s In a race to excel and be a step ahead of competitors, early preparation helps students outshine in the entrance exams and secure a seat in top colleges, says Rl Trikha
A major milestone in every person’s life is the career he/she chooses. Following this, every future thought, decision and action is aligned in this direction, with days spent in gruelling study sessions, trying to grasp and understand concepts. Moreover, in this era of cut-throat competition, planning ahead is crucial for students, especially those who aspire to gain entry in prestigious institutions.
Exams are extremely stressful events in everyone’s life, and the only way to deal with them successfully is to be well-prepared. Depending upon the exam, the preparation time differs. With ideal preparation and timely training, one can learn to make the most out of hard work and inputs.
Advantages
Serious students aspiring for success with a good rank in the IIT-JEE understand the importance of starting early in their preparation for IIT-JEE. As the JEE becomes more competitive now, it is necessary to build a strong fundamental base, as early as possible. An early start enables students to acquire in-depth understanding of concepts and develop analytical abilities of application of concepts and thus helps them get a top rank in IIT-JEE.
Why is it needed
IITs have restricted the number of attempts for IIT-JEE. Students now just have two chances — one just after the Class XII Board and the second in immediate succeeding year. Students should try to succeed in IIT-JEE in the first attempt itself and avoid unnecessary pressure and chance of second attempt.
Till the 80s, it was alright if you started your preparation just after Class XI and at the beginning of Class XII, but even then to get top ranks you had to begin your preparation at the commencement of Class XI itself. In late 90s, it became a norm to start preparation at the beginning of Class XI and devote at least two years to train rigorously for IIT-JEE. Now, with the increase in competition and keeping in mind that only two chances are available, only the very talented students can succeed with good rank by starting their IIT-JEE training in Class XI.
Students who have not started their preparation from Class IX (which could have been an ideal situation) and instead, choose to start from Class XI or Class XII should not get disheartened.
At any stage, when students decide to start their JEE Preparation, it’s important to give their 100 per cent with full dedication, commitment and passion in order to succeed. Joining a good coaching institute will give a desired competitive edge to their JEE Preparation as it can help them reach their desired goal strategically.
A word of caution. A student needs to understand that all prestigious competitive exams due to limited seats but high demand are elimination exams at the National level and thus, the kind of effort he needs to put in must be more as compared to a student who started his JEE preparation in Classes IX and X.
To beat the competition, one should first be able to recognise his strengths as early as possible and start working on them in time. He should look for the right mentor/coaching institute which actually can focus on developing analytical ability, IQ development in addition to strengthening their fundamentals of subjects. This enables them to perform much better in their school exams, creating very strong base for national level competitive/entrance/scholastic exams.
Entrance exams’ patterns are very much different from school exam pattern. Students who are exposed to this factor in early age definitely get edge over others. It is important for students aspiring to qualify JEE with good ranks to decide their career path in early age and freeze their early milestones such as, NTSE, RMO, etc as well. These scholastic exams are conducted at the national level and all sincere and bright students of the country appear in this exam.
In a race to excel more than most of one’s competitors, early preparation helps students outshine in the entrance exams and secure a seat in the top college of the country and abroad. An early exposure to competitive exams allows a child to understand the importance of consistency in hard work and helps him take failures encountered in his stride as learning experiences serving as steps to eventual success.
This is one reason why yoga and sport activities are recommended for children as these stimulate them into giving their best. Besides teaching how to handle competition, sport activities also make children take both success and failure in a mature way. More importantly, it gives them the cutting edge that is so required in today’s competitive world.
It has also been seen that most of the top rankers in JEE, NTSE scholars, KVPY Scholars, National and International Olympiads (Physics, Chemistry, Mathematics, Astronomy) have started their preparations in Class IX/X. Even some of them have joined coaching institutes in Classes VI/VII/VII.
Parents too believe these courses will give their children the required edge in school, as to excel, a student has to master core subjects such as, maths and science. Hence, it is easier if you start coaching earlier. Psychologists explain how a strong foundation increases the probability of positive outcomes as it is the early experiences that shape how the brain gets built. Early experiences and learning create a deep impact on the architecture of the maturing brain. Hence, it is the right age to arm children with the right skill and mindset to stay ahead in the increasingly competitive rat race.
Potential lies within you, it’s just a matter of time when you realise it and how you utilise it. Point to remember — realisation and subsequent prompt action is the key to success!
(The writer is director, FIITJEE)