Right after JEE Main: The Time that Matters!

Feels good to be back writing again... Greetings folks!

Well, your boards have begun already! I hope you have been preparing sincerely. You definitely don't wanna be rejected after clearing JEE Advanced simply because you could not clear the top 20-percentile mark. Make sure you properly explain and justify each of your points when writing answers in boards and try avoiding silly mistakes; they hurt!

Once the boards are over, you might take an evening to rest and refresh your mind but more than that, you simply can't afford! Because the next challenge, the JEE Main would be staring at your face then, mere 10 days away! A lot of you have asked me about revision tips for those days... All you can do at this point of time is, take a quick glance at all the topics, preferably your own notes, all the concepts, solve a problem or two if needed. Make sure, you do not miss out on revising any of them, afterall each and every question counts!

In any case, JEE Main should not be so much of a challenge to you, if you have been preparing for JEE Advance all along. So let's come down to the time that matters, the gap between JEE Main and Advance. I would recommend joining a crash course for those who haven't joined a coaching till now. It would help you adhere to a proper timetable. In case, you feel you can manage it on your own, you are free to do so. Just make sure, you stay focused at your goal and cover it all.

Here are a few quick points which you should definitely keep in mind :

• Make a rough list of all the topics you studied for the last 2 years. Mark each topic as 'Strong/Weak' and accordingly assign it the time you will require to revise it perfectly. In short, freeze your timetable for the next month or so.
• Revising a topic should involve going through the notes once, which shouldn't take up much time considering that you have just through JEE Main. Once that is done, solve questions pertaining to the topic; don't go for lengthy and 'tough' problems. You would be far more benefited if you solve smaller questions to make sure there are no doubts at all. At this point, you should also take a look at the questions which troubled you when you encountered them the first time.
• Try finishing this revision as soon as you can, because the sooner you are done with them, the sooner you can start taking up mock tests and practice papers, all JEE style.
• Do take tests, but make sure you do not overdo that, because that may lead to getting exhausted. Remember, that hunger to solve questions, that motivation should be there right till the end.
• Important for those enrolled in a coaching, this is the time when you should come out of the coaching level and practice test papers of other institutes. They not only give your mind a different flavor, but also expose you to all sorts of situations and twists and tricks.
• Get enrolled in some AITS (All India Test Series) or the other. It would help you analyse your mistakes as well as give you an idea of the level of competition you gonna face later. But make sure you finish off the topics for the test before taking it, else you might end up getting frustrated.
• I earnestly request you to not have active data plans for this period, because try as you might, it would only end up as a distraction. #first-hand-experience
• Pay no attention to any rumors that might fall upon your ears, because it is your sincere efforts that are gonna decide your fate, irrespective of the difficulty and format of the paper, that you might hear about. In this regard, trust only the official websites.
• Go through your past papers, analyse the mistakes you consistently repeated over the two year interval.

Now that the formal points have been discussed, let me come back to my story...

My boards themselves were good (could have scored more, but didn't bother!). I had been enrolled in a dummy school and had to return home for the formalities and the preparation. Once the boards were over, in the coming days before JEE Main, I quickly glanced through all my two years of hardwork... Each topic, the notes, a couple of questions here and there to brush up my skills and ideas, you might have noticed as well that the board-prep tends to blunt your skills. All this helped me get back to the state my mind was, before I had begun preparation for Boards. The key is to not lose patience here, you must actively revise it up for the first obstacle in your way. Also do not neglect any topic at all, you do not know which one might be targeted by these question-setters this time. Once that was dealt with, I went back to Kota two days later itself, after convincing my parents that the sooner I went back, the better it would be!

Once I reached back, JEE Main was only history. We were given a schedule to properly revise all the topics, with review tests every alternate Sunday of the covered topics. I didn't enroll in any AITS, even though I should have, but that doesn't really matter now. Apart from the tests conducted in Bansal, I also tried the papers of a couple of other coachings. With the passage of time, I gained confidence (so would you!). And that desire to get JEE over with, for once and for all! It was a pretty strange feeling, even though I wanted it to be over as soon as possible, I knew I was gonna miss this later... The way you study for JEE, the mindset, the emotions, the life at Kota, I was gonna miss it all. But on the other hand, there was the long awaited anticipation of a reward after 2 years of consistent hardwork, the award in the form of result and the college life thereafter. In any case, days passed, the first test was VITEEE for admission to VIT, the test went pretty bad for me; I remember looking at my VITEEE result, which came before JEE result, and feeling doubtful of myself, I had an AIR of 105, while there were a few of my batch-mates in top 100. Thereafter came BITSAT-2013 at Jaipur, I remember going to Jaipur with couple of my friends for that. The scores came out instantly after that, and how happy I was! I had a score of 418/450 after all! And soon, all the revision at the coaching was formally over on 25th May. A week to go, and I am quite sure you can imagine the atmosphere all around. In those days, I finished off a mock-paper collection given to us by Sameer Bansal sir, and soon whatever little doubts I had had vanished into thin air. I vividly remember that day, 2nd June, waiting outside the exam centre, anxious to shed the load off my shoulders. But once I went in, all thoughts and emotions were forgotten! All world ceased to exist! And that, my friend, is exactly what should happen with you too! I would be putting up a post on exam temperament later. So I would be covering it up there. The paper on the whole was satisfactory for me, but I never in my dreams had expected an AIR as coveted as 5!

