CUET Topper 2022: Know how Mahalaxmi Swaminathan studied for entrance exam to get into SRCC

CUET UG 2022 Topper Mahalaxmi Swaminathan, the daughter of a Naval officer, secured a perfect score of 800/800 and got into her dream college SRCC through her determination and self-study. "I studied for 9-10 hours each day, devoting time to all subjects and practicing various types of questions. I believe that self-study is necessary for acing any kind of competitive exam. Self-study can go a long way in cracking CUET since it is entirely 12^th NCERT based," she said.

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Q. Tell us about your family and educational background.

A. I am Mahalaxmi Swaminathan, a native of Chennai, Tamil Nadu, and pursuing BA (Hons.) Economics from SRCC, New Delhi. My father, Cdr V. Swaminathan is a defence officer serving in Indian Navy. He is a science graduate in Naval Architecture and holds a postgraduate diploma in Ship Building Technology and Executive Management Certification from IIML. My mother, Chithra Swaminathan holds a Master's degree in Public Administration. My younger brother, Radhakrishnan Swaminathan has finished his class 12^th and is currently preparing for CUET 2023 exam.

Q. When did you start preparing for CUET Exam? What all books did you refer to?

A. In a way, my preparation for CUET started way back in April 2021 (the day I started my 12^th standard). From the very start, I was determined to study at Delhi University and at Shri Ram College of Commerce (SRCC) in particular. This strategy and aim helped me in scoring 98.2 per cent in my 12^th board exams. I am also the overall topper among various branches of the Navy Children School run by the Naval Education Society spread across Pan-India. Owing to the 2 boards system for our batch, I was very thorough with the syllabus and revised each chapter 6-7 times. The term 1 board exam also gave me a fair idea of approaching and solving MCQs. NCERT is a must for CUET. Once thorough with NCERT books, one can also refer to Arihant, Oswaal, Exemplar, EAD, PQYs, etc.

Q. How much time did you devote to self-study? What do you feel is better, coaching or self-study?

A. Since only a month was left for CUET after the term 2 board exams, I studied for 9-10 hours each day, devoting time to all subjects and practicing various types of questions. I believe that self-study is necessary for acing any kind of competitive exam. Self-study can go a long way in cracking CUET since it is entirely 12^th NCERT based.

Q. How did you prepare for CUET UG, just a month before the exam?

A. Like mentioned above, I was focused on my 12^th from the very start. In the last month before CUET, I dedicated my entire time, solving questions with varying difficulty levels. From time to time, I went back and revised the concepts. It’s like the old saying goes- ‘Practice makes a man perfect.’ The more one practices, the more he/she is confident and positive about attempting the test.

Q. How many domain tests did you appear in the CUET exam?

A. I appeared for 6 subjects viz. History, Political Science, English, Economics, Mathematics, and General Test. Although Delhi University takes into consideration the top 4 subjects, I would suggest everyone to appear for all the 5 subjects that they studied in their class 12^th. The general test helps with applying to other universities and keeping the options open and wide.

Also Read: CUET 2022 Topper Tips: Know How Elimination Method Helped Prisha Khandelwal Get Into SRCC

Q. Which subject is your strong one and which is the weakest? Are NCERT books sufficient for preparations?

A. My strong subjects included History, Political Science, and Economics whereas Mathematics was a relatively weak subject for me. NCERT is a must but one should also refer to other books mentioned above as practice is required for acing the exams and landing into top colleges.

Q. When it came to exam day, what was your strategy? According to you, what was the toughest and easiest section?

A. Thorough revision of concepts helped me during the day of the exam. Firstly, I answered all the questions that I was very confident with. For each subject, one is given a buffer of 10 questions which they can skip. Thus it is imperative for one to go through the entire 50 questions. This helped me in analyzing how many more questions I need to solve to answer 40 questions. Plus, going through all questions helps one to evaluate which of the remaining questions is relatively easier to solve within the specified time. The elimination method also helps in answering MCQs but I would suggest that one should not entirely rely on this technique.

According to me, the toughest subject was Mathematics, and the rest of the subjects were very easy. I had both the slots on the same day. So I started with Mathematics first. With a fresh mind and energy, I solved as many questions as I could within the stipulated time. As the day progressed, with a relaxed and eased mind, I could solve other subjects.

Q. Which all universities did you apply for? What was your dream college?

A. My dream college was always Shri Ram College of Commerce. However, I also applied to various other universities such as Tata Institute of Social Science, Visa-Bharati University, and Dr. B.R. Ambedkar School of Economics.

Q. To whom do you attribute your successful CUET topper journey? What would you suggest to future CUET aspirants in terms of preparation, attitude, etc?

A. I attribute my entire successful journey to my parents and teachers at Navy Children School, Visakhapatnam. My parents have been my main pillar of support throughout my journey. They constantly had my back through all my ups & downs. My teachers also helped me reach where I am today through their constant motivation and faith in me. They were ever ready to clarify and solve my doubts even at the midnight hour. I feel greatly blessed and honored to have had such teachers whose support and guidance made a huge impact on my life.

For future aspirants in terms of preparations, the only thing I would suggest is to START EARLY! This goes a long way in helping that person feel confident and prepared on the day of the actual examination. Practice, practice, practice as many questions as one can. Always be ready to put in that extra effort and walk that extra mile as securing a seat in the top college gives a huge boost to one’s dream and career. It is a stepping stone toward one’s ambitions. Never give up and always be curious to learn beyond what is given in NCERT. This will not only help for acing the test but also during one’s course at the university level.