Bhubaneswar: Cuttack’s Srijit Haldar topped the state in ICSE while Berhampur’s Yajnadatta Samantara and Garv Agarwal of Rajgangpur in Sundargarh district emerged state toppers in ISC Science and Commerce, respectively.According to the Association of Odisha ICSE Schools, Srijit scored 99.5% while Yajnadatta got 99.5% in ISC Science with Garv scoring 99% in Commerce.While Srijit is a student of Stewart School in Cuttack, Yajnadatta studied at De Paul School in Berhampur and Garv at Nirmala English School in Rajgangpur.Srijit credited disciplined study and consistent preparation for his achievement. According to the 16-year-old, he spent 10-11 hours every day preparing for his Class X exam and scored a perfect 100 in Maths, Computer Science, History and Chemistry.“I took tuitions in Class X, but focussed on revising the syllabus of every subject at least twice before the exam,” he said. The ICSE topper said support from his parents and teachers helped him remain confident during the exam period. He now plans to pursue science and aims to prepare for NEET.Yajnadatta scored 100 each in Chemistry and English and 99 each in Maths, Biology and Physics. Aiming to become a scientist, he wants to do research in Chemistry. “I have never been to any coaching centre or took tuitions. I am satisfied with my results,” said the state topper who had got 92.2% in ICSE.Garv, on the other hand, used sample papers to prepare. With 8-9 hours of dedicated study for four months, he practised hundreds of sample papers of every subject to prepare for the exam. He scored 100% in both Maths and Economics.“Economics, Computer Science and Accounts are my favourite subjects. I chose not to refer to previous years’ papers because every year the pattern keeps changing,” said Garv, who is now preparing for the foundational stage of chartered accountancy.The association said students from Odisha performed exceptionally well in ICSE and ISC, continuing the state’s strong track record in the exams. School principals congratulated the toppers and said their achievements would inspire other students.