Remember, if I can achieve it, why can't you? If you've been consistently putting in your hard-efforts for the last 2 years, no force in this world can keep success away from you! There is absolutely no reason why you can't be in my shoes a few months down the lane. And keep in mind, these months are gonna be absolutely crucial in your final JEE result. You can make up for any and all mistakes and lags that might have occurred until now. So get up and running, because what you do in these months are gonna determine which direction your life takes... And mark my words, life in an IIT is more than worth all the pains you might endure (based on my experience so far... :P). I might cover that too in a later post.

On this note, I would like to conclude here. See you in a later post. Till then, keep working hard! Good luck...

PS: For the curious ones,

• My CBSE Board score was 93.6%
• My JEE Main score was 320/360.
• My JEE Advance score was 321/360, with the breakup as 115, 106 and 100 in Phy, Chem and Maths respectively.

Success in JEE: Tips and FAQ

Warm greetings to everyone out there...

Even though I had been thinking for quite a long time about starting my own blog, it wasn't until today that I finally had the motivation to actually write one, the motivation being the countless JEE aspirants with their queries. The credit of course goes to you as well, Aman Goel, for providing that much needed final spark that is the reason I am penning down my thoughts here...

Well, the first problem... Where do I start? Well, let me start with introducing myself... I am currently a B.Tech first year student under the Computer Science dept at IIT Bombay. I hail from a small and tranquil town in the state of Jharkhand, Hazaribag is the name.  And I cracked an AIR 5 in JEE Advanced 2k13. I love reading novels, mostly fiction, solving puzzles, meeting people and touring and traveling.

One of the major reasons for writing this blog is that it enables one to interact with people all around the globe quite easily. For now, my posts will be aimed at the JEE aspirants, helping them out with their preparation queries, particularly reaching out to a large number of them simultaneously... Later, well even I don't know about that as of now. Anyway, let's leave that for later.

Lets get started...

So when did I realize that JEE was my ambition? I don't have a precise answer to that. Somewhere along class 9th, I guess. Actively participating in the national level olympiads and tests, I realized that this was my field. This was where I belonged! That, I realize now, proved to be a real boon for my studies in class 11th and 12th. My ranks in those tests varied from top 10 to 1000, generally staying around the 200 mark. Such olympiads give you a much-needed exposure to the kinds of questions you would be dealing with for your preparation for what is considered the toughest exam in the country. Also they build a good academic base through your school years, and are pivotal in your JEE preparation.

How early should you start preparations for JEE? I have often heard people saying that you should start your preparations for JEE from class 9th itself or even as early as class 6th-7th if you want a good rank... I personally feel it is not late to start your preparations in class 11th, as long as you have a good academic base and a genuine interest in Physics, Chemistry and Maths (or at least in two out of three! :P). The reason being that class 11th is when an average student is mature enough to handle these concepts and ideas and appropriately apply them when he/she is presented with related problems.

Note that I am not discouraging early preparation, it definitely helps if you have a pre-built background in these areas; all I mean is it doesn't make a key difference. I personally feel you should be actively participating in any and every Olympiads and similar tests you can take, because they help develop an exam temperament and provide a much-needed exposure to the type of questions you would be fighting with (or playing with, maybe?) for your JEE preparations later.

My first 'official' step towards my dream? I had the initial plans of joining Brilliant Tutorials in Ranchi itself and was indeed enrolled there for a couple of months until the JEE results for that year came, it was the last week of May. Shattered by the unsatisfactory result at Ranchi, I decided to go to the JEE hub of the country, yes I am talking about Kota! Life at Kota? I would be covering that in a later post. But remember to not let the months just after your class 10th boards go waste. A fun-filled week should be more than sufficient to refresh your mind. Get up and running if you are really serious about cracking JEE. Have a proper plan for your higher studies for the coming two years, do not make this decision in a hurry, you might regret it later.

