I have been teaching Sainik School entrance maths for nine years now. Every year I see the same mistake. Parents buy five different books. Kids solve random questions from everywhere. But nobody sits down and checks which chapters actually carry the most marks.
So let me save you the trouble. I did the homework.
I went through AISSEE ↗ question papers from the last six years. I counted chapter-wise questions. I checked patterns. And I found something that most coaching centers won't tell you openly.
7 chapters alone carry nearly 60% of the total Maths marks in the AISSEE Class 6 exam.
That's roughly 90 marks out of 150. Just from seven chapters. Let that sink in.
First, Understand the Maths Paper
Before I name the chapters, you need to know the exam structure. The AISSEE 2026 Maths section has 50 questions. Each question is worth 3 marks. Total — 150 marks. That is half the entire paper of 300 marks.
No other subject even comes close. English, GK, Intelligence — they all carry 50 marks each. Maths alone is three times heavier than any other section.
So if your child is weak in Maths, it does not matter how good they are in other subjects. Maths will make or break the result.
Now here are the seven chapters.
1. Number System
This one shows up every single year. Place value. Even and odd numbers. Prime numbers. Factors and multiples. Ascending and descending order. Roughly 5 to 7 questions come from this chapter alone.
Most kids think this is easy and skip revision. Big mistake. The questions look simple but they have tricky options. One careless error and 3 marks are gone.
2. Fractions and Decimals
Another heavy chapter. Addition, subtraction, multiplication and division of fractions. Comparing fractions. Converting decimals. I have seen 4 to 6 questions on this topic in recent papers.
Many students mess up when fractions and decimals are mixed together in one question. Practice that combination. A lot.
3. LCM and HCF
This chapter is a favourite of AISSEE paper setters. HCF and LCM problems, word problems based on them, and questions that mix both concepts together. Around 3 to 5 questions appear regularly.
The trick here? Most questions are not direct. They come wrapped in a story — like "three bells ring at intervals of 4, 6 and 8 minutes." Your child needs to spot that it's an LCM question. That takes practice.
4. Percentage and Profit-Loss
Now we enter the commercial maths zone. Percentage calculation, profit and loss problems, discount questions. This section has been getting 4 to 6 questions in recent years.
I always tell my students — learn the shortcut formulas. Don't solve everything the long way. In a 150-minute exam with 125 total questions across all subjects, speed matters as much as accuracy.
5. Geometry
Lines, angles, triangles, circles, quadrilaterals. This chapter covers a lot of ground. The questions test basic understanding — angle sum property, types of triangles, parts of a circle. Around 5 to 7 questions come from here.
Geometry scares some kids. But honestly, if you draw diagrams while solving, it becomes much easier. I make my students draw every single figure on rough paper. It works.
6. Mensuration
Perimeter and area of rectangles, squares, triangles. Circumference and area of circles. Volume of cube and cuboid. Expect 3 to 5 questions from this topic.
Here is my honest advice — memorize the formulas first. Write them ten times. Then solve problems. Without formulas in your head, you will waste time flipping through your memory during the exam.
7. Ratio and Proportion
This one is sneaky. It seems like a small topic. But ratio and proportion questions appear in almost every paper. 3 to 4 questions on average. Sometimes they overlap with percentage and profit-loss.
Unitary method falls in this bucket too. Teach your child to set up the ratio first, then solve. Step by step. No jumping.
Why Nobody Talks About This
Most coaching websites give you the full syllabus and say "prepare everything." That is technically correct. But it is bad advice for a 10-year-old with limited time.
Smart preparation means knowing where the marks are. If your child masters these 7 chapters properly, they already have a strong grip on 90 out of 150 marks in Maths. Add decent scores in the other three subjects and they are in a very strong position.
Does that mean you skip the rest? No. But you start with these seven. You give them the most time. You practice them the most. Then you cover the remaining topics.
That's the difference between studying hard and studying smart.
What Should You Do Right Now?
Here is my simple plan. It has worked for hundreds of my students.
Pick one chapter from this list every week. Start with Number System. Read the NCERT textbook chapter first. Then solve 20 practice questions on it. Then do 10 questions from a previous year paper on that same topic. Move to the next chapter the following week.
In seven weeks your child will have a rock-solid foundation in the highest-scoring chapters of AISSEE 2026 Maths.
After that, cover the remaining topics. Then start full mock tests.
That's it. No magic formula. Just the right chapters, in the right order, with enough practice.
Your child's Sainik School dream starts with these 7 chapters. Don't waste time on everything at once. Start where the marks are.
