CBSE Class 12 boards 2020: Last minute subject-wise expert advice for science students

With less than 2 weeks to go before the CBSE Class XII Board Exam begins, students from science background (i.e. PCM group) are now gearing up for it. Majority of them would have appeared in JEE Main 2020 (in January) and now their focus is to maximize their performance in the board exam.

Here are few tips to help them tide over the next few weeks:

* Understand the syllabus and make proper study plan: Assess the weight-age of different sections to decide the time to be devoted for revision. Practicing questions of 5 or 6 marks will certainly help.

* Set Daily Target for studies: Set a daily target for studies, keep a note of it to strengthen your resolve.

* Prepare revision notes: Make separate notebooks for theorems, formulae and methodologies. This will help you to read and quickly brush up the concepts.

* Practice questions by yourself: Try to solve the questions by yourself in the 1 st attempt. If you are unable to do it, then refer to the solution or discuss it with your teacher.

* Practice Full length Question Paper: It is a good way to mentally prepare and get exam ready. The more you practice and solve question papers the more confident you become.

* Address your problem areas: Address your doubts the moment you encounter it, do not procrastinate.

* Analyze your mistakes: It’s extremely crucial to spot and analyze mistakes if you do not want to repeat it in the actual exam.

Subject-wise tips

MATHEMATICS

The new pattern introduced this year will comprise 80 marks for written exam and 20 marks for practical. There will be 36 questions divided into 4 sections carrying 1, 2, 4 and 6 marks respectively. A systematic learning is essential for Mathematics.

* Follow NCERT books for building micro concepts of chapters. Practice solved examples and exercises.

* Many a times questions asked are not the most expected ones. Hence cover the whole syllabus.

* Devote more efforts on topics that you think you are weak and/or topics that you think are less interesting.

* Solve and practice previous years question papers and also mock tests.

* The most important topic where you can score is Calculus (weightage 35 marks). Focus on continuity and differentiability, logarithmic differentiation, high order derivative, increasing and decreasing functions, maxima and minima word problems, integration, area, differential equation

* Algebra (Matrices and Determinants), 10 marks.

* Relation and Function and Inverse trigonometric function (8 marks)

* Vectors and three dimensional geometry ( 2 - 4 marks)

* Linear programming has a weightage of 4-6 marks.

CHEMISTRY

* It is important to practice multiple choice questions and very short answer questions from NCERT exempler.

* In Physical Chemistry, there will be numerical based questions, so write important formulae of each chapter and practice enough numerical.

* While Attempting numericals:

o Write formulae used.

o Substitute the values

o Calculate and write final answer with units.

* Attempt old board question papers and attempt mock tests within fixed time limit.

Organic Chemistry

* This is a scoring section but requires systematic revision. Typically the type of questions asked are :

* Conceptual questions (reasoning based)

* Conversions/Word Problem

* Name Reactions

* Distinction Test

* Mechanism of reaction (as per NCERT)

* A lot of practice is needed so try to solve as many questions as you can on a daily basis.

* Don’t just read; write the solution yourself several times to develop that flow and gain speed and

accuracy. Remember, balancing of reaction is not needed.

* Most of the students ignore and/or do not revise certain chapters like Polymers, Bio-molecular and

Chemistry in everyday life. But these chapters collectively carry a weightage of 10 marks and hence

one must devote some time to revise them.

Inorganic Chemistry

* In this section, questions that asked are based on:

* Reasoning

* Structure

* Complete the reaction

* p-block elements : Write all important reactions in a sheet and revise them on a regular basis.

* d- and f- block elements : Revise and practice reasoning based questions; revise preparation

structure and properties of compounds like KMnO 4 and K 2 Cr 2 O 7

* Coordination Compound : It’s an important chapter as different types of questions are asked.

* Metallurgy : A wide variety of questions are asked hence revise thoroughly.

* Attempt old board questions papers and attempt Mock test papers within a fixed time limit. This will help to develop exam temperament, flow and speed. Follow it up with few mock test papers just before the exam.

Physics

* Sufficient time must be devoted to revise lengthy chapters viz Electrostatics and Optics.

* Practice few subjective questions like those based on Cyclotron, Magnetometer and other similar apparatus.

* Do not neglect small chapters like Alternating Current.

* You will have to be thorough with the following chapters :

* Magnetic properties of materials

* Semi-conductor

* Diffraction

* Polarization

* Optical Instrument

* Electromagnetic Wave and Communication System

* While solving numerical type problems, draw diagrams and label different parts appropriately, ensure

that you are putting correct values and units.

* The language for definitions should be original, altering them must be avoided.

(Author Partha Halder is Centre Head of FIITJEE Punjabi Bagh Centre. Views expressed here are personal.)