Why I joined Bansal Classes and not some other institute? I think it was a decision made by fate itself that I joined the oldest premier coaching institute in the city. To the best of my knowledge back then, all the coaching seats had their seats full (remember I went to Kota as late as June!) but on talking at the reception at Bansal, they agreed to give me a chance depending upon my performance in a test there. Well, I ended up getting over 85 questions correct out of 90 back then, and I was overjoyed to finally be accepted there! And honestly, I didn't consider any other coaching institution thereafter.

The teachers there? Absolutely in a class of their own! And this is true for most of the top faculty in Kota. The way they teach, you would get teleported into an altogether different world. I now look back and realise how helpful and caring they were... I wasn't the most interactive student of the class then, but I strongly urge you guys to totally open up and be at ease with your teachers and mentors. Do pester them ceaselessly with your doubts (remember, if you ask it once, you might be considered a fool for once but if you do not, you would remain a fool for a lifetime!) and religiously follow whatever advice and suggestions they give you.

The study material? I myself hardly referred to any theory part apart from my class notes, and I urge you guys to do the same too! That is because the notes you make yourself leave a longer-lasting imprint on your mind than if you do not. And refer to them as your Bible, instead of referring to multiple books as it often ends causing needless confusion and wasting your valuable time.

Books to refer to/solve in *blah blah* subject/topics? I myself strictly (almost?) followed the study material of my coaching and my own notes, but since this answer might not satisfy quite a few of you, here is a list of books which, I personally feel, would help you in your preparation :

• Physics: 'Concepts of Physics' by HC Verma is one of the most helpful books out there to help you understand the basic concepts and apply them in simple situations. 'Fundamentals of Physics' by Resnick, Halliday and Walker is another great book to help you with your theory part, though its exercises may not be as exhaustive. For practice of problem-solving and advance learning, you might wanna try your hands on 'Problems in General Physics' by IE Irodov.
• Chemistry: Here I strongly stress on the use of your own study notes for the inorganic and organic disciplines and not referring to multiple books, because often you would find contradictory statements in different books and would end up confused (just a personal opinion, though). However do go through NCERT thoroughly, it helps build your fundamentals which is essential for both your board preparations as well as JEE. However you might wanna try this one, 'Modern Approach to Chemical Calculations' by RC Mukherjee.
• Maths: For integration part, 'A Problem Book in Mathematical Analysis' by GN Berman is very helpful to get familiar with all the techniques and also if you want a complete revision of the topic (I think I would put up another post for this topic soon!). For conic sections, I would recommend going through 'Coordinate Geometry' by SL Loney, the book would prove to be a blessing for your preparations.

For those who are not enrolled in a coaching, I would suggest you to definitely enroll in the correspondence course. You might also want to try Arihant Publication and TMH books, if you need more help/have extra time.

How many hours a day...?  Honestly, I find this question rather irrelevant because it is not the quantity of your study that matters, rather it is the quality that decides where you stand in the race. Still, I think 7-8 hours a day consistently (almost!) for 2 years should be more than sufficient for anyone and everyone! Just make sure you do not over-do it, because there comes a saturation point beyond which anything you study is all in vain. Make sure you study in a routine and organized manner punctually. Do take out time, preferably in the evening for your recreational activities and hobbies, go take a walk outside if nothing else.

Before a major test? Go through your notes once especially in the topics you are not the most confident about, I personally felt it helps to have a good look at your notes the day before the papers. And have a good 7-8 hour sleep, you need to feel totally fresh and energetic while taking your tests. I would be putting up another post on taking a test, do's and don'ts soon.

The key reasons for my success? I guess a major credit goes to the fact that I thoroughly enjoyed studying Physics, Maths and even Chemistry (maybe not as much as the other two, though!). Each time I was presented with a problem, I got into my 'hack-and-slash' mode, jumping onto the question, not resting until I had devoured it bit by bit. It was this hunger that fueled me, and got me where I am today. My friends, let your instincts take over and let the desire to succeed burn through your veins, it is only then that you would succeed, in whatever discipline you maybe.

Any general fundae? Practice well when you have the time for it so that you can feel totally sure of yourself and your performance in the paper. Keep yourself cool and calm while taking the paper to avoid silly mistakes which make you feel sorry later. I will soon be putting up another post on these areas.

These are some of the most common questions that are raised, do let me know what else you guys might want answered... Feel free to leave your comments and suggestions behind. :)

See you in the next post soon! Good luck...

PS: Thank you for having the patience to go throughout with this post. I really appreciate that.