Hindustan Times (Lucknow) - Hindustan Times (Lucknow) - Live
GURUGRAM BOY TOPS CBSE 10TH BOARDS
Prakhar Mittal, 16, is overjoyed. And why wouldn’t he be — the Gurugram teen has topped the Class 10th board exams, scoring 499 out of 500!
Mittal (from Delhi Public School, Gurgaon) is the highest scorer in the country along with Rimzhim Agarwal (from RK Public School, Bijnor), Nandini Garg (from Scottish International School, Shamli), and Sreelakshmi G (from Bhavan Vidyalayas, Cochin), who have all scored 499 out of 500.
Mittal is “shocked” and “overwhelmed”. He tells us, “It’s really overwhelming. I can’t believe it and I am really happy. All my hard work has paid off. My first reaction was no reaction, as I didn’t know how to react. I obviously didn’t expect these many marks.”
The teenager says that his study schedule allowed him enough time for pursuing hobbies. “[My interests] didn’t take a back seat [for the exams]. I’m not someone who is just into studying; I enjoy extra-curricular activities as well. Throughout the year, I would take out one hour every day to play cricket and table tennis,” he says.
He then explains the exam prep: “I studied regularly throughout the year, studying the NCERT [textbooks] thoroughly. I studied hard in the onemonth study leave that we get before the Boards, studying about eight-nine hours every day. My parents didn’t pressure me at all.
I was very relaxed with the preparation.” Mittal’s interest lies in STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) and music.
Talking about the inevitable — all the memes and jokes that will now be shared on social media about his feat — he says that he’s ready to laugh along. “Jokes are for entertainment. And even I laugh on other jokes, so that’s completely normal
(smiles),” says Mittal. Advising anyone aspiring to score the maximum, he says, “Study with a relaxed mind. My message would be to not take the pressure of studies too much. In that process, you’ll end up feeling not good about yourself.” Mittal plans to take up the Science stream, and pursue engineering later.
THE TEENAGER SAYS THAT HIS STUDY SCHEDULE ALLOWED HIM ENOUGH TIME FOR PURSUING HOBBIES