The CBSE Class 12th results this year felt like an emotional rollercoaster for lakhs of students across the country. The wait seemed endless at first. Then, on May 13, when the results were finally declared, emotions spilled over in every possible form. Some students refreshed websites with trembling hands. Some avoided looking at their marksheets altogether. Some broke down even before opening the portal, while others sat silently beside anxious parents who had spent months watching their children disappear into books, mock tests, and late-night revision schedules.For some, the day turned into a celebration. For others, it brought disappointment and heavy sighs. Yet, as often said, marks never define the worth of a student. Every result carries a story, sometimes of success, sometimes of struggle, and there is something to learn from both.One such story belongs to Aarav Goel, a student of Shiv Nadar school, Noida, who secured an impressive 97.20% in the Science stream.For Aarav, however, the result did not feel like a finish line. A science student balancing the relentless pressure of NEET preparation alongside board examinations, the moment felt more like an emotional collision than a celebration.“There was happiness, obviously,” he said, pausing carefully between thoughts, “but the emotions were very high because around the same time, there was uncertainty around NEET as well. So it all felt overwhelming together.”Behind the polished scorecard was a teenager who had spent nearly two years structuring his life around a single date, May 3, the day he believed would define his medical entrance journey. Then came the uncertainty surrounding a possible reconduct, turning what should have been relief into another phase of anxiety.
The invisible exhaustion behind high scores
We often see the rosy picture, not the sweat behind it. India often celebrates toppers through percentages and rank lists. Newspapers print photographs. Schools release congratulatory banners. Social media fills with “study tips” and “success mantras”. But rarely do students speak openly about the emotional fatigue that accompanies excellence.Aarav did. “You mentally prepare yourself since the start of Class 11 that May 3 is when the exam is going to happen,” he said about NEET preparation. “After that, you think you’ll finally be relatively free. So when things change suddenly, it affects your mental state.”The honesty stands out.There is no artificial confidence, no dramatic claim of “studying 18 hours daily”, no exaggerated mythology of perfection. Instead, Aarav speaks like thousands of Indian students feel, constantly balancing ambition with anxiety.From January onward, his days stretched between seven and eleven hours of study. Before that, throughout Class 12, he maintained six to seven hours daily while simultaneously preparing for one of India’s most competitive entrance examinations. Yet even with relentless preparation, his thoughts were shrouded in doubts. “I expected to be in the top 10 or top 5 in school,” he admitted. “I didn’t really expect that I would get the highest marks.”
A topper who still questioned his marks
Despite scoring 99 in Chemistry and 98 in three subjects, Aarav says one subject left him unsettled, Psychology. “I was a little surprised by my Psychology score,” he said. “I thought my exam had gone just as well as my other subjects.”His remarks echo a wider sentiment voiced by many students following the 2026 board results regarding subjective evaluation patterns.“CBSE is a subjective exam and it isn’t always very transparent about the markings,” he said. “At the end of the day, you can control your actions and your performance, but you cannot control how an examiner grades you.”For students who spiral after results, the statement lands with unusual maturity.
Physics, panic and the pressure of proving yourself
Ask almost any NEET or JEE aspirant about their toughest subject and one answer repeatedly emerges: Physics.For Aarav, Physics was not merely difficult, it was intimidating because it appeared first in the board examination schedule.“I was definitely more stressed about Physics,” he recalled.He dedicated nearly 12 focused days solely to the subject before the exam. But the challenge was not memorisation alone. It was adaptation. This year’s Physics paper, he believes, was significantly more application-based.“The moment I opened the paper, I realised the difficulty had been stepped up,” he said. “So inside the exam hall itself, I adapted accordingly.”His preparation strategy was methodical rather than flashy. Previous-year papers. Timed practice tests. Conceptual clarity. Understanding derivations instead of mugging them up mechanically.“In one or two derivations, I had forgotten parts during the exam,” he admitted. “So I had to derive them there itself. That’s why your fundamentals need to be very clear.”There is a revealing honesty in the way he describes the board exam hall, not as a place of confidence, but as a space where students constantly negotiate between speed, presentation and accuracy.“If the paper is tough,” he explained, “you need to compromise slightly on presentation and focus on completing the paper properly.” It is precisely the kind of practical insight anxious students desperately seek after examinations.
The burnout nobody talks about enough
At one point during the conversation, Aarav spoke not like a topper, but like a student carrying accumulated exhaustion. “Burnout is very real,” he said quietly. The sentence lingers.Because beneath India’s coaching culture and competitive ecosystem lies an uncomfortable truth: students are often taught how to study, but not how to survive pressure.“There were many days when I felt low,” he admitted. “Especially from January onwards because I was giving so many NEET mock tests and board mock tests.”Mock scores became emotional battlegrounds. “Sometimes it was like, even if I got 61 out of 70 in this test, I would try to avoid those mistakes next time.”But unlike toxic productivity narratives that glorify endless studying, Aarav repeatedly returned to one idea: balance.“Sometimes taking a break is important,” he said. “You need to be in your best mental state if you want to do good things in life.”That philosophy shaped his routine. Even during intense preparation, he continued playing guitar, stayed connected with friends and participated in activities beyond academics.“Transitioning from Class 10 to 11 and 12 isn’t about giving up everything you love,” he said. “It’s about maintaining balance.”
The role of teachers, parents and emotional safety
High-performing students are often portrayed as entirely self-made. Aarav resists that narrative completely. Again and again during the interview, he returned to the people who stabilised him emotionally.He spoke warmly about his teachers crediting them not just for academics, but for understanding the unusual pressures of balancing boards with NEET preparation.“My teachers understood that my journey was a little different,” he said. Even more importantly, he emphasised the role of home.“I think parents are very important in creating an environment where you feel good,” he reflected. “You cannot always do everything right.”For many students reading this during result season, especially those unhappy with their scores, the statement may feel more comforting than any motivational slogan.
Three words every board student needs to hear
Toward the end of the conversation, Aarav was asked to describe board preparation in three words. He paused before answering.“Discipline. Focus. Positive attitude.” Then he added something even more important. “You need to manifest success, but also realise that you can only control your own actions.”In India’s exam culture, where marks often become shorthand for worth, that distinction matters deeply.Because behind every percentage lies an invisible story: sleepless nights, self-doubt, comparison, pressure, parental expectations, unfinished mock tests, panic before practicals, silent breakdowns, motivational speeches that stopped working, and the terrifying uncertainty of whether all the effort will eventually pay off. On May 13, Aarav Goel’s effort did. But perhaps the real lesson from his journey is not the 97.20%.It is the reminder that even toppers struggle, doubt themselves, feel exhausted and fear failure, and still keep going.
