Mumbai: The ICSE Class 10 results, declared by the Council for the Indian School Certificate Examinations (CISCE) on April 30 at 11 am, brought cheer to Dhirubhai Ambani International School, where students delivered an exceptional performance this year.
Out of 33 students who appeared for the board exams, 24 scored 95% and above, while 28 students secured over 90%. Five students fell in the 80 - 90% bracket, taking the school’s overall average to an impressive 95.4%.
Topping the batch were Sudarshan Manikantan and Arsh Bansal with 99.6%, followed by Veydant Aggarwal and Anirudh Bhat at 99.2%. Shayaan Doshi and Kanishk Kalia secured the third-highest score of 98.8%.
A result that felt “expected”, yet overwhelming
For both Sudarshan and Arsh, the moment of seeing their results was a mix of calm confidence and disbelief.
Sudarshan said, “I think, yeah, so it's been a long time, so I've kind of gotten accustomed to it. Because it's ICSE and I think it's like a predictable marking scheme. Yeah, obviously, I got a really good mark. I'm really proud of that as well. Because my parents were really happy. Like, I just finished scoring my entire grandparents' community. So, yeah, they're all really proud of me and I'm very excited.”
He added, “I kind of expected more than 99 percent. And yeah, I'm just really happy that it actually came true and I got 99.6.”
Arsh, on the other hand, described the moment as slightly surreal. “The whole experience, I don't know where to start. Sometimes you have your luck with you, you have your hard work, everything just goes place and place, when I opened it first, I couldn't believe it myself. But then, it was good,” he said.
No shortcuts, just clarity and consistency
Despite their high scores, neither student spoke about extreme study routines. Instead, both emphasised clarity and consistency.
Sudarshan pointed out that sticking to the syllabus made a big difference. “I had absolutely no need for tuition. I feel like tuition for ICSE especially, there's absolutely no need for tuition. I just went entirely by the syllabus. It had exactly what is and what isn't.”
He also highlighted the role of peer learning. “In our class, I formed a peer group, we were just sharing resource and I think that was something that really helped me.”
Arsh echoed a similar approach. “The main thing is being consistent with everything you do from the start of 10th, you need to make a schedule and focus on each one of your tests and the chapters that you aren’t really good with, that’s where you need to work,” he said.
He added, “When you need any help, going to the teachers is the best option that encouragement and guidance is what’s most crucial.”
Studying smart, not shutting the world out
Interestingly, both toppers rejected the idea that scoring high means cutting off from everything else.
Sudarshan said, “Yeah, a lot. I use social media a lot. It's not like I'm in a closed room, it's very important to have a social life.” He explained that instead of counting study hours, he focused on finishing chapters before taking breaks. “After that, I would enjoy I would do other things.”
Arsh too stressed balance. “It’s important to maintain a balance between academic things and the non-academic things just to free up yourself to relax alongside,” he said, adding that he continued playing guitar, participating in robotics competitions, and preparing for mathematics contests during the year.
Sudarshan, who is also into music and debate, shared, “I like uploading videos of my songs one of my videos actually ended up getting 57,000 views and I’m very proud of that.”
Using AI as a learning tool, not a shortcut
Both students also spoke about using AI tools during preparation, but with clear boundaries.
Sudarshan said, “If you use AI smartl it can explain concepts that you may not have been able to understand. I used it especially for French I generated a lot of questions and practiced using that.”
Arsh shared a similar view. “It’s about learning new things not making it do your work if I encountered tough problems, I would upload it and it would help me understand,” he said, adding that generic AI tools like ChatGPT were useful for clearing doubts.
Staying calm during exams
On handling exam pressure, both highlighted simple but effective strategies.
Sudarshan said he used the 15 minutes before exams to settle himself. “I used to meditate a little bit then when I started the exam, I was fresh.”
Arsh focused more on learning from mistakes. “Sleep well, go through your prelim papers and look at the mistakes you made and remember not to make them again,” he said, adding that being alert during the paper was key.
Looking ahead
Both students plan to continue with the IB curriculum for Classes 11 and 12. While Sudarshan is inclined towards STEM, particularly mathematics and Olympiads, Arsh is considering engineering and hopes to pursue higher education abroad, possibly in the US or UK.
For now, though, their ICSE results stand as a reflection of what they both emphasised repeatedly, not extreme routines, but steady effort, clarity of approach, and knowing when to pause and recharge.
