JEE Main Preparation and Exam Experience

Getting into the NITs, the most sought after engineering institutes in India after the IITs, is the dream of lakhs of JEE(Main) aspirants. Only the best of the bunch get an opportunity to study in these renowned institutes with the finest faculty, excellent infrastructure with state of the art facilities and a mesmerising campus.

I too was one of the lakhs of students preparing for the JEE(Main) exam, aspiring to get an admission in the Computer Science and Engineering department in one of the top NITs, the preferred destination of the top rankers of the JEE (Main). JEE is a rigorous test of one’s quick comprehension ability, problem solving ability and time management skills in addition to one’s deep conceptual clarity of physics, chemistry and mathematics. Considering these factors I studied for two years before appearing for this arduous exam. I successfully cleared this exam with 99.49 percentile in the January attempt and 99.72 percentile in the April attempt which has opened the gates of my dream college for me. Following are the few simple things I adhered to and the resources I used which might be helpful for someone aspiring to get into the prestigious NITs.

Getting into a Coaching Institute:

Before commencing this two year long tough as well as exciting journey, it is important to choose a coaching institute which provides online or offline coaching, has experienced faculty and has a through plan devised to complete the vast and exhaustive syllabus. A coaching institute helps in the timely completion of syllabus as well as helps in following the learn-test-revise strategy. The regular tests conducted by coaching institutes aid in getting used to the time pressure during exam, building an exam temperament and most importantly training yourself to stay focused for 3 hours.

Exam Pattern:

For clearing any exam it is important to train ourselves according to the exam pattern. JEE exam pattern is as follows:

1. Mathematics: 25 Questions ( 20 MCQ & 5 Integer type/Numerical value type)

2. Physics: 25 Questions ( 20 MCQ & 5 Integer type/Numerical value type)

3. Chemistry: 25 Questions ( 20 MCQ & 5 Integer type/Numerical value type)

Each question carries 4 marks making the total of 300 marks. The MCQ part has a negative marking of -1 for a wrong answer. At times the Integer type questions also have negative marking. Reading the instructions before answering the questions is important as the marking scheme may vary.

Daily Study Routine:

Regular studying is the essential key to complete the vast syllabus. Hence making a timetable and following it religiously is quite important. Keeping away from social media, television and OTT platforms will provide you with ample of time for studying. Learning new topics as well as revising the previously learnt ones is mandatory. Including 30 to 45 minutes of exercise and 7 hours of sleep in your schedule will help in increasing your efficiency and staying healthy. The routine I followed included 2 to 3 hours of study early in the morning followed by some exercise. Then after a small break I would attend my coaching classes. Later in the day I would revisit the topics covered in the lectures and would never forget to make a plan for the next day before I went to sleep.

Useful Resources and Preparation Strategy:

Once a topic has been covered in the coaching institute one should make short notes for that topic and spend 3 to 4 hours practicing questions based on that topic. The most important books one needs to refer to get a decent score in the JEE(Main) exam are the following:

Mathematics:

Mathematics is the toughest part of the JEE exam. Answering 10 to 15 questions from this section is enough to get a decent score. Question practice for mathematics can be done from JEE Mathematics books (set of 5 volumes) by G Tewani (Cengage Publications). Calculus and topics like Probability, Permutation and Combinations, Sequence and Series, Matrices and Determinants from Algebra have a high weightage.

Physics:

Physics is a scoring part of the JEE exam and hence it is important to solve as many questions as possible from this section. Theory questions are also being asked in the recent years hence it becomes mandatory to refer NCERT textbooks for class XI & XII. Referring to the Concepts of Physics by HC Verma and practicing each and every question of this book will be highly beneficial. One can also refer to Understanding Physics JEE Main and Advanced by DC Pandey (set of 5 volumes) for extra problem practice but this isn’t mandatory. Alternating Current, Current Electricity, Magnetic Effects of Current, Modern Physics, Semiconductors, Communication System, Thermodynamics, Units and Dimensions, Laws of Motion, Rotational Motion have a significant weightage.

Chemistry:

Chemistry is the most scoring part of the JEE exam. Answering nearly all the questions from this section is necessary to get a good score. The most reliable resources for chemistry are the NCERT textbooks for class XI & XII. Understanding and memorising each line of the NCERT books is the only key to get an excellent score in chemistry. One can also practice questions from Problems in Physical Chemistry for JEE by Narendra Awasthi, Problems in Organic Chemistry by MS Chauhan and Problems in Inorganic Chemistry by VK Jaiswal for an indepth understanding of the subject. It is not mandatory to solve the above mentioned books completely for JEE(Main). Also one should practice questions from these books only after thoroughly learning the NCERT textbooks. Chapters like Chemistry in Everyday Life, Polymers, Biomolecules and Surface Chemistry are quite small and easy. Questions from these chapters have been asked in every paper. Aldehydes and ketones, General Organic Chemistry, Hydrocarbons, Chemical Kinetics, S Block Elements, P Block Elements, Metallurgy, Electrochemistry, Thermodynamics are other important topics.

Solving previous years’ questions is quite important. Previous years questions (except the last 2 years) should be solved after completing each chapter as a revision test. This can be done from the 45 years PYQs books available separately for each subject.

Revision Plan:

Revision of the entire syllabus at least twice before the exam would prove to be quite advantageous. Hence, one should make a revision plan and stick to it at any cost. In the first round of revision all the topics should be covered. In the second round you may skip the topics you are confident about and focus more on the topics you are weak at. It is beneficial to start solving mock tests and last 2 years actual JEE Main papers two months prior to the Exam. Keep a track of your score in each of the tests and try to improve it in the next attempt. Also keep a track of the time you spent in each section of the paper as well as that spent on each question. Questions from the chemistry section should not take more than 30 seconds to answer, physics questions should not take more than a 45 seconds, this leaves you with nearly 2 minutes for each question of the mathematics section. Try to figure out the most efficient way of solving the paper. I preferred solving chemistry first, followed by physics and then mathematics to maximise my performance. Revisit those topics, questions from which you were not able to solve. It is also important to check if there are simpler solutions to the questions you have correctly attempted. Analysing the paper will be very beneficial.

The Exam Day:

A day or two before the exam, don’t stress yourself too much. Take good rest and eat appropriately. Do not worry about the results and do not bother about the outside world. Revisit your strategy of tackling the exam, which section you will be starting with, how much time you will be spending on each section and most importantly what will you do if you get stuck in any particular question. Meditate and stay clam before starting the exam. Read the instructions and questions carefully with an active mind. Solve each question with a fresh mind. Remember that you have worked hard and it will surely payoff. Belief in the power of hard work and perseverance.