Zishaan Hayath advises students, who are interested in taking admission to the Indian Institute of Technology, to start preparing for the IIT-JEE exam early, be consistent, work hard and smart, to bag a seat
Every year, millions of students aspire to secure a seat in the Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs), through the IIT Joint Entrance Exam (JEE). This exam is conducted by the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) and consists of two sub-exams: JEE Main and JEE Advanced.
Students first clear JEE Main to qualify for the JEE Advanced. Based on their scores in the latter, they then become eligible for a seat in IIT.
A whopping 1.2 million students appeared for the exam this year. However, just as always, not all of them could make it to the IITs. Ever increasing competition, vast syllabi, complex questions papers and strict marking schemes filter out most applicants in this exam.
Only those who prepare and manage their time efficiently make it to the end and bag a seat. The IIT-JEE is challenging and requires hard work and consistent practice. Many academic experts suggest that students should start preparing for it right after Class X. If you have your mind set on joining IIT in 2018, then you need to heed this advice and start right away. There is a lot of pressure on students giving this exam, so make sure you’re serious about giving it. Don’t just follow the herd mentality by giving the exam a try.
To clear the exam in one go with good marks, you will have to create a systematic study plan and follow it with utmost discipline. Equal attention needs to be given to Physics, Chemistry and Mathematics. The papers in this exam contain questions from Classes XI and XII. It is necessary to strengthen your fundamentals, reasoning and analytical skills for problem solving.
Pitfalls of delay
A lot of determination and hard work goes in an athlete’s training before the Olympics. She can’t begin her preparations just before the event. As a JEE aspirant, you too need to start well in advance. If you procrastinate, like many students do, it can put you under a lot of stress. If your preparations begin late, you may also find it difficult to concentrate equally on subjects and allocate the necessary time to practise questions, chapter by chapter. You may even be a bit confused on matters like weightage of questions, topics to be covered and how to start studying them.
Questions in JEE are tricky. If you don’t study enough, you will never be conceptually strong. However, studying alone is insufficient; you also need to practise and take mock tests. If you don’t do the latter, it affects your time management skills and results in poor scores; thereby lowering your confidence.
Benefits of early start
There are several benefits to starting your preparations early. By doing this, you can assess your syllabus thoroughly and understand the topic-wise weightage of marks. After understanding your strengths and weaknesses, you will be able to prepare a study timetable and approach it methodically.
While self-confidence is key to cracking this exam, time management and speed play an important part too. By starting early, you will be able to devote equal time to all three subjects. You will also be able to revise well in time and take as many mock tests as possible.
Preparing for JEE can be stressful for an aspirant aiming to secure a seat in the prestigious IITs. Putting in the necessary hard work every day will thus help you alleviate a lot of stress. Make sure to utilise time properly and approach your studies with a positive attitude. Make use of digital learning tools to further strengthen your preparations.
One last thing; while working hard is important, you should also work smartly as it will be key to helping you achieve your dream.
The writer is founder-CEO, Toppr