School exams

One thing that students detest the most during their school lives is school exams. Under the current Indian education system, school exams are usually considered as the most reliable means of assessing a student’s progress. Undoubtedly, paper & pencil exams are important ways of assessing students’ understanding of concepts, but relying solely on paper-pencil based assessments as the only way to test how much a child knows may not be right. There are various ways other than school exams that can prove immensely helpful in assessing students’ progress in schools. Teachers can also assess students through various classroom activities like discussions, debates, practical assignments etc.  However, these techniques of assessing could possibly be time consuming and also require the teacher to be very insightful about child psychology. These techniques require teachers to practice strict caution against biases coming into play and demand from the teacher to be a lot more patient, so as to allow students to become comfortable with the set-up.  

Changes introduced by CBSE in its assessment system

Unlike the other educational boards in India that still continue to rely solely on paper & pencil school exams to evaluate ‘how much the student has understood’, CBSE has made an attempt to move away from this system. Under the new scheme (CCE) adopted by CBSE, along with the paper & pencil tests (summative assessments) students are also evaluated through various classroom activities (i.e. formative assessments) like quizzes, presentations, etc.  CCE also lays a lot of emphasis on the assessment of students in co-scholastics areas that contribute to the holistic development of student. In light of all the attempts made by the CCE to bring freshness into the education system, care has been taken not to undermine the importance of the traditional testing system (based on paper & pencil tests).  

How to prepare for school exams?

In order to excel in school exams (formative assessments and paper-pencil tests) it is very important for students to be attentive in class. Being attentive and focused in the class helps students to effectively understand the concept; as a result it helps them perform well in the classroom discussions. Likewise for the summative assessments it is very important for students to extensively go through the study material and understand all the concepts thoroughly. After understanding the concepts, the next important step is to test their understanding by taking chapter-wise tests. There are a few websites that provide such tests for students studying under CBSE, ICSE, Karnataka, Maharashtra & Tamil Nadu boards. The chapter-wise tests available on such sites are in multiple-choice & question-answer formats that ensure thorough testing. Apart from these chapter-wise tests, students should also try their hand at sample papers/ model tests available at such websites. These mock exams can also help students test their exam taking skills.

Wishing you all the best for your school exams!

Happy studying!

How to study from CBSE solved papers

The first thing that a student usually looks out for after attempting any CBSE board paper or after trying their hand at previous year board papers’ is the CBSE solved paper. Going through the CBSE solved paper after attempting any CBSE mock test helps students in assessing their level of preparation for the final board exam. For students who have just attempted their CBSE board exam, these CBSE solved papers enables them to check their answers against the correct answers for any inaccuracies. CBSE solved papers also help students beat result related anxiety post-exam as students can obtain a fair idea about their tentative score after going through these CBSE solved papers.

Keeping all the above advantages of the CBSE solved papers in mind, it is very important for students to know how to study from these CBSE solved papers.

• Students should only seek help from the CBSE solved papers once they are through with practicing from their CBSE sample papers or previous year CBSE papers’. Student should not commit the mistake of going through the solutions first and then attempting the sample paper as doing so is not likely to help them much. Therefore, while planning to seek help from the CBSE solved paper you should make sure that you have thoroughly attempted the sample CBSE paper well in advance.
• While studying from the CBSE solved papers students should not only look out for the correct answers but also closely study the answer style adopted for each subject by these CBSE solved papers. The approach to answer questions for theory subjects is likely to be very different from the approach adopted for the practical subjects. Therefore, while studying from the CBSE solved papers students should give the answering style a close look.
• It is also important that one keeps in mind the marks allotted for different questions in the paper.  A same question can be asked as a very short answer question, short answer question and also as a very long answer question. The answers for all these questions will be the same but the approach for writing the answers will be different and the extent to which the topic needs to be explained will also vary. While seeking help from the CBSE solved papers, students should carefully study and learn techniques on tailoring answers as per the requirements of the question.
• CBSE solved papers not only give correct solutions to the questions but also provide a detailed step-wise description of the official marking scheme. Students may not be aware but there are valuable marks for each step/point in the answer. While attempting a question, it is imperative for students to include all the desired points in the answer in order to achieve their dream score. Therefore, while studying from the CBSE solved paper students should also look out for the official marking scheme.

Now that all you students out there know how to go about studying from the CBSE solved papers, take a go at the sample CBSE papers. Students can also look out for various websites that provide free solved board papers (2010) for classes X and XII for Maths and Science. Students can go through these solved CBSE papers and check their answers for any inaccuracies.

All the best for your exams!

How to revise for CBSE board examinations?

With the board exams approaching, students preparing for the CBSE board examinations are again feeling the heat. Exam related anxiety has started taking a toll over the young minds. Something that can help students re-store their wavering confidence and can also help them gear up to beat exam-related stress are repeated and robust revision sessions.

In order to make the revision activity for the CBSE board examinations a thorough and effective exercise, students should follow this simple three-step process.

Step I - Organizing the revision notes! The first step while starting to prepare the CBSE revision notes is to collect and organize the existing study material. Students should first collate all the relevant notes i.e. class lecture notes, notes from NCERT books, tutorial notes etc. The second step is to prepare notes by summarizing all the important and relevant points in one place. Students can then further refine this consolidated text to arrive at their ‘ideal’ and complete CBSE revision notes. Students can further prepare flash cards, summaries etc. from the CBSE revision notes to further make their learning effective. In case students do not have ample time to perform such an elaborate activity for preparing the CBSE revision notes, they can also refer to websites that provide CBSE curriculum aligned revision notes. These revision notes are concise and complete summaries of the chapters. The text in these CBSE revision notes are supported by well illustrated and neatly drawn diagrams that aid in better and speedy understanding of concepts.

