Using NCERT the Right Way: Beyond Reading the Chapter

"Just do NCERT thoroughly." Every CBSE student has heard this from a teacher, a topper or a relative. It is good advice. The problem is that hardly anyone explains what thoroughly means.

Reading a chapter twice is not doing NCERT thoroughly. Neither is memorising the summary at the end.

Here is a method that turns your NCERT textbook into marks — for Class 9 and 10 Science and Maths, and equally for Class 11 and 12 Physics.

Why NCERT matters so much

CBSE board papers are set on the CBSE curriculum, and NCERT textbooks are written to that curriculum. That is why the language of board questions so often mirrors the textbook — a definition, an example, a figure, an activity.

Two things to keep in mind:

• Use the right edition. NCERT has rationalised its textbooks in recent years and is introducing new NCF-aligned books class by class. Use the edition prescribed by your school for the current session, and check the chapter list against the CBSE curriculum on cbseacademic.nic.in.
• NCERT books are free online. Every textbook can be downloaded chapter by chapter from the official NCERT website, which is handy for revision on a phone.

The three-pass reading method

Pass 1: Read for the story (before class or right after)

Read the chapter once, quickly, without a pen. Your goal is to understand what the chapter is about and how its topics connect.

At the end, close the book and write three lines: what was this chapter trying to teach me?

Pass 2: Read with a pen (the real study)

This is the slow, active pass. Go paragraph by paragraph and mark:

• Definitions and laws — underline them, and learn them in NCERT's own words
• Every solved example — re-solve each one in your notebook without looking
• Figures and diagrams — note what each figure shows; redraw the important ones
• Activities — write down the aim, what is done, and the observation and conclusion
• Tables — especially in Chemistry and Biology, tables often hide direct questions

In the margin, write a one-word tag for anything likely to be asked: define, derive, diagram, difference, reason.

Pass 3: Read to test yourself (revision)

Before a test, skim only what you marked. Cover the definitions and say them aloud. Redraw diagrams from memory. Anything you cannot recall goes on a revision list.

Don't skip the questions inside the chapter

Many students jump straight to the end-of-chapter exercises. That misses an important layer.

1. In-text questions — the short question boxes inside the chapter check basic understanding. Answer every one in writing.
2. Back exercises — solve every question, including the ones that look easy. Write full answers for long-answer questions at least once.
3. NCERT Exemplar — after the textbook exercises, move to the Exemplar problem book for Science and Maths. Its questions go a step deeper and build the application skills that competency-based questions test.

A good order for each chapter: in-text questions → exercises → Exemplar → previous years' board questions.

Subject-specific tips

Science (Class 9–10)

• Learn every labelled diagram. Questions on the human eye, the heart, the nephron, electric circuits, and lenses and mirrors are common.
• Every chemical reaction in the chapter should be written in your notebook, balanced, with states of matter where given.
• Activities are often turned into case-based or experiment-based questions. Know the observation and the reason behind it.

Maths (Class 9–10)

• NCERT exercises are the backbone. Work through every question, including the optional exercises where your school includes them.
• Re-solve the solved examples. Board questions often follow the same structure with different numbers.
• Write full steps. Marking schemes reward method.

Physics (Class 11–12)

• Every derivation in NCERT should be practised in writing, from start to finish, until you can produce it without the book.
• Solve the exercises before you try reference-book questions; they are carefully chosen to cover each concept.
• Read the "Points to Ponder" at the end of each chapter. They clear up common misconceptions.

A weekly NCERT routine

The Sunday review is what makes knowledge stick. Without it, much of what is learnt on Monday is forgotten by the following week.

NCERT plus the exam pattern

NCERT gives you the content. CBSE sample papers and previous years' papers give you the pattern. You need both.

Once a chapter is done the NCERT way, attempt its questions from the latest CBSE sample paper and from past board papers. You will notice how often the textbook's examples and figures appear in a new form. Our 90-day Class 10 revision plan shows how to combine the two in the months before the board exam.

How we teach at Alpha Academy

Our teaching is NCERT-first by design: every chapter is taught from the textbook, then practised with Exemplar, previous years' questions and weekly tests in the board pattern. See our Class 9 Science, Class 10 Science and Foundation Programme for Class 9 and 10 students. Free worksheets and formula sheets are available on our resources page.

Next step: see the Class 10 Science unit-wise weightage and 60-day plan to apply this method before the boards, or take ASCAT, our scholarship-cum-admission test if you're moving into a new class.