Imagine scoring 97.2 percent in the CBSE Class 12 board examinations. Imagine staring at the screen in disbelief as congratulations pour in, phone calls refuse to stop, and your family looks at you with immense pride. For most students, that feeling would keep them on cloud nine for days. For Kashika Dhingra of Shiv Nadar School, Gurgaon, that moment became real on May 13, when CBSE declared the results.
It was way better than what she was expecting. She was in disbelief, on cloud nine for the first couple of hours, with a blur of phone calls and congratulations. Beyond the score and the topper tag lies a story many students may relate to deeply. Every student is a topper in their own way, but stories like these deserve to be told to inspire and reassure, reminding students that success is rarely as perfect as it appears on result day.
The Hidden Struggles of a Topper
Often, the most meaningful lessons are hidden in the parts nobody talks about enough: burnout, pressure, self-doubt, and the struggle to keep going. While the world glorifies sleepless nights and endless hustle among young students, toppers like Kashika are beginning to say something different. Long before the results arrived, she was juggling board preparation, extracurricular activities, competitive exams, college applications, and entrance test preparation as a Humanities student with subjects including Psychology, Sociology, Political Science, English, and Legal Studies.
She shares that this is a story every 12th grader shares with her, calling it the peak burnout months. In a country where academic pressure is often normalised, students rarely hear toppers openly admit they felt exhausted. She and most students like her have been balancing exam preparation, extracurriculars, coaching, college admission cycles, and boards for the past year. Instead of romanticising stress, Kashika emphasised the importance of slowing down. She believes the best way to create is to create a valve for that pressure, whether by talking to friends, taking time to pursue hobbies, or simply going for a walk.
She also noted a painfully familiar observation about her generation: breaks often consist of scrolling on devices, which adds to restlessness and burnout. This advice is seldom heard amid motivational speeches about studying harder and sleeping less.
Her Preparation Mantra: NCERT, NCERT, and NCERT
Like many Humanities students, Kashika dealt with subjects demanding extensive reading and memorisation. All her subjects are theory subjects, involving a lot of rote learning and memorisation. Despite the pressure, her strategy remained straightforward: stick to NCERT. She describes it as an answer key to boards given months prior. All one needs to do is read carefully, line by line, as many times as possible. She supplemented this with previous years' question papers and online resources. When asked about the three biggest ingredients behind her preparation, she laughed and answered, NCERT, NCERT, and NCERT. She believes it is the only thing that can help, as nothing outside the textbook will ever be tested in board exams.
Are Humanities Subjects Really Subjective?
Students from Humanities backgrounds are often told that scoring high marks can be unpredictable because answers are subjective. Kashika disagrees. With a standardised examination system like boards, even the subjectivity typically seen in Humanities subjects doesn't really exist. The questions are application-based, not opinion-based. The key lies in presentation and clarity. She advises structuring answers efficiently and ensuring all points are solid, as examiners evaluate multiple bundles of answer sheets daily. Knowing the answer matters, but presenting it clearly matters just as much.
Does the Number of Study Hours Matter?
Perhaps the most refreshing part of the conversation came when Kashika spoke about study hours. In a social media environment flooded with study-for-16-hours-a-day content, her perspective felt grounded. She doesn't believe the number of hours is crucial to preparation, calling it a farce. Instead, students need to understand their own study patterns. Some people study better at night, while others prefer waking up at 4 am. She thinks the number of hours doesn't have to play a big role; it's about how much you accomplish in whatever time you have. As for herself, Kashika admitted she was a night owl, studying until 2:30 or 3 am, with a realistic maximum of four hours a day on a rigorous day. In an age where productivity is romanticised, her honesty feels quietly comforting.
Boards, CUET, and the Changing Reality of Students
Even after her board examinations ended, the pressure did not. On the day of the interview, Kashika had appeared for the Common University Entrance Test (CUET). Alongside boards, she had spent months preparing for law entrance exams such as AILET and SLAT. The past six to nine months have been a whirlwind of competitive exams and entrance exams. When asked how CUET preparation differs from boards, she explained that although the syllabus is similar, the skill set changes entirely. CUET is MCQ-based and computer-based, while boards involve long subjective answers. It tests time management and attention to detail in the book. Small details from textbook glossaries and boxes often become important in CUET.
Her Golden Advice for Aspirants
Giving mocks is definitely very important for CUET. Interestingly, Kashika believes CUET has become necessary because competition based solely on board marks has intensified significantly. Most people now score 90-plus or 95-plus, so CUET needs to be in place to tackle that.
Message to Students Battling Exam Anxiety
Toward the end of the conversation, Kashika spoke about exam anxiety, something students rarely admit openly. She has definitely experienced it herself. Students often enter examination halls replaying fears: what if I don't know the question? What if I'm forgetting that date? Calming the mind before entering the hall becomes essential. She would try to take a few minutes to herself in the car, keeping textbooks aside, no more revision, just being in a meditative space. Keeping the headspace empty before going in is the best way to go.
She offered perhaps the most important advice: don't let exams consume you. There will be so many of them in the upcoming year, including college interviews and new situations. In the middle of all that pressure, she wants students to remember to hold space for things they like doing, have conversations with friends constantly, and check in on them. Relying on the community around you and having a support system is the only way to go. For students waiting for results this year, that message may matter far more than any percentage ever could.
