CBSE Toppers: Who Took the Top Spot This Year?

This year, CBSE results turned into a mini saga of ambition, anxiety, and blockbuster numbers. When someone scores a record-setting 499 out of 500, it’s front-page news, but everybody asks: who is the best topper of CBSE? Names change every year, but the hunt for the “best” CBSE topper isn’t just about marks. It runs deeper—a story of grit, nervous late-night studying, and the quiet competition between thousands of students across India hoping to see their snapshot splashed across headline news or trending hashtags. Sometimes, the real topper isn’t just a person—it's an idea of excellence that every student tries to chase.

The Faces Behind the Numbers: Top CBSE Toppers and Their Stories

When looking for the “best” CBSE topper, people tend to focus on the marks. Back in 2024, Tanishka Kabra from Delhi topped the CBSE Class 12 exams with an unprecedented 499 marks. Her discipline? Science stream. You’d think someone with a mark-sheet like that had been a hermit, locked away from fun, but Tanishka was anything but. She played badminton every evening to clear her head and swears by making mind maps for physics and chemistry revision. Her style? Micro-goals. Break big subjects into tiny goals and celebrate every checkpoint.

But wait—it was not only Tanishka who made headlines. CBSE toppers come from all corners, not just metros. In 2023, Sneha Barik from Odisha scored a straight 498/500 in Humanities, becoming the first from her school to feature on national media. She led community library initiatives, even during exams, which she said gave her a “fresh brain break.” Her tip? "Don't lose who you are just to fit a topper image. Use your interests to fuel your studies, not the other way round."

Boys, too, have dominated several years. Anirudh Seth from Chennai, with 497/500 in the 2022 Class 10 CBSE exam, was famous for posting free math tutorials on YouTube as revision. One of his videos hit 150K views right before board season, making him a low-key celebrity in the student math community. He once joked: "Helping others revise helped me remember better than all my own self-quizzing."

Let’s look at a quick snapshot of recent years’ legends:

Notice those subtle differences? Science isn’t the only stream sending toppers to the top. The CBSE makes public the full toppers’ list every year, but each topper’s story is unique—they thrive on routines and smart strategies but don’t turn their backs entirely to fun or down-time.

For every topper, the road is packed with revision schedules, sample papers, and a healthy slice of luck. Parental support, great teachers, and a pinch of their personal mantra—these factors shape who ends up as the “best.”

What Really Makes the Best CBSE Topper?

The label “best CBSE topper” is like a gold medal, but is it just about who has the highest score? Nope. There are hundreds of students each year who, thanks to moderation and luck, tie for top marks. So, why do a select few stand out? Because the true best toppers tend to disrupt the mold—they push boundaries in and outside the classroom.

If you look at their habits, you’ll notice patterns. First, toppers treat the CBSE syllabus like their personal project. Not just memorizing, but actually understanding concepts page by page. Instead of reading a chapter once, they’ll unravel it three or four times—jotting down doubts, solving NCERT problems twice, and marking the hardest lines with highlighters till they stick. Ever seen a toppers’ textbook? It’s probably thicker from all the notes and sticky tabs shoved between the pages!

Some toppers even build their own study techniques. For instance, a 2025 CBSE topper, Riya Malhotra, was famous for her “three-hour rule”: she never let a day go by where she didn’t spend at least three hours on her least favorite subject. Eventually, her weakest link became her biggest strength. That’s the sort of secret sauce that gets you topping charts.

Surprisingly, a lot of toppers go for regular breaks and swear by planning chill time. This keeps burnout away. For example, setting a timer for 50-minute study sprints and then walking the dog or listening to music for 10. Most toppers talk openly about battling stress and anxiety. Therapy or short breathing exercises are part of many toppers’ real routines, even if schools rarely talk about it.

They also rely heavily on peer learning. Study groups—either on WhatsApp, local libraries, or Zoom calls—are where real doubts are cracked. If you want to spot a genuine topper, check their chat history. You’ll find group discussions on confusion points in Chemistry, or exchanged screenshots of solved sample question papers.

Sophie D’Souza, an exam counselor and popular author, once advised:

“The best toppers treat studies not as a sprint, but a marathon—they pace themselves with mix of focus, fun, and a kind community.”