Step II - Devise an exam strategy! Once through with preparing the CBSE revision notes the next important step is to start revising from these notes. Along with revising it is also very important for students to device an exam strategy that helps to tackle exam related issues. Their exam strategy should answer questions like how to manage time, how to approach the CBSE question paper on the final examination day, how to tackle stress before and during exams etc. This exam strategy will not only help students manage their studies better, but will also enable them to deliver a better performance. It is also very important for students to device a customized strategy for themselves instead of blindly following ready-made strategy templates often handed down by well meaning friends and relatives. Since each student is unique, their needs and priorities too will be unique. It is therefore imperative for students to have an examination strategy that is devised especially keeping their unique motivations, learning styles, and bio-rhythms in mind.

Step III - Revise using previous years CBSE board papers! Once through with revising and formulating an exam strategy, students should ideally end their revision activity for the CBSE board papers with a thorough practice session using the previous years’ test papers. This will help students assess their preparation levels and will also help gear them up to ace the CBSE board exams confidently. Practicing using the previous years’ CBSE papers or CBSE sample papers in simulated exam conditions will help students gain a first hand experience of how it feels to attempt the CBSE board paper. Students can also seek help from various websites that provide CBSE curriculum aligned practice tests and model tests that will help them take their CBSE board papers head on!

Now that all you students out there preparing for CBSE board paper know how to start revising, I am positive that a great report card is out there waiting for you!

All the very best for exams!

How to study from CBSE solved papers for a great score in exams?

Students often undermine the importance of practicing using solved CBSE papers and consider the activity of revising using the revision notes as sufficient for the final examinations. Revision sessions using the bulleted highlights of the chapter are undoubtedly beneficial for the students, but solely relying on them alone is also not advisable. Along with revising using revision notes students should also try their hands at solved CBSE papers. Revising using these solved CBSE board papers will acquaint students with the overall examination pattern. It will also equip students with a first-hand look of the final CBSE papers and will familiarize them with the correct answering technique that will help them to score great marks in exams. Keeping all these advantages of revising using solved CBSE papers in mind, it is important for students to qualitatively enhance their revision session by practicing using the solved CBSE papers.

While planning to revise from the solved CBSE papers, it is for students to keep in mind the following steps so as to make this exercise a thoroughly effective one.

• The first and foremost step for students preparing for the CBSE papers is to carefully go through their NCERT textbooks. A strong conceptual understanding of all the important topics in the subject is very important to score top marks in exams. While learning the important points in the chapter, students should lay emphasis on understanding the concepts over cramming the said text. Students should plan to practice from these CBSE solved papers only when they are through with their studies and are 100% confident about their preparation.
• While organizing the CBSE solved papers, students should also simultaneously look out for the official marking scheme. Students should try to arrange for as many solved CBSE papers possible, so as to ensure enough practice for the final exams. Students should also ensure that they do not give in to the temptation to read the solutions before attempting the paper.
• Before starting to practice from the CBSE solved papers, students should choose a study corner in their room that is well-lit and a noise-free zone. Students can also ask their friends and family not to disturb them while they are practicing from the solved CBSE  papers. Students should take this practice session as a mock CBSE exam and accordingly keep a track of the time.
• Students should make sure that once they start writing their mock CBSE paper, they should just focus on writing quality answers and completing the paper within the stipulated time period. Students should also resist from looking into the available solutions.
• Once students are through with practicing from CBSE solved papers, students can then check their answers against the available solutions. Students can also calculate their score with the help of the official marking scheme so as to assess their preparation levels. An exercise like this will also help students take timely corrective action and ensure that they obtain a good score in the final CBSE papers.

While on the look-out for the CBSE solved papers for class X and class XII, students can seek help from a variety of websites that not only provide CBSE solved papers but also equip students with printable revision notes, practice tests, model tests and a lot more. Revision kits such as these will aid all you students out there with effective revision before the final examination.

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

CBSE Model Papers

Models papers generally act as testing grounds for students who are to experience examinations in the near future. Most students experience varying amounts of anxiety during examinations. There could be multiple reasons for the same. Inadequate preparation, dearth of revision and a fear of the unknown related to the kind of questions that may appear in the exams- are all factors that add to exam fear. The easiest way to combat this fear of the unknown is to seek refuge in Model Papers. If you are a student of CBSE, (or of any other Board for that matter) CBSE Model Papers could be of immense help. Plenty of CBSE Model Papers are available both on the internet and in the offline libraries. 

Testing your knowledge through CBSE Model papers is the most constructive way to counter examination-related stress. While preparing for exams, students usually wonder whether they would be able to answer the questions in spite of all the hard work. Attempting Model Papers a few days before the examinations helps students evaluate their knowledge of concepts and in the process boost their confidence. It also helps them analyze their strengths and weaknesses. When integrated into their revision exercise, CBSE Model Papers can give students a much needed opportunity to work upon those weak links and solidify their concepts.

Occasionally students may miss out on answering a few questions as most students usually do not keep a track of the time, and seldom stick to the time limit (easily calculated from the marks allotted for each question in the CBSE exam papers) for answering those questions. Problems like these can be easily taken care of by attempting ample number of CBSE Model Papers during revision time.  Certain time-based Model Papers are also available that help students identify and learn how to allocate time for each question and answer them accordingly. Thus, attempting CBSE Model Papers is an ideal revision activity. However, it is advisable that a student attempts any CBSE Model Paper only after he/she is done with revision. At this stage, going through questions in various CBSE Model Papers can also help them further re-organize and structure the learnt material, thereby consequently helping them reinforce learning.

With the level of competition soaring, students are pushing their limits to improve their results. Evaluating their performance in previously attempted CBSE Model Papers against their current performance can also help students identify their weak areas and motivate them to work harder.

