
This blog presents an insightful interview with Palak Kumari, the State Rank 5 topper in the Bihar Board. Hailing from a Hindi medium background, her remarkable achievement of 475 marks provides valuable lessons for aspiring students. We delve into her academic journey, subject-specific strategies, effective study habits, and future career aspirations, offering inspiration and practical guidance for competitive exam preparation.
Palak Kumari, a Hindi Medium student from Bihar, secured State Rank 5 in the Board examinations. Her dedication to her studies is evident in her impressive scores.
Name: Palak Kumari
Academic Medium: Hindi Medium
State Rank: 5 (in Bihar)
Main Subjects: Biology, Mathematics (as an extra subject)
Total Score: 475 marks out of 500 (compared to Rank 1 at 481 marks)
Subject-wise Marks:
Hindi: 99
English: 95
Physics: 94
Chemistry: 92
Biology: 95
Mathematics: 89
Palak's educational path reflects adaptability and a strong focus on self-improvement.
10th Grade: Her academic journey began with a positive offline learning environment at a new coaching center, which included homework. This foundational experience helped her achieve 458 marks.
11th Grade: She enrolled in PW's Arjuna Batch for NEET Hindi, initially aspiring to pursue NEET. However, she found online NEET preparation challenging and "hard."
12th Grade: Shifting her focus to board preparation, she later joined PW's Pratibha 2.0 Batch. Her initial goal was to secure a top rank (Rank 1 or 2) to avail government financial aid. Later, her priority shifted to gaining knowledge as a primary goal, recognizing the need for continued effort and hard work, free from household chores or managing the family shop.
Palak adopted specific strategies to tackle different subjects.
Chemistry: She found Physical Chemistry to be her strong suit, while Organic and Inorganic Chemistry presented areas of difficulty that required focused effort.
English: Despite an initial fear of English and historically low scores, she found 12th-grade stories and poetry interesting, which significantly helped her overcome her aversion and improve her performance.
Physics: Palak developed a strong understanding of derivations, often practicing them diligently when other study material was unavailable, reinforcing her conceptual clarity.
Palak's approach to studying was disciplined and proactive.
Notetaking: She emphasized meticulous note-making, using whiteout for corrections to maintain neatness and accuracy. She strongly stated, "one should never be lazy in making notes."
Overcoming Demotivation: Palak experienced moments of fatigue and the feeling of wasted time. She transformed this feeling of "tadap" (longing/restlessness) into immediate motivation to study, even if only for half an hour or an hour in the middle of the night.
Currently, Palak aspires to pursue Civil Services and is actively exploring relevant PW batches for preparation.
Palak's journey involved exploring different learning environments and goals:
11th Grade (NEET) vs. 12th Grade (Board Prep): In 11th grade, her dream was NEET via online classes, a path she found hard. In 12th grade, she strategically shifted to Board Preparation, prioritizing knowledge acquisition and later aiming for Civil Services.
Offline vs. Online Study: Her 10th-grade offline coaching proved highly beneficial, offering a structured environment with homework similar to school. While online preparation for NEET in 11th grade was challenging for her, she successfully utilized online batches (PW Pratibha 2.0) for 12th-grade board preparation.
Her environment and strong personal values also shaped Palak's success.
Family Background & Support: Hailing from a village with a family business, Palak received crucial parental support. Though initially pressured to assist with the family shop, her parents ultimately allowed her to prioritize studies, with her sister offering unwavering support.
Teacher Guidance: She expressed gratitude for her PW teachers, specifically mentioning Pankaj Sir for English and "Halkishu Bhaiya" for Physics, for their positive impact.
Personal Mindset: Palak advocated for prioritizing literacy/education for girls over superficial adornment. She underscored the importance of perseverance and stubbornness ("zidd") to achieve goals, drawing a parallel to her own determined efforts to secure dedicated study time.