JEE-Mains Examination Experience

Failure is not the opposite of success; it is a part of success.

About the exam

JEE Mains is among the topmost competitive examinations of India with over eleven lakh candidates appearing each year. It is a computer-based online test conducted by the National Testing Agency for students aspiring to pursue undergraduate courses in India in top engineering institutes, such as IITs, NITs, etc. Thus, students are granted admission to IITs, CFTIs, NITs, and other Government-funded technical institutes based on the marks obtained in the JEE Main. Out of a total number of candidates only the top 250000 students qualify for JEE Advanced.

In this article, I’ll be sharing my journey with the JEE examination and most importantly sharing my experiences and mistakes from which I learned.

Format of the exam:

The JEE Main is a computer-based test conducted by NTA. There are 2 papers – Paper 1 (B.E./B.Tech) and Paper 2 (B.Arch/B.Planning). Each paper is based on multiple-choice questions (MCQs) with four options, and numerical value questions where the options are not given. Also, there is negative marking in the paper. The subjects covered are – Physics, Chemistry, and Mathematics. Each subject carries equal weightage.

My advice to the students would be that they should attempt only the questions which they are sure of. Don’t try solving more questions or wasting time on any single question. As there is negative marking one should be very careful. Remember quality is the key not quantity.

Exam Duration:

The JEE Main exam is conducted over a span of multiple days and sessions. Each session typically has a duration of 3 hours.

Preparation Strategy

To stand out from the crowd, one should start preparing from class 11th. The maximum part of the paper is based on the PCM of class 11th and 12th. Therefore, its necessary that one should keep brushing up the topics and for that NCERT books are the best source.

For Maths: Try to solve as many questions as possible rather that wasting time on theory part. In case of Maths, it always depends on the variety of questions you have practiced. I personally used many YouTube resources which are totally free of cost.

For Physics: Firstly, complete off all the small chapters as they are high scoring and need very little time for preparation. After that take up the high weightage topics like optics, thermostatics, electrostats, etc. I would recommend everyone to make a formula sheet which really comes in handy during the final days.

For Chemistry: NCERT books are a goldmine for preparing Chemistry. It has been seen that direct questions from the book are asked in the paper. I made notes from each important chapter and spent most of the time in inorganic and physical chemistry. Again, as quality is key, you can also make some topics your strong point. Among all the subjects you will find chemistry the easiest to prepare.

Also, the most important and extremely necessary step while preparing is solving PYQ’s (Previous Year Questions). Although there are 42 years questions available, practicing the last ten years questions will be more than enough. This will not only make you aware of the format in which questions are asked but sometimes those questions are repeated also.

Final Day Prep

In the last few days before the examination, one should not start preparing any new topic. It is very important to revise in correct order. You should revise all the formulas, chemical reactions and compounds, short notes and Maths problems. Although, it is obvious that one gets nervous, try relaxing, eating healthy food and taking a proper sleep.

Conclusion

For me JEE Mains examination was a rollercoaster ride of ups and downs. It’s the journey which matters and not the destination and so the journey of a year of preparation gave me a lot of learnings. Most importantly it taught me how not to give up and make your dream your goal. I would like to tell all my fellow aspirants to keep this in mind that no matter how late you start, if you are consistent, away from all distractions and have that burning desire, you will definitely achieve your goal.