Beat CBSE board result related stress

It is CBSE board results time, and students must be feeling stressed out about their performance. “I could have done better in my exams”, “I wish I had done some more revision for Science”, “I didn’t get enough time for preparation”, “What if I don’t fare well in these exams” etc are constant thoughts that usually occupy young minds during their wait for the official results. Having butterflies in stomach and getting anxious about the final CBSE board result is normal. However, it is very important for students to avoid getting too worked with anxiety. It is also important for students to understand that CBSE board results are indicative only of their performance in these particular board exams and are unlikely to have any significant irreversible impact on their life as a whole.

For all you students out there awaiting your CBSE board results here are a few tips on how to maintain your cool during this wait. These tips will also help you cope with result related stress and also provide you with alternative ways to utilize your time better.

• Exams are over, stop discussing about it! There is no point getting unnecessarily stressed out thinking about and discussing your performance in the CBSE board exams. Now that the official announcement of these results is expected anytime soon, getting involved in such conversations at this time will only mount more pressure on an already anxious mind. Therefore, the most effective way to keep away from result related stress is to stop discussing about the exam once you are done with it.
• Think positive and plan for the future! This is the best time to introspect, set goal and draft plans to achieve those goals. It is important to think positive and analyze your strengths and weaknesses and accordingly plan for life after CBSE board results. Doing so will help keep the mind focused on other important tasks and prevent negative thoughts form causing unwanted stress. At this stage it is also very important to prepare back-up plans for any contingencies.
• It is the best time to indulge into hobby courses! Make the most of this time by getting enrolled into hobby courses. This will not only allow students to keep the result related stress at bay, but will also help them hone their skills in something that they really like doing. Students can also choose to indulge in some physical activities that will not only help them stay fit but also keep their heads cool. Finding and allowing for such creative and /or constructive expression of their energies will help students bring freshness into their minds and help them face their studies with renewed vigour.
• Be ready for a party! The CBSE board results are the outcome of year-long hard work. Therefore it is important for students to celebrate their results. Even if the results are not as per your expectations, it is important that you accept those results and make plans for the next phase of your student life. Doing so will also help students learn a very important lesson of life - that of taking responsibility for their actions and taking charge of their lives.

Keep all these points in mind and face your CBSE board results head-on. Even if CBSE board results do not turn up as per your expectations, take it as a challenge, strive and work towards better results for the next academic year.

CBSE answers for CBSE students

The one thing that can fetch students a great score in their final CBSE examination is quality CBSE answers. It is important for students to understand that the effort to score great marks in the final examinations does not just end with effective learning but should actually spill over into writing quality and complete CBSE answers in the exams. Therefore, it is important for students to also master the art of writing quality CBSE answers so as to achieve their dream score.

Here are a few tips that will help all you students out there to frame quality CBSE answers that can be considered ‘ideal’ and that too with ease!

• The first step towards writing quality CBSE answer starts with a thorough reading of the NCERT chapter. After giving the chapter a close read, the next important step is to highlight or underline all the important points in the chapter. This will help students identify and understand the gist of the chapter along with all the key concepts in it.
• The next important step is to then turn to the end-of-chapter questions and accordingly write their CBSE answers. In order to write quality CBSE answers, it is important for students to closely study the requirements of each question. While analyzing the NCERT questions it is very important for students to read the instruction, subject and other significant information in the question carefully. Doing so will help them write quality CBSE answers for an excellent score in the final examination. While trying to write CBSE answers it is also very important for students to customize their answers for each subject. For example, while attempting CBSE answer for Science, students are advised to write to-the-point answers along with neatly drawn and clearly labeled diagrams. Where as for language subjects like Hindi and English, students have the liberty to expand on the topic and for some questions even use metaphors to explain their thoughts and impressions etc. While writing CBSE answers for Maths, it is however important for the students remember to write all the in-between steps and support it with appropriate diagrams wherever necessary.
• If students are facing a dearth of time and do not wish to spend so much time in framing CBSE answers, they can seek help from the free NCERT solutions available online. These free NCERT answers are aligned as per the guidelines of the NCERT and are supported by relevant illustrations that can make understanding easy. These free solutions not only enable students to write quality CBSE answers but also help them score great marking in the final CBSE papers.

So what are all you CBSE students waiting for, go ahead and use these tips to frame quality CBSE answers for top results in your CBSE exams.

Learning through Biology Animations

Biology Animations are certainly a boon for all biology lovers. Understanding the complex biological processes that take place inside and around the flora and fauna of a region and inside human beings becomes comparatively easy to understand. Now, you no longer need to make all those mental maps and strain your brain by trying to visualize how various biological processes such as photosynthesis work. You have Biology animations that you can turn to. 2D and 3D Biology animations make these processes come alive for you. Welcome to the world of animations!

Biology animations make it possible for all to view the dynamic processes through naked eyes. How the brain processes information, the working of different kinds of muscles in the human body, the process of metamorphosis of a butterfly, you name it and biology animations can bring to life any complicated and intriguing process through the use of graphics and animations. Thus, through Biology animations you can fast forward the growth process, rewind the development of plants, zoom-in to the deepest pores on animal skin and witness in-motion, a depiction of all that you have always read in those biology text books. 

Biology animations have been successful in re-infusing the element of practicality to the subject that was earlier missing sometimes due to infrastructural inadequacies and mostly due to the growing protests of animal lovers against the use of animals for research and scientific experiments. Now, you biology lovers need not hunt for  a microscope each time you want to study how tissues look , or have to go through those ‘not-too-pleasant’ dissection lab practices! Just play on the Biology Animations and you can view the entire process in detail.

The online medium is an interactive medium unlike the traditional print medium. Online biology animations thus make the whole process of studying Biology far more interactive. A mere click of a mouse can take you deeper into an image; animations rendered in 3-D also allow the user to view the same structure from different angles. Learning thus becomes more exploratory and therefore highly effective.

