NCERT vs. Reference Books – What Do You Actually Need for a 95%?

If you walk into any Class 10 student’s room in April, you’ll likely see a mountain of books. There’s the standard NCERT, the thick RS Aggarwal or RD Sharma for Maths, the multi-volume Lakhmir Singh for Science, and maybe a few “All-in-One” guides for good measure.

It looks impressive, but here’s a question that keeps most students up at night: “Do I really need to finish all of these to top the boards?”

At Padhai.co, we’ve spoken to hundreds of toppers, and the answer might surprise you. You don’t need a library; you need a strategy. Let’s settle the NCERT vs. Reference Books debate once and for all.

The “Holy Grail”: Why NCERT is Non-Negotiable

Let’s get one thing straight—the Board Exam is set by people who treat the NCERT as their Bible. Every year, students lose marks not because they didn’t know the “extra” stuff, but because they skipped a small line or a diagram caption inside the NCERT.

For subjects like Science, SST, and English, NCERT is 95% of the battle. The examiners use the exact terminology and definitions found in these books. If the NCERT says a reaction is “exothermic,” and you explain it using high-level college terms but miss the basic definition, you’re playing a risky game.

The Padhai.co Rule: Treat your NCERT like a textbook and a workbook combined. Every “Activity” box in Science and every “Source” box in History is a potential 5-mark question.

So, Why Do Reference Books Even Exist?

If NCERT is so great, why does everyone buy reference books? Because NCERT has one major flaw: it’s “too” concise. Sometimes, it explains a complex concept in two lines, leaving your brain spinning.

Reference books are useful for:

1. Extra Practice (Maths): You cannot master Quadratic Equations by solving just the 10 questions in NCERT. You need the variety that an RD Sharma or RS Aggarwal provides to build “muscle memory.”

2. Simplified Language: If a Science concept feels like Greek in the NCERT, a reference book acts as a translator, breaking it down into “human” language.

3. Question Variety: Reference books give you Assertion-Reasoning and Case-Study questions which are now a huge part of the 2026 pattern.

The Topper’s Secret: The 80/20 Ratio

You don’t need to read every page of a reference book. Here is how a 95% student actually uses them:

• 80% of your time: High-intensity reading of NCERT. Highlighting, making notes, and memorizing diagrams.

• 20% of your time: Jumping into reference books only for the topics you found tough, or for solving extra numericals.

Where Padhai.co Fits In

Instead of carrying around 5kg reference books, we’ve done the heavy lifting for you. We’ve scanned the best reference material and the latest Board trends to create Chapter Hubs.

On Padhai.co, you get the simplicity of a reference book combined with the “to-the-point” nature of NCERT. Most importantly, we provide the Chapter-wise PYQs (Previous Year Questions). Honestly? Solving the last 7 years of board questions is worth more than reading ten different reference books.

The Verdict: What is Mandatory?

To hit that 95% mark, here is your mandatory “Book List”:

1. NCERT (All Subjects): 100% Mandatory. Read it until the pages start falling out.

2. One Practice Book for Maths: To get that speed and accuracy.

3. A PYQ Resource: Like the one on Padhai.co. You need to see the “Face of the Enemy” (the actual board questions) early in the year.

Anything else is just “extra.” Don’t let the “book-collection” FOMO (Fear Of Missing Out) get to you. Master the basics, solve the questions, and keep your prep simple.

Which book are you currently struggling to finish? Let’s talk in the comments—maybe we can help you skip the fluff!