Lastly, the real CBSE toppers are not afraid to make mistakes. They do mock tests without peeking at notes, deliberately answering tough questions first to stretch their limits. They fail, they get stuck, but they review and start again—till that mistake doesn’t happen in the final exam.

How the CBSE Topper List Is Decided

Every year, CBSE generates national buzz as it announces results, promptly releasing a toppers’ list. But what does it take to feature at the very top? The process is both transparent and ruthless—the highest percentages in each stream rank first, followed by tie-breakers based on subject-level marks and then alphabetical order.

The myth of the “one topper to rule them all” doesn’t quite hold up, either. Many years, multiple students share the top percentage, thanks to near-perfect performance. In 2019, for instance, 13 students tied for the Class 10 topper spot with 499 marks. That’s why people rarely mention a single “best” topper for any given year—there’s usually a crowd at the peak.

But CBSE also tracks school toppers and stream toppers. Science, Commerce, and Humanities all get their own charts, so each stream produces its own local celebrity. If you score a 99% in Science and someone else scores the same in Commerce, both might make headlines. If you want to trace back the record marks per stream, you’ll find patterns in the board’s archives:

The actual calculations CBSE uses are ironclad. Students’ best five subjects are taken, and moderation policies sometimes bump marks. But, to keep it fair, the board eliminates grace marks after a certain threshold to avoid “score inflation.”

What about rumors that schools favor their own students while sending marks? That’s just that—rumors. All evaluations are centralized, with answer sheets anonymized at the marking centers and multiple rounds of checking to iron out human errors.

Ultimately, the topper list comes down to numbers you see online, but each name there has a journey that involves more than perfect answers: it’s about relentless drive, preparing for the unexpected, and sheer determination day after day.

Topper Strategies: Tips, Schedules, and Realistic Advice

There’s no single recipe for topping CBSE, but read enough topper interviews and you’ll spot tactics that really work—stuff that’s surprisingly doable for anyone, not just super-geniuses.

First, toppers organize like pros. They pick a monthly goal, then chunk it down into weekly and daily plans. Having a whiteboard or planner on the wall is common. Each day, focusing on small wins—a chapter summary done, a tricky math problem solved, or a previous year’s question paper cracked—keeps momentum alive when big exams feel too huge to handle.

When it comes to books, toppers use multiple resources but trust the NCERT textbooks as their main guide. They use guides like Arihant and Oswaal for sample papers only after the main concepts are clear. And mock tests? Toppers take at least 10 to 20 full-length practice tests before the real deal—one every two or three days in the month leading up to the exam, gradually ramping up the pressure so the real thing feels familiar rather than terrifying.

Many toppers use active revision, not passive reading. That means making flashcards, teaching concepts to friends or siblings, or recording themselves explaining tough topics. When your own voice talks back with the right answer, it sticks. Others swear by mind-maps, diagrams, and flowcharts—especially for subjects like Biology, History, and Economics.

Time management is huge. A lot of toppers stop studying after 8:30 PM to avoid sleep issues. Early morning study gets them “fresh brain power,” with many waking up as early as 5:00 or 6:00 AM to beat distractions. Digital distraction? Most set strict limits on phone or social media (usually using app blockers), then enjoy guilt-free bingeing on Sundays after a tough week’s work.

• Break major subjects into short, manageable blocks over weeks.
• Review past year question papers and mark repeating topics.
• Use Pomodoro technique: 25-minute focus, 5-minute break.
• Keep a dedicated doubt notebook—ask teachers, not Google, for clarification.
• Self-care matters: 7-8 hours of sleep, snack breaks, and short walks.

And dealing with panic? Most toppers have a “reset move”: whether it’s listening to their favorite track, chatting for five minutes with a parent, or just stretching it out. No one can avoid stress, but you can stop it from running your day. If things go sideways, toppers don’t give up—they change the plan and adapt.

Here’s a simple, actionable study plan inspired by this year’s CBSE topper:

The main thing that unites the best CBSE toppers is their blend of laser-sharp focus, balanced routine, and the fearless attitude to tackle weak spots head-on. They’re real, relatable, and prove that getting to the top is more about CBSE topper mindset than just marks tally. If you’re chasing that top spot, start small, stay steady, and remember—they all started as students just like you.