How to Become a Topper?

Pranjali Patil, India’s first visually-impaired IAS officer has recently become a household name. Out of lakhs of students who appeared for one of the most coveted exams of India, the Civil Services Exam, Pranjali made it to the top. The question is, how? In the words of Narayan Sharma – “I was believed to be an underdog In the game that we played. Little did they know, I was a dark horse in the race that they craved”. With more students taking part in various examinations, the level of competition has increased. And thus, to win a race, you have to be the best out of the rest. In this blog, we will discuss some tips and tricks on how to become a topper. 

11 Habits to Become a Topper

Students are always on the lookout for tips on how to become a topper but is it really possible to reach the sky without coming out of your comfort zone? The reason why toppers stay ahead of others is that they have good habits. Listed below are some of the habits you can inculcate to become the next topper. 

Regularly Attending Classes

The key is not to tread lightly around any chapter. Be it a school lecture or a coaching class, taking part in classes actively can help you gain a lot of knowledge. Further, it is one of the top habits you need to inculcate to become a topper as being regular in your classes will help you keep track of what is being covered under each subject through which you can minimise the chance of missing out on any topic in the curriculum.

“If you fail to plan, you are planning to fail.”

Planning is the most important habit you should follow to become a topper. Devise plans which are more realistic and less hectic. Identify your strengths and weakness and formulate a timetable accordingly. The result will be visible only if you follow the timetable strictly. 

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Understand More and Cram Less

More thrust should be put on clearing the concepts and less on mugging up. Flowcharts, mnemonics, tables, graphs, etc are some of the creative techniques you can use to remember important details. Not only will such methods help you retain information for a longer period, but it will also make studies less monotonous. 

Also Read: Cramming Or Understanding: Which is better?

Regular Revision

While looking for habits on how to become a topper is necessary, it is equally important to follow them. As long as you go through what you have already learned, it is called revision. But the moment you add any extra information, it is just regrettable. Revision not only helps toppers to retain information for a longer period but also helps them in doing a self-analysis of their preparation. Thus, giving an opportunity to work more on weaker areas.

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“Practise Makes a Man Perfect.”

Solving mock papers regularly and practising previous year’s question papers give toppers an extra edge. It not only helps gives you the real exam feel but also helps you analyze the areas in which you lag. Further, exams follow a specific paper pattern. Following this habit will thus help you improve your speed and accuracy. 

Say No to Last Moment Exam Preparations

Another success mantra you need to follow to become a topper is that you should always avoid last-moment preparations for an exam. Plan ahead, create a study schedule at least a month or two before and start covering topics in terms of how difficult or easy you find them. If you decide that you will study a day or even a week before the exam, you will end up procrastinating more and more and will not get ahead in your exam preparations in any way! Remember, studying is a habit built over time. You need to devote at least an hour every day to each subject and work on topics that you think are complex and with time, you will end up conquering them!

Get Interested in What You Are Studying

While cramming concepts is what many students find the easier shortcut to acing an exam, you must know that mugging up something will only make you remember it in the short run. Finding interest in the subject you are studying will actually help you explore it in depth and you will end up learning a whole lot more than what’s there in the textbook! Amazing, isn’t it? So, whether it’s Maths, Science or Social Science, you need to find ways through which you can spark up your curiosity towards those subjects and you will end up acing every exam!

Learn From Your Mistakes

Mistakes can definitely put you down but if you look at the other side, they will also highlight your drawbacks and weaknesses that you can strengthen. So, every time you fail or get lower scores than you expected, try finding where you lacked and what you should concentrate on! Magic happens when you make mistakes with your best teacher and guide!

Don’t Limit Yourself to Mediocrity

If you accept your circumstances, it means that you are content with where you are. If you are someone who gets from one grade to another scoring just passing marks, you need to see the massive scope of improvement which can guide you towards the path of becoming a topper! Don’t accept mediocrity, set bigger goals for yourself so that even if you fail, you will end up doing much better than earlier!

Stay Curious

“The important thing is to not stop questioning. Curiosity has its own reason for existing.”

Albert Einstein

Since you are exploring the best habits on how to become a topper, you must know that you are already curious about finding the right ways that can help you score better in your studies. The greatest scientists like Einstein and Darwin emphasised the power of being curious. By asking questions and exploring new things related to whichever subject you are studying, you will move further from textbook knowledge and learn about it in a much better way that will help you retain important concepts in exams.

Keep Yourself Motivated

While inculcating all the key habits to become a topper, you must also keep yourself motivated. Don’t put too much pressure on yourself but also set goals that are realistic enough to achieve. Give yourself second chances whenever you fail and motivate yourself to be better than others.

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Best Tips on How to Become a Topper

Now that you are familiar with the habits of a topper, let us go through some tips and tricks on how to become a topper:

• Work smart, not hard: This is one of the most important tips on how to become a topper. Reading and revising from limited sources is much more beneficial than reading from a  multitude of sources because it will help you build a solid foundational base. 

• Making errors is human. The reason why this is an important tip on how to become a topper is that it reminds us of the fact that we are humans and humans do make mistakes. But only those who work on their weaknesses can make it to the top. 

• Prioritize: This is an art that can be mastered by only a few. Once you understand the difference between relevant and irrelevant tasks, only will you be able to achieve your goals. 

• Apart from the basic tips on how to become a topper, you should also maintain a healthy lifestyle, take regular breaks, and practice the art of self-discipline. 

Tips to Write a Perfect Answer

To become a topper, it is essential that you know how to write perfect answers in the exam. Given below are some tips that can help you achieve better marks:

• Write to-the-point answers
• Use flow charts in your answer
• Underline or highlight important points
• Use tables and lists
• Label the diagrams
• Proofread your answers

How to become Topper | 5 secrets to become Topper

FAQs

Hopefully, the abovementioned tips and habits will add to your information on how to become a topper. We at Leverage Edu believe in tapping your potential and bringing the best out in you. Thus, if you need any guidance on how to prepare for competitive exams, you can contact our counsellors who will mentor you to ace various exams.