Biology as a subject requires a student to remember a multitude of names and a host of unique nomenclatures.  Students are also expected to remember concepts and processes over a period of time as most concepts taught in the higher classes are based on previously learnt concepts. Biology animations, through graphical representations, supporting audio and value-adding titles help simplify difficult concepts. Students are thus able to retain a particular biology concept for a longer period of time. 

So the next time you need to understand a complex process in biology, don’t worry! Just log on to the internet and browse through the whole new world of Biology animations. Happy Browsing!

How can CBSE class X students improve their reading skills?

A vast syllabus and poor reading skills are two main reasons that make CBSE class X students take to cramming while they prepare for their final exams. Right from the start, students are discouraged both by parents and school teachers from ‘mindless’ cramming and are advised to understand the meaning of the text before they actually try to memorize it. The intention is to improve their reading skills. Good ‘reading skills’ can help students read quickly and grasp the meaning from the written text. Good reading skills also helps develop a good command over the language which makes it easy for students to re-write in their own words. However, very little is actually done to improve the reading skills of students in school. Essentially, a focus towards developing sound reading skills should be maintained from the early years of primary schooling. However, it is never too late for students of CBSE class X to build on their reading skills and score great marks in final examinations.

Now that all you CBSE class X students out there understand the importance of good reading skills, here are a few tips that will help you improve your reading skills.

• Have clear reading goals! Before starting to read, students should set their reading goals clearly. CBSE class X students should first assess their reading objective/s and then should start reading the text. For example, while reading a novel, one is expected to read the entire sentence carefully so as to understand the story as a whole and ensure that he/she is not missing out on any important link. Where as in case of a newspaper report the objective usually is to gather a gist of the event. Likewise, the CBSE class 10 students should keep in mind the objective of the reading exercise and accordingly set their reading goals. The reading goals for a student could possibly range from quickly completing the syllabus to trying to understand the various aspects of a given topic or problem in detail.
• Choose the reading text carefully! While preparing for your CBSE class X board papers, students should practice caution while choosing the book that they are planning to study from. To improve reading skills students should first give the prescribed NCERT book a thorough read. Since the concepts in NCERT books are explained in a very simplified manner, it can be of immense help to students with relatively weak reading skills to make a framework for the concepts. After going through the NCERT book, CBSE class X students may then follow it up with books by publishers on the topic to gain further understanding of the topic.
• Choose your reading technique! While giving the chapter a read, student can choose the reading technique as per their reading goals. If a student needs to pick up details from the text then he/she may read through the entire text using scanning -a process wherein a student scans through the text in detail and then selects the information to study. Skimming, on the other hand is technique that can be employed when one has to read through quickly and efficiently. Under this technique, the CBSE class X student glances through all the text and obtains a quick overview of the topic. In order to improve reading skills, students should choose the reading technique according to the available time and proficiency level that he/she intends to achieve.
• Take notes!  CBSE class X students, who wish to improve their reading skills, should follow up a thorough read of the chapter with preparing personalized notes of the chapter in their own words. Preparing notebook in own words will not only help the student improve his/her understanding of the topic but will also help them learn how to express their thoughts in their own words.  Students can prepare their own revision notes and compare their notes for any inaccuracies with those made available online by a variety of websites.

Now that all you CBSE class X students know how to improve your reading skills, take a go at these tips for a great score.

How to study effectively from free NCERT Solutions?

The one thing that can help students score great marks in the final CBSE examinations is quality NCERT solutions. Students usually find the exercise of writing end-of-chapter NCERT solutions mundane and often try to keep away from it. Writing NCERT solutions with low interest levels can not only hamper the quality of NCERT answers but can also have an adverse effect on the marks obtained by the student in the final CBSE examinations. Therefore, it is very important for the students studying under the CBSE board to practice caution while attempting their NCERT solutions.  To make their NCERT solutions apt for the final examinations, students can also seek help from the free NCERT solutions available online by a variety of websites. These free NCERT solutions will not only help students frame complete and correct answers, but will also help them score great marks in the final CBSE examinations.

However, while referring to these free NCERT solutions it is very important for students to check their NCERT solutions against the ideal NCERT solutions for any inaccuracies. Students should also make sure that their free NCERT solutions have all these essential features to help make their solutions perfectly apt for the final CBSE examinations.

Here is a checklist of the essential features that all you students out there can refer to and ensure that your free NCERT solutions are complete and comprehensive.

• To make the activity of referring to free NCERT solutions quick and smooth, it is very important to first organize the solution sheets chapter-wise and within that page number-wise. To save time and effort, students should only seek help from those websites that provide free NCERT solutions in an organized and systematic manner. This will not only speed-up the process of referring to these NCERT solutions but will also make learning effective.
• While referring to free NCERT solutions available online, students should make sure that each answer is tailored as per the requirements of the question. Studying from NCERT solutions that are not customized as per the instructions in the question can not only hamper students learning process but often can have an adverse impact on their final marks. Therefore, it is very important for students to look out for ‘quality’ NCERT solutions that will make scoring great marks in exams easy.
• For your NCERT solutions to be ‘ideal’ it is very important that the solutions are supported with explanatory videos and value-adding graphics and illustrations, wherever necessary. Neatly drawn and appropriately labeled illustrations and graphics can further promote effective understanding that will enable students write quality answers to score great marks in final examinations.
• Grammatical and language accuracy is a pre-requisite for these solutions to be ideal. While referring to the free NCERT solutions, students should make it a point to check these solutions with respect to the grammar and language used. If students come across any error with respect to the above mentioned fields, it is advisable that students should suspect the accuracy of the solutions in general.

Having listed all the essential points to be kept in mind while referring to the free NCERT solutions, it is advisable that the next time students seek help from any free NCERT solution available online they look for these features and ensure a great score in the final examinations.

NCERT Science Books- Stressing on Sequential Growth

The driving philosophy of NCERT while drafting the NCERT Science curriculum and books has always been to provide students with education material that is ‘true to life, true to child and true to science’. The NCERT has been publishing NCERT Science text books with content that reflects this philosophy.

