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What after Class 10th ?
Take a look at your school life so far. Each
year has been different. In the last two years,
things have been getting more serious. Class 9
had its own responsibilities to ensure that you
did make it to the penultimate year of school.
That is, where you are in the new session, brand
new class 10 and the final year of secondary
school. You know that when you leave school next
year, life could look quite different. There
would be a lot more freedom, choice,
independence; end of homework (maybe!), no one
on your back… the scene could be quite
different.
But at this point of time, wonder years of
college are merely beckoning. To get there, you
have to make the best of the few months that
remain till your SSC/ICSE/CBSE/ Class X Board
examination. Right now, life probably looks like
it consists only of studies, projects,
assignments, tests, revisions, the final Board
examination and then career decisions. Before
you know it, all this will be behind you. So,
let us plan so that class 10 passes off
productively and you have all the cards in your
hand. Choices can then be made on your own
terms.
Keep Going Ahead
While the
school and your teachers are responsible for
completing the curriculum, you must also take
initiative. Plan to read through your English
and other language text books, go over the
grammar exercises, read your history lessons
(like a story), travel through geography,
understand the economics and consider how much
of it you can understand yourself. Don’t avoid
Maths because certain aspects are extensions or
applications of what you have already learnt in
earlier classes. I am not saying that you finish
the syllabus on your own but to the extent that
is possible, you can work ahead. This will give
you ample time to understand what lies ahead and
what are the stumbling blocks.
You have textbooks, refreshers, guide-books,
sample questions, previous years’ questions,
tuitions, test packets. ……I possibly missed a
few other aids that lurk there to entice you.
The problem is not in buying them or in signing
up for classes, but that all of that has to be
absorbed, analyzed and put to the best use by
you. It is better to read one good book ten
times than ten mediocre books once.
Pre - Boards
The selection test,
the preparation/ Pre-Board / Mock finals, are to
be taken seriously. Research and review of
previous years’ records reveal that there is
very little deviation between your Pre-Boards
and Boards. At this stage, when you spot any
weak areas, work harder on them.
After this stage, the best approach is not to
try and cram new things. Don’t push yourself to
learn all those things you had ignored so far.
In doing so, you will not only continue to be
weak in those areas, you would also have lost
precious time that could have been utilized in
strengthening yourself in the topics and
chapters that you are confident about. Remember
to allocate importance to chapters/ topics, as
per the weightage/ marks they attract in the
Board exams.
Variety is the spice of life. Break up your
study periods between subjects, to have a
variety and avoid monotony. Do your revisions at
recurring intervals rather than plan to read up
an entire book before revising. Move ahead a few
steps, then step back and review if what you
learnt that last week still remains in your
memory.
After it's Over
You will be called upon to decide on whether you
want to study science, arts or commerce. All
streams are good but you should be clear about
your reason for choosing a particular stream and
understand if they can lead you to your goals.
In formulating your goals you can ask yourself,
"What do I like best? Am I strong in science? In
maths? In the social sciences? If so, what
choices should I make for college?"
The way you perform in classes 9-10 build the
foundation on which career options and
directions are selected. Performance in subjects
of class 10 lead to curriculum choices in
classes XI-XII, which add up to college choices
and these lead to career possibilities. Keep an
open mind about your career choices, and do your
best in class 10, so that you can exercise your
options.
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