Tips To Study Smart For Class 10 Board Examinations

June 20, 2019

Last Updated on January 7, 2026 by Vinod Saini

When it comes to preparing for the Class 10 board exams and securing excellent marks, an ample number of students have been observed wasting their time in picking the right study material out of the many available choices. Most of them often end up choosing the wrong study materials which might ultimately lead to scoring less or even failure. NCERT textbooks are considered to be the utmost important study material one can use to refer, read and understand the concepts. However, the best ever resource for practising different types of questions are the previous year question papers and sample papers.

Tips to Study Smart for Class 10 Exam

1. Study the topics and concepts covered in the NCERT textbooks for class 10. Make sure that you don’t mug up any concepts, instead understand them well. These NCERT books are intended to assist every student, with appropriate information and knowledge in the most simple language. These books are written carefully, covering every minute details. The NCERT books, when learned meticulously, can help you in answering all the questions asked in the exam.

2. Most of the topics in class 10 are a continuation of what was taught in class 9. Hence, if you tend to forget some concepts that were taught in class 9, take out your NCERT textbook for class 9 and read the whole concept or topic again. If you want to check whether you remember all that was taught in class 9, get hold of the CBSE sample papers for class 9 and solve it. Doing so helps you in understanding the topics you don’t remember anymore and thus, you can brush up on these topics of class 9 with the help of the NCERT textbooks.

3. No matter how vigorously you work on a topic, you can’t be thorough with it until and unless you practice the same repeatedly. Questions that cover almost all the topics in the chapter are given at the end of every chapter in the NCERT books. These questions can be short or long answer type, match the following type, or even a combination of theoretical and problem-based questions. Students should attempt these questions provided after each chapter before moving on to solving any additional questions.

4. Revision is another important and inevitable part of exam preparation. Going through the whole book for revision is often a tedious task. So, the best way to revise the entire syllabus is to solve the CBSE sample papers for class 10 and the previous year papers of the same.

Studying hard has its way in helping you to crack the examination easily, but that’s not all. A combination of hard and smart study can do wonders. If coming out with flying colors for class 10 board examination is your aim, then all that you have to do is follow the tips mentioned here. Once you are done with these simple but effective tips for studying, you are all set to rock the exams.

For more tips, students can subscribe to BYJU’S YouTube Channel to watch interactive videos of complex concepts with 3D animations and in-air projections

FAQs

Q1. How many hours should a Class 10 student study daily to score above 90%?

Answer: Quality matters more than quantity. Most toppers recommend 4 to 6 hours of focused self-study daily, apart from school and coaching. Instead of counting hours, use the Pomodoro technique (25 minutes study, 5 minutes break) to maintain high concentration levels without burning out.

Q2. Is it possible to crack Class 10 Board exams with only 2 months of preparation?

Answer: Yes, it is possible if you switch to smart study strategies. Focus on high-weightage chapters (check your board’s blueprint), solve at least 5 years of Previous Year Questions (PYQs), and prioritize NCERT textbooks. Avoid starting new, complex topics from scratch; instead, solidify what you already know.

Answer: Avoid rote memorization. Use Active Recall—read the answer, close the book, and try to explain it in your own words. For History, create timelines or stories to connect events. For Geography and Civics, break long answers into bullet points and keywords, as examiners look for specific terms rather than paragraph length.

Q4. Are NCERT books enough for Class 10 Board Exams (CBSE/State)?

Answer: Yes, NCERT books are the Bible for board exams as the question papers are strictly based on them. However, to score above 95%, you should supplement NCERT with Question Banks and Sample Papers to get used to the new “Competency-Based” question format appearing in 2026.

Q5. How do I stop getting distracted by my phone while studying?

Answer: Willpower often fails, so change your environment. Keep your phone in a different room or use apps like “Forest” that block social media during study hours. Using the Pomodoro technique also helps, as it is easier to convince your brain to focus for just 25 minutes than for 3 hours straight.

Q6. What is the best time to study: late night or early morning?

Answer: There is no “best” time; it depends on your biological clock. Early mornings (4 AM – 7 AM) are generally better for theory subjects like History and Biology because the brain is fresh. Late nights are often more effective for problem-solving subjects like Math and Physics when the environment is quiet.