JEE Main and Advanced Exam Experience

About the Exam

The Joint Entrance Examination (JEE) Main and JEE Advanced are crucial examinations in India for aspirants seeking admission to undergraduate engineering programs. Conducted by the National Testing Agency (NTA), JEE Main is the first step in this rigorous evaluation process. It assesses students’ knowledge in Physics, Chemistry, and Mathematics, serving as the qualifying exam for various technical institutes.

JEE Main Exam Pattern:

JEE Main is conducted twice a year, in January and April. It follows a computer-based test format for Paper 1, which covers subjects like Physics, Chemistry, and Mathematics. Each subject carries equal weightage, with a total of 90 questions (30 questions per subject). The exam duration is three hours. Additionally, Paper 2 is conducted for students aspiring to pursue B.Arch and B.Planning courses, consisting of Mathematics, Aptitude Test, and Drawing Test.

JEE Advanced Exam Pattern:

JEE Advanced is the next level for students who secure top ranks in JEE Main. It involves two papers, Paper 1 and Paper 2, both compulsory. The papers assess candidates in Physics, Chemistry, and Mathematics, emphasizing analytical and problem-solving skills. The questions are designed to test the depth of understanding rather than rote memorization. The exam pattern may vary each year, maintaining its reputation as one of the most challenging engineering entrance exams globally.

Scoring and Ranking:

JEE Main scores are used for admission to National Institutes of Technology (NITs), Indian Institutes of Information Technology (IIITs), and other government-funded technical institutions. However, for entrance to the prestigious Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs), one needs to qualify for JEE Advanced. The ranking in JEE Advanced is crucial for securing admission to IITs and other premier engineering institutions.

Coming to the Experience part Is all about Perspectives:

IIT-JEE could be a rat race if you give in to the delusional mentality most aspirants(especially in places like Kota, where I have studied) seem to take up and it’s ridiculously easy to give in to it because that’s what everyone around you will be doing. A lot of kids go crazy during JEE preparations(I know I did!). Some take on the pressure to such delirious extents that they feel burdened, suppressed, and unable to take it anymore. Some decide to give up too soon, choosing to let go as a better option than struggling every day of their life for two years to make it. Some fight, and fight relentlessly at that.

What I’ll say is:

Take it slow. Breathe. Put on a strong shield around yourself. You will need that for the two years that follow your JEE preparation, because your peers will be going crazy a lot of times and you have to try and make sure it doesn’t rub on you, too. I was the kind of person who was perpetually pressurized, burdened and struggling during my JEE prep because I always only saw it as a means to achieve my goals.

I always saw every instance of poor score(there were loads!) in a test as a shattering of my dreams, every day of undone homework because of sickness or whatever as a disappointment to myself and a good look down the endless pit of hopelessness. This is just the craziest way to prepare. But now that I think about it, that is exactly how your JEE preparation should go. Just try to think of all the amazing concepts and theorems and spectacular corners of each subject you’ll be touching.

Maybe you won’t realize it then, but when you get into a college and study something from all those topics in depth is when you’ll realize how exhaustive and exhilarating and wonderful all those things were! Think of all the problems you’re solving, isn’t it just fascinating to learn so much in one day and apply it and solve problems too? JEE curriculum is vibrant, captivating, and engrossing. Chances are when you choose a discipline in college, the majority of these dimensions you won’t even be touching.

I am majoring in Computer Science Engineering. But I loved Organic Chemistry back then, and this is something I don’t think I’ll ever study again. If you take Computer Science, you mostly won’t be studying any Chemistry concepts ever! So take the time to relish every equation, every formula, every result, every reaction…because science is unimaginably beautiful and touching upon basics of every dimension of all that’s science and mathematics is wonderful and is something to be cherished.

So, yes, for some people IIT-JEE is equivalent to a rat race but you have the power, you have the choice to not make it that, and to make it a beautiful journey that you’ll remember for a long, long time. As for marks and ranks and cutoffs and stuff…your only goal must be to work on yourself. Why do you care who is scoring what? Will it, in any way, affect your performance? Be sincere to your subjects and yourself, and that shall suffice. But as always, it is easier said than done.