Hey folks, welcome to the first episode of Tips for Twelfthies.
I’m your friendly neighborhood philosopher, struggling scholar, guide, mentor—whatever you want to call me. And I’m really glad you’re here.
Today’s tip is simple, but it’s one of the most valuable pieces of advice I can give you. Someone told me this a long time ago. I didn’t follow it.
I regret that.
A lot.
So don’t make the same mistake I did.
Before we begin, a little housekeeping.
This episode has actually been in the works for about a week. I had all the main points prepared, but I couldn’t record it because, well, exams. I recently finished Grade 12 with 94% in the science stream, and competitive exams never seem to end.
Until around mid-June, I’m basically not free.
So yes, I’m recording this under a bit of a time crunch. Things are messy. But I like helping my juniors, so here we are.
And if you’re listening, stay tuned. Once my exams are over, these episodes should become much more frequent.
The Tip
Get your lab manuals, projects, and practical work done as early as possible.
I’m going to repeat that because it’s important.
Get your lab manuals, projects, and everything else required for practicals done as soon as possible.
Why?
Because the later part of Class 12 becomes absolute chaos.
Especially if you’re in the science stream.
You have JEE Main in January. Boards start shortly after. Then come pre-boards, revisions, mock tests, practical exams, and everything else at once.
And what usually happens?
Schools suddenly start asking for project submissions and practical files around the exact same time.
Now here’s the reality.
Most practical notebooks are basically copy-paste work.
Let’s be honest.
In many schools, the examiner doesn’t sit there reading every page of your practical file. They glance through it, tick a few pages, and move on. They’ll ask you viva questions—that part matters. Lab attendance matters.
But the writing itself?
It’s mostly clerical work.
Nobody is asking you to derive every experiment from first principles.
So if it’s mostly labor work, get that labor work out of the way early.
Use your summer vacation.
Use your Puja break.
Use any relatively free period you have.
Because when January arrives, you’ll need your time for things that actually matter: revision, problem-solving, mocks, and exam preparation.
A Quick Request
Before we continue, my producer—whose name also happens to be Nibir—asked me to mention something.
If you find this podcast useful, share it.
That’s genuinely the biggest way you can support it.
I’m not putting this behind a paywall. I’m not selling a course. I’m making this because I enjoy helping students.
But motivation does fluctuate.
And it genuinely helps when people send feedback, ask questions, or tell me whether something helped them.
So if you want to support the podcast:
- Share it with your friends.
- Send me questions.
- Give feedback.
- Tell me what topics you’d like covered.
You can email me at pod@nibirsan.org.
Trust me, reading those emails makes my day.
Alright, back to the practicals.
What Exactly Do You Need To Complete?
If you’re in science, you’ll generally have:
- Physics practical notebook
- Chemistry practical notebook
- Projects for Physics and Chemistry
- English project work
If you’re in humanities, you’ll likely have projects for subjects like Geography, History, Political Science, and so on.
The exact requirements vary from school to school.
So your first step is simple:
Ask your teachers and seniors.
Ask directly:
“What exactly do I need to submit for practical marks?”
Most teachers will happily tell you.
In fact, they’ll probably be pleasantly surprised that you’re thinking about it this early.
The Official Source
Now suppose nobody gives you a clear answer.
Or suppose they say:
“You have plenty of time. Focus on studies for now.”
In that case, you still have an official source.
Go to:
Navigate to the curriculum section and select your subject.
CBSE doesn’t change the practical component very often, so you’ll find:
- Practical activities
- Project requirements
- Record work
- Assessment guidelines
Everything is listed there.
Once you know what’s required, finding the actual content is easy.
The internet is full of practical files, project reports, and activity write-ups.
Your seniors probably have copies too.
So first figure out what needs to be done.
Then get it done.
Simple.
Deadlines Matter
Most practical examinations happen around mid-January.
Which is, conveniently, the exact time when everything else is happening too.
That’s why I keep stressing this point.
Use your summer vacation.
Use your holidays.
Use your relatively free months.
Don’t leave practical work for January.
Future-you will be extremely grateful.
A Mistake I Made
This advice was given to me.
I ignored it.
I thought:
“There’s plenty of time.”
I assumed teachers would tell me exactly when to start.
And while teachers are helpful, that’s not really their job.
Their job is to teach, guide, and answer questions.
They’re not going to personally track every deadline for every student.
You have to take some initiative.
Ask questions.
Get the information.
And once you have it, finish the work early.
Wrapping Up
That’s all I have for this episode.
I hope it helps.
We’ll definitely talk more about practical exams in future episodes—things like viva questions, what examiners usually ask, common mistakes, and how practical examinations actually work.
If you have any questions, send them to:
I’ll try to answer them in future episodes, and maybe even give you a shout-out.
Class 12 is a strange year.
You’ll learn a lot.
You’ll struggle a lot.
You’ll probably doubt yourself at some point.
And then you’ll discover you’re capable of much more than you thought.
So keep going.
Also, check out my blog and the Discord server linked in the description. You’ll find some genuinely good people there—students trying to learn, focus, and become better versions of themselves.
And that’s about it.
Take care of yourself.
Take care of your family.
Stay hydrated.
And don’t forget to stay frosty.
(This transcript was generated and optimised for readability by an LLM. Though I reviewed it, the stuff isn’t 1:1 approximation of the podcast episode, or my thoughts. But it’s pretty darn close to it.)