To make the process of conceptual understanding and learning systematic, NCERT has divided the entire NCERT Science curriculum from grade 1 to XII into various levels. These levels focus on the progressively incremental nature of the knowledge acquiring process that emphasizes a sequential building of concepts. A learning process that is sequential in nature helps students  understand the concepts easily and also leads to a better retention of the studied material as it fits into the knowledge schema that already exists with the child. This helps  students to efficiently master all important concepts particularly in the in sciences and maths.

At the first level, that is the primary level, the focus is on ‘exploration’. Here the students are encouraged to explore the world. Through the various activities and practical exercises in the NCERT Science books, the students are encouraged to gain knowledge through hands-on experience. For example in the primary classes while teaching about trees, the students are asked to collect different type of leaves and prepare a scrap book with the names of each of the leaves.

Once a student passes through the first level the next is the upper primary level. Here the stress is on learning by involving the students in group discussions with peers, performing simple experiments etc. Under the ‘Extended Learning’ activities in NCERT Science books, the students are guided to explore more information about the topics already studied. Once the required information is gathered a classroom discussion following it helps to concretizing the learning and fills the gaps. A group discussion facilitates easy exchange of information. For example, in the NCERT Science book for Class VII an activity in the Chapter ‘Nutrition in Plants’, asks students to visit a greenhouse and observe how plants are raised. They are also asked to collect additional information on the regulation of light, water and CO2 and discuss the same with the classmates.

The next level is the secondary level. Under this level the onus is on learning through advanced modules of learning in NCERT Science books. Various initiatives such as the National Talent Search Exam, National Science Exhibitions etc are also organized to assess the grasp of theoretical principles and their practical applications. For competitions like these, the entire syllabus is based on the NCERT Science curriculum.

Fourth and the last level is the higher secondary level. In this level, Science is promoted and taught as a discipline. Under this last level, Science as a composite subject is bifurcated into three to four different subjects like Physics, Chemistry, Biology and Biotechnology. Students studying NCERT Science take up their respective streams and combinations. The NCERT Science Books for these classes focuses on helping students master each subject individually so that students pursue higher studies in Science and may even take up the field of Science professionally.

NCERT Revision Notes

With NCERT revision notes in place, scoring great marks in final CBSE exams will not be that difficult! Preparing NCERT revision notes that are in sync with the ideal revision notes can not only make the act of revising easy but can also help in speeding up the pace of revision. However, it is very important for students to be cautious while preparing NCERT revision notes. Students should not only make sure that their NCERT revision notes are in the desired pattern but also ensure that are only referred to after the completion of the entire course.

Here are a few tips for all you students out there to help you arrive at NCERT revision notes that can be considered ‘ideal’.

• Keep it crisp! While preparing the NCERT revision notes, students should make sure that they are crisp and brief. The NCERT revision notes should include all the important points in the chapter in a very crisp manner. While preparing NCERT revision notes, students usually commit a common mistake of preparing lengthy and elaborate notes. NCERT revision notes like these won’t suffice the purpose for which these notes are actually made.  Essentially, these revision notes are prepared for a quick glance before the final examination. Preparing notes that are lengthy won’t help students with a quick look at the entire chapter. Therefore, while preparing the NCERT revision notes students should make sure that are brief highlights of the chapter only.
• Bulleted format works! NCERT revision notes that are in bulleted format will any day score over the revision notes in paragraph format. Students should practice enough care to make sure that these NCERT revision notes facilitate an easy read for quick understanding. The NCERT revision notes in bulleted format essentially lends an ‘any-time read’ feel to this written document, as a result one can glance through all the important points in the chapter even while on they are on a move.
• Keep it organized! Students should prepare NCERT revision notes on loose sheets rather than hard-bound thick note books. It will not only help make the activity of managing and organizing the NCERT revision notes easy for the students but will also enable them to refer to these notes quite often. Instead of carrying the entire notebook of NCERT revision notes, students can choose the chapters they wish to revise and only carry notes for the same.
• Seek help from online curriculum aligned notes! For students who have a lot of other academic activities to perform and are facing dearth of time can refer to the NCERT revision notes available online. There are a variety of websites that provide curriculum aligned NCERT revision notes. These NCERT revision notes are supported by videos and illustrations that can be easily downloaded as they are available in PDF format. Apart from these notes, these websites also provide CBSE aligned study material, practice tests, model tests, formative assessments, puzzles etc.

Ideally, students should only refer these NCERT revision notes once they are through with their studies. Students should seek help from these notes solely for revision purposes.

NCERT Questions

A study guide can give answers to the NCERT questions but seldom can it do justice to the length and breadth of the syllabus for a given subject! Students often consider writing the solutions to the NCERT questions as wasteful time-consuming and futile activity. However, a thorough understanding of the various aspects of the NCERT questions and its utility can change their existing notions.

NCERT questions are typically the questions printed at the end of the chapters in the NCERT text books. Sometimes, questions by other private publishers based on the content in the NCERT text books may also be referred to as the NCERT questions. The end-of-chapter NCERT questions are made available in array of formats with the purpose to accelerate students’ pace of conceptual understanding. Therefore, while writing answers to the NCERT questions students should try to attempt all the questions since doing so will help them gain a thorough understanding of all the concepts present in the NCERT textbooks and give them the opportunity to assess their understanding of the said topics.

Apart from the overall understanding of concepts in the chapter, most of the problems that are asked in the CBSE board papers too are either from these end-of-chapter NCERT questions or are based on the topics addressed in them. For subjects such as Social Sciences and for some topics in Science these NCERT questions are hot favourites for the examination paper setters. It has been further observed that for application oriented subjects such as Maths and Physics the questions posed in the CBSE board papers may be loosely based on the NCERT questions–often the core concept being tested remaining the same, with variations in the values therein.. Therefore, all the students out there who are preparing for their class X and class XII CBSE board papers better take these NCERT questions seriously!

