When you are in Class 10, there are tons of choices when it comes to study material. You can walk into any bookstore and find wall-to-wall colorful books that are claiming to help you become a topper. However, what should you actually purchase?
Let's simplify the world of textbooks, guides, and practice books.
The Foundations: NCERT Books
NCERT books are your best friends. They are your foundation material. They are written by experts that know exactly what CBSE expects from you. All the board exam questions come from NCERT books, so if you understand NCERT, you are nearly halfway to success.
What is special about NCERT? They break down concepts into simple language that anybody can understand. They follow a step-by-step approach which goes from basic to complex topics. They follow every aspect of the CBSE syllabus so you will not be wasting time on irrelevant topics.
For Science/ Social Science all NCERT books cover the entire syllabus. They have diagrams, examples, and exercises that use real-life situations which will help you gain a better understanding of concepts. Students who study NCERT books line by line can easily score 95+ marks.
The Reality Check: Why NCERT alone may not be enough
Here's the painful truth - while NCERT textbooks are good for understanding principles, they may not have the range of practice questions that you are likely to face in the board examination. For instance, reading the manual of how to drive a car might help with understanding the theory of learning to drive a car. However, you need to do an awful lot of practice before being able to take the wheel without anxiety. In subjects like Mathematics and Science, to get a proper understanding of a principle, you need a variety of problems that fall under that principle that you are trying to learn. That is where different textbooks can be your friend.
Guide Books: Your companions for practicing
Guide books are like companions for your NCERT that provide you with a little more practice and different demonstrations of the same concept. Good guides will lay out previous years questions, sample papers, and solved examples. The added advantage of guides is that they expose you to various types and patterns of questions. NCERT books like to focus a lot on conceptual understanding, guides are an important dimension for helping you apply your conceptual understanding in different ways, which is important in terms of the board examinations.
Additional Practice Books: The Last Polish
Practice books allow you to practice your answering skills in exam conditions improving your speed and accuracy. Practice books usually contain mock exams, sample papers, and past year's questions which help you get accustomed to the layout of your actual exam. By practicing regularly with these books, you will feel confident in your answering abilities, while relieving some of your stress and anxiety regarding the actual exam.
Subject Based Strategy
For Science: Begin developing your conceptual grasp with NCERT before moving on to guides for practice, and for your last revision phase, work through past year's papers and sample papers.
For Social Science (SST): NCERT is essential because it contains History, Geography, Political Science and Economics. SST is about memorising facts and concepts but extra guides can also help you revise more quickly.
An incredibly useful resource that combines the best of both worlds is Disha 360 Social Science Class 10. A comprehensive guide, it makes NCERT theory more digestible and offers exam style question banks, past year questions, and sample papers all in one book. Perfect for students looking to structure their preparation and wanting to avoid buying multiple books.
For Mathematics: Mathematics also requires practice books, in addition to NCERT. The WiNR Series combo for Class 10 Science and Mathematics has a section-wise set of objective and subjective questions that would sequentially build and develop your problem-solving skills.
The Smart Way: How to Use All Three
Phase 1 (Conceptual Learning): Start with NCERT books. Read each chapter carefully. This should help you get a good understanding of the concepts.
Phase 2 (Practice & Application): Move on to guide books for additional practice. Solve additional questions, learn about different methods of approaching and solving problems, and clarify all doubts.
Phase 3 (Exam Preparation): Start with practice books and sample papers. Practice exam conditions, practice quick revision, and practice recognizing weaknesses and focusing on those areas.
Cost Conscious
There’s no need to purchase every book in the market. Follow the NCERT, then choose one good guide book for your subject area. Students make the mistake of buying too many books and fail to complete any of them properly.
Remember quality over quantity – it is better to thoroughly complete two good books, then to partially complete five different books.
Final Thoughts
The truth is not about choosing NCERT, or guides, or practice books. It's about using them intelligently side by side. NCERT books are not optional. You need them to understand the concepts. Guide books allow you to practice those question types that NCERT doesn’t give you. And practice books will give you the speed and confidence you will need during your board exams. The best book is the one you finish. Use books that suit your learning style and stick with them.
Your Class 10 board exams are BIG, but they aren't that big. With the right books, effort and preparation you can succeed. Focus on understanding the principles rather than rote memorization, practice often, and keep your confidence up! You can do this!
FAQs
1. Are preboards marks considered for Boards? Can I still give boards if I fail in preboards?
Preboards are conducted so that students can test their preparation for the actual board examination. Its marks do not impact boards.
2. Is the syllabus for Class 10th available on CBSE website?
Yes the syllabus for Class 10th is available on the official CBSE website - http://www.cbseacademic.nic.in/
3. Will a student lose marks if they opt Hindi as a medium for writing board examination?
No, students will be graded based on their answer and the medium of language used will have no effect on their marks.
4. Suppose I complete my paper before time and hand over the answer sheet and then realize that I have incorrectly answered one of the questions, can I take back my answer sheet and rewrite the answer ?
Yes, you can do so as long as it's within the time limit of the exam. However, it is advisable to use the entire time duration and go through all your answers before submitting the answer sheet to ensure that you haven't missed anything.
5. My writing speed is very slow and because of that I am not able to complete my paper. Can something be done?
Start practising papers within a fixed time limit to improve your speed. If you find yourself struggling to finish an answer during the exam, write it in pointers. Don’t leave the answer blank.
