Can I score over 95% in board exams using only NCERT books?

This is the ultimate question for every serious board exam aspirant, and the answer is an emphatic Yes, you absolutely can score above 95% using only NCERT textbooks as your primary resource. However, this comes with a very important condition: you must treat the NCERT books not just as textbooks, but as comprehensive guides that need to be mastered with the right strategy.

Simply reading the books passively will not be enough. Scoring at the 95th percentile requires a deep, active, and multi-layered approach to studying them. Here is a proven strategy to achieve this.

Phase 1: The First Reading - Conceptual Clarity Your first interaction with any chapter should be a thorough, line-by-line reading. The goal here is not to memorize but to understand.

• Read like a story: Go through the chapter from start to finish to grasp the narrative and the flow of concepts.
• Use a pencil: Underline key definitions, important dates, scientific terms, and any line that seems to be a core concept.
• Pay attention to diagrams and tables: NCERT diagrams are not just for illustration; they are often a source of direct questions. Understand what each label signifies. Analyze the data in tables and graphs.
• Don't skip the "boxed" information: The extra information provided in colored boxes is part of the syllabus and is often a favorite for objective or short-answer questions.

Phase 2: The Second Reading - Active Learning and Note-Making This is the most crucial phase. Now that you have a basic understanding, you need to engage with the material actively.

• Solve all in-text questions: As you read, you will encounter "in-text questions" (often in blue boxes). Stop and answer them. These are designed to check your understanding before you move on.
• Solve every single end-of-chapter exercise: This is non-negotiable. Every question, from MCQs to long-answer types, must be solved. The board exam question paper is heavily based on the pattern and type of these questions.
• Make your own notes: Do not rely on pre-made notes. The process of creating your own notes helps internalize the information. Create concise, point-wise notes, flowcharts, and mind maps for each chapter. This will be your ultimate revision tool.

Phase 3: The NCERT Ecosystem - Beyond the Textbook Mastering NCERT means engaging with its entire ecosystem, especially for Science and Maths.

• NCERT Exemplar: This is the key differentiator. The Exemplar book contains higher-order thinking skills (HOTS) questions that are designed to test your application of concepts. Solving the Exemplar is what takes you from the 80-90% bracket to the 95%+ bracket. Board paper setters often pick questions directly from or inspired by the Exemplar.

Phase 4: Revision and Answer Writing Practice

• Multiple Revisions: The toppers' secret is not reading many books, but revising the same book many times. You should plan for at least 3-4 rounds of revision using the notes you created.
• Previous Year Question Papers (PYQs): After mastering the content, solve the last 5-7 years of board exam papers. This helps you understand the question patterns, marking scheme, and time management. You will be surprised to see how many questions are directly from the NCERT exercises.
• Answer Writing: Practice writing answers in a timed environment. Structure them well with introductions, subheadings, and conclusions to make them presentable and easy for the examiner to grade.

When is a supplement helpful? While NCERT is sufficient, a good supplementary resource can act as a catalyst. This is where a platform like Infinity Learn becomes invaluable. It doesn't replace NCERT but enhances your preparation by:

• Providing Structured Video Lectures: If you find a concept difficult to grasp from the text, an expert teacher explaining it visually can provide clarity.
• Offering a Vast Question Bank: For extra practice beyond the textbook and Exemplar, you can use question banks to test yourself on every single topic.
• Conducting Mock Tests: Infinity Learn's mock tests simulate the real board exam environment, providing you with a detailed analysis of your performance, highlighting your weak areas, and helping you perfect your time management.