Students should essentially start tackling these NCERT questions once they are through with the entire chapter. A thorough understanding of the concepts in the chapter will help students frame conceptually correct and complete answers. If possible students should try to support their answers to these NCERT questions with neat and well labeled illustrations. While writing answers to the NCERT questions, students should also stick to the prescribed word limit.

While attempting these questions, students can seek help from the readymade NCERT solutions booklet. However, students should be cautioned to use the solution booklet as a reference book only. Complete dependence on such readymade material could be detrimental for students learning as it could hinder the ability of students to comprehend text and write answers in their own words. While seeking help from these readymade solutions booklets for NCERT questions, students should look for the following factors: clarity in language, , relevance to the chapter, word limit etc. There are various websites that provide free NCERT solutions to the NCERT questions for classes VI- XII.

So go ahead and use these free NCERT solutions to improve your grades.

Wishing you all the very best for exams!

NCERT Online

NCERT goes online! The NCERT textbooks can now be viewed online. Even a decade back something like this would have been difficult to imagine.

The NCERT was set up way back in 1961 by the Government of India as an autonomous organization to assist and advise the centre and state on policies related to education and help in the implementation of the same. Over the years, the council has increasingly taken on the role of the introducing innovations in the field of education in areas of reforms and curriculum framework.

The NCERT online textbooks have made life easier for a lot of students. The availability of online NCERT textbooks has taken the student-focussed educational initiatives of NCERT to new heights. The NCERT as an organization is not new to initiatives in the area of educational technology.  The Central Institute of Educational Technology set up in 1984 is a constituent organization under NCERT that undertakes several technology-based educational initiatives. The knowledge explosion of the last decade has enabled a situation where the knowledge-base doubles every 2-3 years (source: UNESCO “ICT in Teacher Education”). The Council’s decision to introduce NCERT online textbooks can also be rightfully viewed as a first step towards weaving knowledge in a multi-disciplinary fashion.

With the introduction of online NCERT textbooks the Council has made an effort to make the source of learning more flexible than the traditional ones. The driving force behind a move like this may well be the increasing awareness that knowledge does not come from a central source, but that it actually emanates from all around us. The move to make available online NCERT textbooks is a step that recognizes the huge potential of the internet.

As expected, the NCERT online textbooks are a huge hit with both students and teachers. The students can now easily access the textbooks for all classes from class I to class XII. They are free to read these NCERT textbooks online or download them for free, as they are available in PDF format. Each chapter is available as a separate PDF file and can be opened by clicking on the chapter title in the table of contents. With the textbooks going online, students who were previously likely to use ‘non-availability of textbooks’ as an excuse for their poor performance in schools, now had no one to blame but themselves! So, it was time to dig in their heels and study. That is a good job done by NCERT online textbooks!

Cheers!

NCERT Maths Solution

If calculating and arriving at the NCERT Maths solutions is an uphill task for you then this article could make your life easy!  Students studying under the CBSE or for that matter any other board usually find practicing Maths problems a strenuous and challenging exercise. They may even often try to keep away from practicing Maths and calculating NCERT Maths solutions for the end-of-chapter questions for as long as they can. 

Here are a few tips for all you students out there on how to enjoy doing NCERT Maths by learning some fun and innovative ways that can help make the process of obtaining NCERT Maths solutions easy.

• Short-cuts can make your life easy! Students who have still not been introduced to the world of mathematical short-cuts have no idea what they are missing out on. These mathematical short-cuts are nothing less than magic that can do wonders with your ability of doing mental calculations. Within seconds you can perform complex divisional and multiplication calculations and leave your class and teachers awestruck. These short-cuts use some basic and not much popular principles that help in speedy and accurate calculation of questions to arrive at NCERT Maths solution. 
• Vedic mathematics can also help! Vedic mathematics is actually an ancient system of mathematical calculations, where functions are performed on the basis of sutras as propagated in this ancient system. While arriving at the NCERT Maths solutions, students can make use of the short-cuts available in this Vedic system of calculations. Once through with understanding the system of sutras students are also equipped to start inventing and devising their own new ways of simplifying complex calculations. This activity of learning and experimenting with simpler ways of performing complex calculations and arriving at NCERT Maths solution can make understanding and learning activity extremely fun. Apart from simplifying calculations, the interest level of students for a subject like Maths is likely to go increase manifolds.
• Music can make a difference for some! While tackling the Maths problems and arriving at the NCERT Maths solutions, some students choose to play some soft music in the background. Researches have suggested that listening to music before or while studying can considerably improve the pace of processing of information in the brain. Listening to music without lyrics i.e. ambience music while studying helps soothe and relax the mind and thereby enhancing learning. However, be warned! While listening to music works for some, it may not work for others. So do exercise your own honest judgement. 
• Surf for free NCERT Maths solutions! Students studying under the CBSE board can refer to a few websites that provide free NCERT Maths solutions. These free NCERT Maths solutions tackle all the end-of-chapter problems. The free NCERT Maths solutions by these websites not only explain the answer in textual format but are also occasionally accompanied with videos explaining the various steps involved in detail.

Now that all you students out there know how to make arriving at the NCERT Maths solution fun, go ahead and try out these interesting ways.

All the best for your exams!

A Closer Look at NCERT Delhi

CBSE students everyday come across NCERT books for almost all subjects. The last thing that occurs to anyone while flipping through the pages of these text books is ‘to think about NCERT Delhi- as the organization behind the books’! In this article I attempt to take you through a ride that will introduce the various aspects of the organization and try to showcase the vastness of its services.

NCERT Delhi has been working for over for over 48 years in line with its endeavour to provide students with quality educational material. NCERT Delhi was set up by Government of India as an autonomous organization for advising and assisting Central and State Governments on policies and programme related matters in the field of school education.

