By Saurabh Kumar, Director Academic- Vidyamandir Classes Ltd. 

 

JEE preparation in today’s time is no less than any tough & long run challenge for the students. The students have to go through a lot of preparation which usually starts after class 10th and goes on till the time they appear for the actual test of their life which is JEE main exams.

The number of students that appeared in JEE main last year was around 14.7 lakhs (as per sale of application forms). Roughly 15% or around 2.2 lakh students qualified for the next step- JEE advanced. Although this year this number is expected to remain the same but the competition will be intense with the MHRD’s decision to hold the exam twice in January and April. A newly constituted body NTA will be conducting the exam moving away from CBSE which earlier was responsible for conducting the exam. The examination mode will now be computer based only.

 

Speed, consistency and discipline, thus become the most important attributes one must develop and improve during this crucial phase. Self-study is as important as classroom teaching and an average of at least 5 to 6 hours everyday is the only key to success. Another mistake most of the students commit, as per our observation, is that the students usually do not ask or clarify their doubts after self-study resulting in many problems in their preparation.

 

To make life easy for the students, here is a list of dos & don’ts for the students:

 

Do’s

• A regular 5 to 6 hrs study per day
• Clear your doubts on a regular basis
• Do your school homework in the extra time in school itself
• Refer to NCERT especially for chemistry and minimum, relevant, study material
• Prefer solving questions on a paper with pen
• Choose a coaching institute near your place to reduce travelling stress & time
• Check the syllabus from JEE website and study only relevant things
• Divide the entire course into parts and complete that part in a fixed span of time
• Complete your entire syllabus at least six months before the board exams so that you have ample time to revise and handle boards easily
• Give regular mock tests to check your speed and accuracy
• Do detailed test analysis after every test
• Know your strengths and weaknesses topic wise and subject wise

 

Don’ts

• Never pile up your doubts
• Do not refer to many books on a single subject
• Do not refer irrelevant books by getting fascinated from your peer group
• Do not devote too much time on a single topic
• Never give test without a time limit
• Do not watch too much of TV or internet

 

These basic points are to be remembered and followed rigorously and honestly to succeed in the exam.

 

One month to Exam

During this time, students should examine and analyze their common mistakes and work upon them in order to make a stronger case for JEE exams. They should devote more time and energy to subjects or topics in which they are weak. They should also memorize the formulas, method of calculations and test their speed in order to prepare themselves for the exams.

The IIT JEE exam is likely to be stressful. The students are expected to appear for around three hours papers back to back. To prepare for such a situation, students must create an exam-like atmosphere by taking mock tests by timing themselves as per the real exams. Students must go through last few years’ question papers and feel confident by solving them more than once before they appear for the main exams.

Students should not try solving a whole lot of problems at this stage & altogether avoid complicated problems. Relaxing, having a good sleep, eating healthy, etc. are also very important. It is pertinent that students estimate the time taken by them to solve the questions so that they can determine the number of questions they can easily solve during the duration of the exam. This important step will help them shape a strategy for taking the test. They should look to improve upon the question selection and prioritization for the same. Again solving mocks would be the most efficient tool.

 

One week to Exam

By this time, the students would have studied and revised everything and done a thorough analysis of their weakness and strengths by taking a number of mocks both topics wise as well as subject wise. This is not the time to learn anything new but to consolidate one has already learnt. Focus on revision of important formula steps, assumptions thus, should be on top of the mind of the aspirant. It becomes essential that the student, basis his own analysis and experience, develops a mindset and confidence of taking up which subject to start with in order to get maximum right answers. They should eat healthy & practice meditation to manage stress and maintain calmness.

 

 About the author

Saurabh Kumar has more than 19 years of experience in IITJEE and other engineering exams. At VMC, he is responsible for setting up the school integrated & NTSE programs.  Kumar also looks into the North India centers & all India school tie-ups.