ICSE Topper 2025 Arnav Randery secured 99% in ICSE Exams 2025! Emerging as a school topper from Jasudben ML School, Mumbai, Arnav wants to become an Engineer. The Council for the Indian School Certificate Examinations, CISCE announced the Indian Certificate of Secondary Education, ICSE Result 2025 on April 30, 2025. When asked if his ICSE result 2025 is as per his expectation, Arnav said, “My efforts had been fruitful. I had a tremendous sense of accomplishment and thankfulness”
In an exclusive interview with Shiksha.com, Randery shared his ICSE Board Exams 2025 preparation strategy, career plans, tips for aspirants and more! Check out some interesting excerpts from the interview below:
Q: Congratulations on your result! How was your reaction after seeing the results?
A: I was so happy and proud when I saw my ICSE results. My efforts had been fruitful. I had a tremendous sense of accomplishment and thankfulness. It was made even more memorable by the joy of my family. I will always treasure that moment, which was both exciting and relieving.
Q: Did you score what you expected?
A: Based on how the exams went, I was expecting to score around what I did end up scoring. However, coming first in my school was extremely unexpected, especially since I know people who put in more effort into studying than I did and had consistently scored higher on previous exams.
Q: Please tell us something about your family background.
A: I come from a family that places a high value on education. Both my parents are highly educated people, and have instilled the importance of learning in me from a very young age. They are incredibly hard working and have set a strong example for me to consistently put in effort and strive for excellence. At the same time, they have always been extremely supportive by providing me with resources and the freedom to pursue my own interests-academic or otherwise.
Q: Please tell about the stream that you are targeting.
A: I’m targeting a stream in engineering, specifically electrical or computer engineering. I’ve always loved problem-solving and really enjoy spending long periods of time just thinking and working through challenging math or computer science problems. I’m also deeply fascinated by how computers work at a low level (the circuitry and architecture) which drew me toward this field.
Q: What was your strategy to score above 95%?
A: My strategy was to study smart instead of just hard. I followed a simple approach: I would take a practice test, then I would identify the topics I was weak in, then I would go through those topics, and repeat the cycle. For memorization-heavy subjects, I relied on well-made notes and made flashcards to retain the content more effectively. For math and the sciences, I focused more on understanding the concepts rather than just memorizing them. Being a naturally curious person, I would often go beyond the textbooks to understand things more deeply (this isn’t necessary to do well in ICSE, but I did it because it made studying more meaningful and enjoyable for me).
Q: Did you take any online or offline coaching?
A: Yes, for some subjects I did take external classes and am extremely grateful to all of their teachers. The external classes I took were extremely beneficial for me especially since I have a tendency to leave things until the last minute and they forced me to study on time and stay on track.
Q: Who encouraged you the most in this journey?
A: Throughout this journey, my parents, teachers, and friends have been my greatest sources of encouragement. I’m incredibly grateful to them for always having my back and being there to support me every step of the way. Their constant belief has kept me going.
Q: What was your routine during ICSE board exam preparation?
A: I didn’t follow a strict routine, but I would set goals for things I wanted to accomplish each day, the night before. Then, no matter what, I would hold myself accountable and not let myself sleep until I had completed them.
Q: What are your future plans? Which career path are you aiming for?
A: Over the next two years, I’ll be pursuing the IB Diploma Programme. My plans are likely to change, but I’m currently considering building a career in either electrical engineering, embedded systems, or quantitative finance.
Q: What is your favorite subject?
A: My favorite subject is Math. I really enjoy working with numbers and solving problems. I also have a strong passion for Computer Science, even though I didn’t choose it as a subject in ICSE.
Q: What is your dream college/institute?
A: My dream is to attend one of the top engineering schools in the world, such as MIT or Stanford. I’ll work hard to give myself the best chance, but at the end of the day, I’ll be happy and satisfied going wherever I am accepted.
Q: What are your future goals?
A: My immediate goals are to maintain high academic standards and get into a good college. Over the next two years, I will work hard to accomplish these goals and set myself up for success in the future.
Q: Please share some tips for students prepping up to appear in ICSE Board Exams 2026
- One thing I highly recommend you do is create a daily or weekly to-do list with tasks you know you can realistically complete. The key is to stay consistent, so avoid overloading yourself.
- Push yourself as much as you can without burning out.
- Study strategically by focusing more on your weak areas instead of pointlessly doing the things you’re already good at again and again.
- Make time to do something that you genuinely enjoy and that helps you unwind. For me, it was programming, building LEGOs, and playing the bass guitar.
- Don’t be discouraged if you’re not doing well currently or see others doing better than you. Keep in mind that, “hard work beats talent when talent doesn’t work hard”.
This article appeared in Shiksha online portal on 7th May, 2025
