entire chapter to find out the important concepts in the chapter. An exercise like this also helps in finding out the key points in the chapter. One can go through such notes just before the exam as they consist of key points. It makes revision easy and quick. Reading through one’s own notes helps in understanding and it is commonly believed that writing helps to remember better. Listed below are some important points that one should keep in mind before preparing notes.

• Be precise - While preparing notes one should know which points to include as the key points and which to summarize.
• Use visual cues - For some students it is easy to learn concepts with the help of figures, diagram, and flow charts etc. So while preparing CBSE notes one should always follow the style of learning that suits them and makes topics easy to learn. One can also use simple language while making CBSE notes as it makes learning easy.
• Cover all topics - Notes should be prepared in such a manner that it covers each and every topic, starting from the most important ones to the ones that are least important.

Extracting the important studying material should be done after going through the whole chapter. If the CBSE notes are prepared carefully then nothing can come in your way of attempting all the questions and getting good marks. If the CBSE notes are prepared in the correct manner, then a student need not to go through the whole chapter again at the time of revision.

Last minute revision should be avoided as it does not help improve recall but creates confusion. So it is advisable that students do not wait till the last minute to start revising using CBSE notes. All revision should be completed at least an hour before the examination.

Students who wait for the last few days for preparation, usually end up getting confused. It often results in poor recall at the time of attempting the question paper.

The message is clear for all the students. Start preparing your CBSE notes before it is too late. To walk on the path of success, one should follow the above mentioned points. Scoring good marks will no more remain a dream.

CBSE makes learning easier

The Central Board of Secondary Education - commonly known as CBSE came into existence in the year 1962. CBSE is central government organization.  It has its head office in Delhi. Also it has 8 regional offices across the country.

CBSE is working hard to give quality education to the schools affiliated with it. Many schools in India and outside India are affiliated to CBSE. Classes 9 to 12 are considered as the most important classes therefore CBSE itself prepares the syllabus for these classes.  It conducts two important examinations every year- the All India Secondary School Examination (AISSE) for class 10th and the All India Senior School Certificate Examination (AISSCE) for class 12th. These two exams are very important and the students take them seriously as the scores in these two exams are responsible for taking admissions in different undergraduate programs and colleges. CBSE as an organization recognized worldwide so it helps the students to get admission anywhere in the world. All the KV’s (Kendriya Vidyalaya) are affiliated to the CBSE board.

The role of CBSE does not end here. In addition to school exams for classes X and XII CBSE also conducts other major exams such as AIEEE and AIPMT. The AIEEE (All India Engineering Entrance Examination) is an all India engineering examination for those who want to take up engineering as a subject for higher studies after their class 12th. CBSE also conducts AIPMT (PMT/PDT) - the All India Pre Medical Test (Pre Medical Test/ Pre Dental Test) for those who want to get into the medical field.

CBSE also introduced the grading system for class 10th in the year 2009. According to CBSE, it will help the students in reducing the mental pressure. Also it will help in decreasing the number of bad results . As per the grading system those scoring between 100-91 will get A1 and would be considered as a 10 pointer. The next grade is A2 for those who score between 81-90. Similarly B1 for 71-80, B2 for 61-70, C1 for 51-60, C2 for 41-50, D for 33-40, E1 for 21- 32 and E2 for those who are below 20.

CBSE has made class 10th board exams optional from this academic year. A new system of evaluation known as CCE (Continuous Comprehensive Evaluation) has been introduced. It comprises of formative assessment and summative assessment. According to the CBSE, students will be evaluated on both the basis. In formative assessment, evaluation will be done on the basis of their performance in class work, homework, assignments, and project work. In summative assessment, two term examination will be conducted- one in the starting and one at the end of the term. The first term will carry 20 marks and the second term will carry 40 marks.

Every year CBSE is trying to make the quality of education even better. The introduction of the new evaluation system makes it clear that CBSE is leaving no stone unturned to make learning easy for its students.

How to study using previous years’ CBSE papers?

With board exams a few weeks away, it is time to get over with all your final preparations and start testing your knowledge using previous years’ CBSE Papers. Practicing using previous years’ CBSE papers not only acquaints students with the overall examination pattern but also helps them assess their current levels of preparation. 

