'Toppers peaked early, burned out': Ex-HCL CEO says board exam marks don't matter, they're like item songs
The former CEO said that marks are like Bollywood item songs — they seem super important at the time but are completely irrelevant to the actual plot later.
- Jan 29, 2025,
- Updated Jan 29, 2025 5:36 PM IST
Decades ago, Vineet Nayar, former HCL Tech CEO, walked into his board exams feeling like Shah Rukh Khan in “Kal Ho Naa Ho”—dramatic music in his head, tears threatening to spill, convinced his future depended on remembering the Pythagoras theorem. But, it didn’t.
"Not once has anyone stopped me to ask, ‘Vineet, how much did you score in Class 12?’” Nayar wrote in a LinkedIn post on Wednesday. “If they did, I’d probably say, ‘Enough to traumatize my parents but not enough to impress my teachers.’”
The former CEO said that marks are like Bollywood item songs — they seem super important at the time but are completely irrelevant to the actual plot later. He recalled how his average grades didn’t stop him from getting into college. “My grades were as average as an Akshay Kumar sequel, yet I still got into college,” he said.
The reason? Confidence matters more than scores. “Marks are like a supporting actor — helpful, but the spotlight belongs to you. If you can walk into a room and convince people you’re a superstar, you’ll go further than any percentage can take you.”
Nayar argued that scoring high in school doesn’t guarantee success. “Most of the toppers in my batch sprinted hard, peaked early, and burned out,” he wrote. He compared life to a Netflix series, not a three-hour Bollywood blockbuster. “The backbenchers who took their time? Let’s just say we’re doing okay now.”
Nayar admitted he wasn’t a straight-A student. “My Chemistry scores were so bad that I think my teacher kept a prayer mat handy whenever I walked into the exam hall,” he joked. But life, he said, doesn’t care about Physics or Chemistry—it cares about adaptability. “Life doesn’t test you on Physics or Chemistry. It tests how you think, adapt, and convince others you know what you’re doing—even when you don’t. Pro tip: fake confidence works.”
Nayar’s final message was clear: Parents, stop treating board exams like the Oscars. Students, stop letting marks define you. “When someone asks years later, just say, ‘Enough to keep my parents off my back but not enough to quit watching Netflix.’”
Decades ago, Vineet Nayar, former HCL Tech CEO, walked into his board exams feeling like Shah Rukh Khan in “Kal Ho Naa Ho”—dramatic music in his head, tears threatening to spill, convinced his future depended on remembering the Pythagoras theorem. But, it didn’t.
"Not once has anyone stopped me to ask, ‘Vineet, how much did you score in Class 12?’” Nayar wrote in a LinkedIn post on Wednesday. “If they did, I’d probably say, ‘Enough to traumatize my parents but not enough to impress my teachers.’”
The former CEO said that marks are like Bollywood item songs — they seem super important at the time but are completely irrelevant to the actual plot later. He recalled how his average grades didn’t stop him from getting into college. “My grades were as average as an Akshay Kumar sequel, yet I still got into college,” he said.
The reason? Confidence matters more than scores. “Marks are like a supporting actor — helpful, but the spotlight belongs to you. If you can walk into a room and convince people you’re a superstar, you’ll go further than any percentage can take you.”
Nayar argued that scoring high in school doesn’t guarantee success. “Most of the toppers in my batch sprinted hard, peaked early, and burned out,” he wrote. He compared life to a Netflix series, not a three-hour Bollywood blockbuster. “The backbenchers who took their time? Let’s just say we’re doing okay now.”
Nayar admitted he wasn’t a straight-A student. “My Chemistry scores were so bad that I think my teacher kept a prayer mat handy whenever I walked into the exam hall,” he joked. But life, he said, doesn’t care about Physics or Chemistry—it cares about adaptability. “Life doesn’t test you on Physics or Chemistry. It tests how you think, adapt, and convince others you know what you’re doing—even when you don’t. Pro tip: fake confidence works.”
Nayar’s final message was clear: Parents, stop treating board exams like the Oscars. Students, stop letting marks define you. “When someone asks years later, just say, ‘Enough to keep my parents off my back but not enough to quit watching Netflix.’”