Srishti Sharma, a 16-year-old student from Bhavan Vidyalaya in Panchkula, Haryana, stunned the nation by scoring a perfect 500/500 in the CBSE Class 10 exams—achieved despite losing one mark in Social Science, thanks to the Board’s “Best of Five” rule.

Her preparation was nothing short of intense. Srishti revealed she studied for 17 to 20 hours daily, with no coaching classes, relying solely on school-provided material and NCERT books. “I didn’t leave a single word unread,” she told PTI.

While peers attended tuition centres, Srishti committed to pure self-study. Her Social Science mistake—an error in a multiple-choice question—left her in tears, but it didn’t overshadow her incredible feat.

Father’s support and inner discipline

Srishti credits her father, Rajiv Sharma, for being her biggest motivator. “He never pressured me. He just believed in me,” she said, adding that her teachers also played a major role in keeping her focused and confident, despite bouts of self-doubt.

Bigger dreams ahead

With her sights set on IIT Bombay to pursue computer science engineering, Srishti isn’t slowing down. Her advice to students?
“Make books your friends, read with curiosity, believe in yourself, and if that’s not enough—leave it to God.”

She also emphasized humility: “Don’t put others down. Stay kind, and good things will follow.”