In view of the benefits of using previous years’ CBSE papers for revision, students should keep in mind the following steps for using the previous years’ CBSE papers effectively:

• The first and foremost step is to finish all conceptual understanding. Before starting to practice from the previous years’ CBSE papers, students should have all their study material and revision notes in place. Students should only plan to practice from these previous years’ CBSE papers once they are confident about their preparation and they think they are cent percent ready to write the final CBSE papers.
• While organizing the previous years’ CBSE papers, students should also simultaneously look out for their respective solution sheets along with the official marking scheme.  At this stage creating a pool of such solution sheets is important. However, students should restrain themselves from reading the solutions at this stage.
• Before starting to practice from the previous years’ CBSE papers, students should aim to create a simulated exam atmosphere around them. Choosing a study corner that is free of any disturbance and well-lit. Students can also choose to ask their parents and friends not to disturb them while writing an ‘exam’. Students should also keep a stop-watch handy, so as to keep a track of the time left to complete the mock CBSE paper.
• With all the required things in place, students can now start attempting their CBSE papers. Students should make sure that once they start writing their mock CBSE paper, they should resist any temptation to look into the solution sheet. Students should focus on completing their mock CBSE papers in time and write quality answers that can fetch them a good score.
• Once students are through with their mock CBSE papers, it is time to evaluate their performance and calculate their score. With the help of the solution sheet and the official marking scheme students can appropriately rate their performance. While evaluating the answer sheet, students should try to act as a strict examiner and not reward marks generously. Doing so will help them raise their own standards of performance.
• Once through with checking the CBSE papers, students can highlight or identify all the topics or areas where they performed poorly. Students should then get back to their CBSE study material and revise those particular topics to strengthen their conceptual base.
• After a few days, students should once again go back to those questions and revise them all over again. They should also ensure that they are cent percent accurate this time around.

Now that all you students out there know how to use previous years’ CBSE papers, scoring good marks will not be that difficult.

How and when to study from CBSE guess papers

Robust practice sessions using CBSE guess papers can help students fetch their dream score in exams. Students often consider a thorough read of the chapter enough for the final examinations. Undeniably it is important for students to go through the chapter and understand all important concepts in it, but it is also imperative for them to test their understanding of the concepts that they have learned so far. Apart from practicing using the exercises available at the end of each chapter, students can also test their knowledge by trying their hands at CBSE guess papers. CBSE guess paper is a loose prototype of the final CBSE paper and is also considered a sure-shot way to excel in exams. However, it is important for students to know when and how to seek help from CBSE guess papers.

It’s important to go through the chapter first

To start with, students should only start referring to the CBSE guess papers once they are through with giving the entire chapter a thorough read. It is important to first understand and memorise all important concepts in the chapter/s and then start evaluating their understanding levels. A thorough preparation like this before attempting CBSE guess papers will enable students to truly assess their preparation levels for their exams and place them in a better position to identify gaps in their learning.

Follow it up with adaptive/formative assessments

After going through a chapter, students should follow it up by taking adaptive assessments that are geared to assess students’ understanding of concepts in that chapter along with other related concepts. There are a few websites that offer such dynamic adaptive/formative assessments in Maths and Science for CBSE class VI-X. These adaptive/formative assessments are then followed by elaborate performance reports that highlight areas that the student is weak in and also include a custom study plan to fortify learning to every individual student.

Chapter-wise practice tests are important

After going through the chapter, students are advised take chapter-wise practice tests or chapter-wise CBSE guess papers. MCQ and descriptive chapter-wise tests will not only add variety to their learning but will also ensure that students have not missed out on any important concept/ topic in the chapter. Such chapter-wise tests will help students attain a thorough understanding of all concepts in the chapter.

Now is the time to take full course model tests/ CBSE guess papers

After taking chapter-wise practice tests, students should then evaluate their skills related to tackling individual questions, time management etc by practicing using full course CBSE guess papers. Rigorous practice sessions from such CBSE guess papers will help students solidify their preparation for their final exams and will also help them identify flaws in the strategies adopted by them. It will enable students to take timely corrective action so as to be sure of a great score in the final CBSE paper.

I hope that this article will help you learn how to effectively study from the CBSE guess papers for a high scoring academic ride. Following these steps will instil in you the required confidence to help beat exam related stress.

All the best!