At present the NCERT Delhi has a host of departments and units, each of which perform their specialized functions. There is a department each for areas such as Elementary Education, Teacher Education, Arts and Aesthetic, Science & Maths, Social Studies & Humanities. The department of Educational Psychology and Foundations of Education under NCERT Delhi conducts an international level counselor training course in addition to undertaking psychological testing and other activities.  Interestingly, the NCERT Delhi also has specialized departments that are dedicated to the Special Needs group and to Women’s Studies! As you can guess, the department responsible for your school textbooks—the Publication department—is only one of the several departments housed within the NCERT!

From the time that it was set up to the present, a period of over four decades, has witnessed NCERT Delhi diversifying into various areas within the field of education. Apart from formulating policies and publishing NCERT Text Books, NCERT Delhi also publishes other material like journals, recreational books for children and non-curriculum based educational books. The National Talent Search Exam conducted by NCERT Delhi is very popular amongst school students. NCERT Delhi also prepares the curriculum for CBSE schools across the world, conducts periodic educational surveys and teacher training workshops. So you see, NCERT really does a lot more than just publishing your text books!

As per the recommendations of the National Curriculum Framework 2005, NCERT Delhi has taken a paradigm shift from a ‘teacher-centric’ design to a ‘learner-centric’ flexible process. Under this shift, efforts are also made by NCERT Delhi to take learning beyond the four walls of the classroom into a wider social context. As a result a host of innovative changes have been introduced in the NCERT text books. Features like ‘Activity and Project’, ‘Did you knows’, quizzes etc are some initiatives in that direction. Changes like these have given a fresh lease of life to the previously ‘not so interesting’ NCERT text books.

So the next time you open your NCERT text books, it will probably be easier for you to appreciate the team effort by the various departments in the organization towards making your school years fruitful. 

Fun-to-learn NCERT Books

I still remember the times in school when I used to line up before the Book Shop to buy a copy of an NCERT textbook. Even in those days a lot of reference and other books were available, but the NCERT Book was a ‘must have’.  And it amuses me to see that the scenario has still not changed much! Even today students queue up before the book shops at the start of each session to be among the privileged early birds to own a copy of the NCERT (prescribed) Books.

A little background about the National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) is in place. The NCERT provides academic and technical support to Central and State Governments for all matters related to school and education. Each year NCERT comes out with NCERT Text Books for classes I to XII, Educational CD’s, Non-Text Books, a multitude of Journals and Childrens’ Books on a range of topics. NCERT through its host of books, attempts to cover all the essential topics and subjects for students studying under CBSE. 

Time and again efforts are made by NCERT to introduce innovative features in its books that make learning fun and schooling a happy experience. Its recent initiative to make the NCERT (text) books available online is one such endeavour. The latest editions of the NCERT Books for all grades are based on the National Curriculum Framework, 2005. These NCERT Books introduce fun and interactive ways of learning. Many features like ‘Boojho and Paheli’, ‘Extensive Learning-Activities and Projects’, ‘What You Can Do?’, ‘Talk About It’ etc in these NCERT books are some of things that catch my attention as I glance through these textbooks .  Simple practical activities suggested in these textbooks help to weave the concepts into the learners’ everyday experiences and makes learning integral to the entire process. Such an approach makes learning trouble-free and goes a long way to infuse a fresh dose of fervour in the entire teaching-learning process. This is a good attempt is to do away with the practice of tedious bookish learning.  

Additionally, I would also like to point out that the language in the latest NCERT Books is simple to understand and the concepts are presented in a manner that makes for effortless comprehension. The text in the NCERT Books is supported by colourful photographs, cartoons, illustrations, and interesting blurbs that do not necessitate the rote method of learning.

This is not all! Students have yet another very important reason to study from these exciting and fun-to-learn NCERT books—apart from the attractive features in NCERT Books, all the questions in the CBSE board exams are based on NCERT Books, or are built around the concepts in NCERT Books!

Wishing happy studying to all!

How to Write Good NCERT Answers

While writing the NCERT answers, students sometimes adopt a casual approach to this important end-of-chapter exercise. Many also consider it a futile activity. Through their laid-back attitude students, thus undermine the advantages of writing quality NCERT answers.

Many students may not have realized, but their approach to the NCERT answers can make a lot of difference in their final scores. These days, most of the questions in CBSE board exams are either a part of these NCERT questions list at the end of the chapter and/or are based on the concepts covered in these questions. This fact further reiterates the importance of quality NCERT answers.  Apart from the quality, it is important that while writing NCERT answers students learn to modify their answers keeping in mind the specific key words in the questions such as ‘Explain’,’ Classify’, ‘Differentiate’ etc. Certain subject-specific points should also be kept in mind as the student goes about writing the NCERT answers. Here are certain points that need to be kept in mind while drafting the answers for different subjects.

• Maths:- While working on any mathematical problems, accuracy is of utter importance. The answers calculated by the student during the practice sessions should be immediately checked with the available NCERT answer list at the end of all the chapters. Also as you work your way through the questions, your NCERT answers should incorporate all the necessary steps that are essential to arrive at the solution. Usually students miss out on writing the ‘in-between’ steps. This may sometimes result in the deduction of marks. Apart from the questions that are available in the exercises at the back of the NCERT textbooks, students should not miss out on the solved examples at the start of each chapter. An interesting observation is that these solved examples top in some of the examiners ‘must ask’ question list!
• English:- Readymade NCERT answers for end-of-chapter English questions are available by a lot of publishers. Publishers usually write these NCERT answers keeping in mind the learning outcomes a student is expected to achieve in a certain grade. However, it must be pointed out that by simply reproducing these NCERT answers verbatim on your answer sheets won’t fetch you great marks. Examiners look for original use of words and expressions and favour the attempt to explore new ideas. Therefore, while writing NCERT answers in the final examinations, try to be original. Read the chapter thoroughly and write the answers to the questions in your own words. Self-composed, grammatically correct answers will help a student obtain more marks than merely reproducing the readymade NCERT answers from the solution booklet.
• Science:- Before working on the NCERT answers for any of the subjects in Science, achieving a thorough conceptual understanding of the topic in question is very important. Students should lay emphasis on understanding the concept and only then move on to drafting the answers. The NCERT answers to the questions should be accompanied by correctly labeled and neatly drawn diagrams wherever necessary. This will fetch additional marks in comparison to an answer that is not accompanied by any supporting diagrams and illustrations. Sticking to the prescribed word limit while writing NCERT answers is another important point that needs to be kept in mind.
• Social Sciences:- While writing NCERT answers for a subject like History, students usually think that a lengthy and verbose answer is what the examiner is looking for.  However, this is not the case. Precise and complete answers within the prescribed word limits, that cover all relevant points is considered an ideal NCERT answer.

