Kathmandu:

They proved themselves by passing the Iron Gate with flying colours. And though the system of declaring the Board Firsts has been done away with, students still hope to get through their SLC with flying colours. So what if there is no Board First? They can at least do extremely well and get results that satisfy them no end.

And since our young friends are busy preparing for the Iron Gate, we talked with a number of board toppers of the previous years to get some pointers. Here’s what they had to say about their march to success, their months of dedication and belief in themselves that they could do really, really well.

“As preparation for my SLC I studied regularly — 18 hours daily. Besides studying by myself, we used to have a lot of group discussions, which I felt was very beneficial. Studying with my friends, asking each other questions helped in clearing any doubts or confusions that I had. It also helped me to get a wider range of ideas and options while answering the questions.” — Sameer Shrestha, Board 1st in 2061BS, Kavre Madhyamik Vidyalaya, Kavre; currently studying in Caspian Valley College

“I think that time is the most determining factor in one’s preparation for the School Leaving Certificate examination. So one should not have or get into the habit of procrastinating. Nothing should not be left for the last minute. Whatever has been taught — either in extra classes or tuitions — one must go over these lessons the same day itself. Maths and Science were subjects I gave my priority to, but I didn’t ignore the other subjects. I used to study almost nine hours daily.” — Subhash Lamichhane, Board 3rd, 2062 BS from International Public School, Mahendranagar; currently studying in Caspian Valley College

“One should not just study during the exam time. One should study regularly for atleast three months prior to the exams. I studied around 15 hours a day, allocating equal time to all the subjects I was going to sit for. One should cultivate the habit of going over previous years’ questions papers, give three hours to a set of questions each day.” — Navin Khadka, Board 9th, 2061 BS from Modern Boarding Secondary School, Bhaktapur; studying in Caspian Valley College

“It is necessary to stick to a routine which is convenient to one’s self. Besides studying, I used to write down and practice a lot — anything that was assigned to us in school, question banks and exam-oriented stuff. I did anything and everything that I could get my hands on. — Rojina Tuladhar, Board 6th, 2061 BS, from Nightingale Higher Secondary School, Kupondol; currently studying in Himalayan White House International College