CBSE Class 10 result: Never stressed over studies, says joint topper Rimjhim Agarwal

Rimjhim Agarwal knew she would do well but did not think she will top the CBSE Class 10 board examinations, results which were announced on Tuesday.

With just a mark short of the grand total, the student of RP Public School in Uttar Pradesh’s Bijnor scored 100 in English, Hindi, science, social studies and 99 in mathematics out of 500 to share the top rank with three other students.

“I hoped to score over 95% marks but never imagined that I will top the exam. I am very delighted,” she said while speaking to the Hindustan Times over the phone.

The daughter of a businessman and a homemaker, Rimjhim balanced her studies with leisure time to avoid any pressure.

“I only studied for two to three hours to prepare for the boards. Even during the board papers I never studied for more than four hours any day,” she said.

“Me and my wife, as parents, were a little concerned about the board exams but we never saw Rimjhim worrying about her studies ever,” her father Neeraj Agarwal said.

The 15-year-old credits her success to her parents and teachers, who she said supported her in preparing for the exams. Her family lives in the Kotdwar district of adjoining Uttarakhand.

“My mother, Anjana Agarwal, is my idol, my superstar. She manages the entire family and also handles all affairs at home. This inspires me to work hard and do better in life,” she said.

Rimjhim wants to pursue science and she has not set her mind on a certain career yet. Her parents said she is free to pick up her subjects in Class 11.

“We are here to guide her but she will take the final decision on what subjects she will study in Class 11. We will also not force her to choose a certain career in future,” her father said.

Rimjhim loves to spend time watching movies with her mother, likes to play badminton and participates in other co-curricular activities at school. She is also a very good debater, her father said.

Nandini Garg of Scottish International School in Uttar Pradesh’s Shamli, Sreelakshmi G of Bhavan’s Varuna Vidyalaya in Kerala’s Kochi and Prakhar Mittal from DPS in Gurgaon’s Sector 45 were the joint toppers with Rimjhim.

Seven students secured the second position with 498 marks and 14 students bagged the third spot with a score of 497. Officials said 1,31,493 students crossed the 90% mark and 27,476 scored more than 95% out of more than 16 lakh who appeared for the exam.

The overall pass percentage, however, fell to 86.70 from 90.95 last year, registering a dip of 4.25 percentage points. In 2016, 96.21% students cleared the exam.

Girls did better than boys with an overall passing percentage of 88.67 compared to 85.32 for boys, repeating a pattern seen for the last few years.