So the next time you write NCERT answers, keep in mind these points. I am positive that these tips will guide you to write better NCERT answers and will result in an improved overall performance in exams.

How to frame quality NCERT answers?

Students studying under the CBSE board often unable to frame quality NCERT answers to the end-of-chapter NCERT questions. They consider the exercise of framing NCERT answers as tedious, tiring and time consuming. A very thought like this, undermines the importance of this chapter-end exercise. It is imperative for students to understand that a majority of questions asked in the final CBSE examinations are in accordance to the question pattern prescribed in these NCERT books. Therefore, in order to score great marks in the final examination students should give the required emphasis while framing NCERT answers to the end-of-chapter exercise.

Here are a few tips for all the students who face difficulty in framing NCERT answers. These tips will help students frame quality answers and that too with ease.

• Before starting to write the NCERT answers, students should first thoroughly go through the chapter and highlight the important points under each topic. An exercise like this will help students get a hang of the chapter and will also equip them with key points that could make the task of writing NCERT answers easy!
• Once through with reading the chapter thoroughly and highlighting the key points, the next important step is to understand the question and accordingly write the answer. In order to write NCERT answers that can fetch students their dream score, students should first analyze various aspects in the question closely. Writing NCERT answers as per the requirements of the question can help students arrive at solutions that can make scoring in the final examinations very easy. To help students learn how to analyze a question here are a few pointers
• Before starting to write the NCERT answer, students should carefully read the instruction in the question and accordingly tailor their answer. The approach towards attempting to answers should ideally vary on the basis of the key word in the question such as ‘classify’, ‘compare and contrast’, ‘elucidate’ etc.
• While framing NCERT answers students should lay maximum emphasis on the main subject in the question. For example in a question like- ‘Enumerate the measures taken by the Ministry of Women and Child Development to curb the problem of female infanticide in Rajasthan?’ The main subject is ‘the problem of female infanticide’. Therefore, while answering, students should build the introduction to their answers and the main content around this subject.
• Students should also not miss out on the other significant information in the question. In the above example, all relevant measures taken should be pointed only in the context of Rajasthan and not any other state. Doing so will help them score good marks
• If students choose not to invest so much s NCERT answers, they can seek help from the free NCERT solutions available by a variety of websites. The free NCERT answers provided in these websites follow the guidelines prescribed by the NCERT and the CBSE. These NCERT answers are further supported by relevant illustrations that can make understanding easy.

So what are you waiting for! Go ahead with framing your NCERT answers and score top marks in your exams.

N-C-E-R-T

N-C-E-R-T. If you are a student, this is one word that is likely to instantly bring to mind images of school textbooks! And that is not surprising, because after all NCERT textbooks are the mainstay of almost all CBSE students particularly those in classes X and XII. It must be pointed out however, that the NCERT textbooks that a student uses today are far more interesting, attractive and reader-friendly than the textbooks that were available around the time that I was in school. So, full marks to the NCERT for at least attempting to innovate and present the content of textbooks in a manner that is most likely to appeal to students!

My purpose of writing this article is not to talk about the NCERT textbooks, but actually to tell you more about the various other things that the NCERT does apart from publishing textbooks, in order to help students learn and optimize their true potential.

Scholarship exam conducted by NCERT

NCERT is a research organization that is dedicated to introducing reforms in the area of education and for bringing about modernization in school curriculum. Among its various initiatives and responsibilities, the NCERT also conducts various scholarship exams. The National Talent Search Examination (NTSE) conducted by NCERT is one such exam conducted by NCERT every year. This scholarship exam was started by NCERT way back in 1963 to identify and nurture talent. The NCERT recognizes talent by ways of providing a certificate and financial assistance in the form of a monthly scholarship of Rs. 500/- per month, continuing right up to higher studies. The NTS exam conducted by NCERT for school students covers Science, Social Science and Maths. An exam that was open to students across all classes earlier, from the year 2010, the NCERT will conduct the NTS exam for students of class VIII only. There are a total of 1000 scholarships that the NCERT gives out every year. The selection process for the NTSE conducted by NCERT is a two-stage process. Those students who qualify in Stage I exam are eligible to appear for Stage II exam. The exam for Stage I will be held in November 2009 and that for Stage II will be held in May 2010. The exam conducted by NCERT comprises a Mental Ability Test (MAT) and a Scholastic Ability Test (SAT) followed by an Interview in Stage II for those qualifying in written exam of Stage II.

Other student-focused initiatives by NCERT…

As a national level organization, the NCERT is mostly involved at policy level matters related to education. Therefore its primary initiatives remain in the area of framing guidelines, introducing educational reforms, issuing directives, conducting refresher and orientation courses for teaching staff and conducting relevant training programs for teachers etc. However, the NCERT does undertake certain activities time and again that are targeted directly to the students. Some such activities that the NCERT undertook in the recent past are organizing an All India photography contest for students and organizing a State Level Science Exhibition for students in the year 2009-2010.