"Create a practical study plan."
"Read the questions cautiously."
"Use method of elimination."
Read on for more tips on how to crack the toughest engineering entrance examination for undergraduate admission.
Being an ex IITian I can safely say that the IIT Joint Entrance Examination is one of India's most competitive engineering entrance exams.
Having been through the grind myself, I can understand the stress that students will be undergoing.
Their preparation and performance in the next few months will define their lives and careers over the coming years.
With over 13 lakh students appearing for the IIT JEE in 2014 competing for just over 9,500 seats across the 17 IITs in India, every student does whatever s/he can in their power to make their mark and safely covet one of those precious few seats up for grabs.
The offline (pen and paper) Joint Entrance Examination will be held on Saturday, April 4, 2015.
The online (computer-based) Joint Entrance Examination will be held on Friday, April 10 and Saturday, April 11, 2015.
With less than six months left for the exam, am sure that all students could well do with a few tips from someone who has gone through the rigour themselves.
Research has shown that 70 per cent of all exam preparation is through self study and practice.
It is therefore prudent to be methodical in planning and practice as well as pair the right resources with time.
It also definitely helps to make use of intelligent tools like online practice platforms, practice papers and analytics as well.
Here are a few tips that has helped me and other IITians in our preparation to crack the most important entrance exam of our lives.
Create a practical study plan
Six months is sufficient time to prepare for the JEE, provided you are focused and prepared with a definite plan.
Planning is an art which requires careful thought. So, create a plan with a time table which can be successfully executed.
Give more time to topics which you find difficult and keep a buffer so that you can complete some pending tasks.
Know your strengths and weaknesses
Everyone has specific strengths and weaknesses.
It is pretty certain that if you are not clear on your weaknesses, you are not clear on your strengths either.
Playing to your strengths and sailing through the weaknesses is the best exam strategy you can bet on.
It would be a good idea to assess yourself to get a better understanding on the areas of weakness that you need to work on.
Use your strengths to motivate yourself.
Use fewer books for theory
Students have a habit of referring to innumerable books for each subject even though most of them convey the same thing.
Having too many books could lead to confusion during the time of revision and most of your doubts would remain unresolved without a go-to book.
Ask your teachers or seniors to recommend the most effective books to be used as reference material.
Read the questions cautiously
Examiners try to trap students by playing around with the question and options.
Read each question carefully to understand what is required and choose the options with great concentration.
Watch out for questions which are designed to have more than one correct answer. Choose wisely.
Plan your exam strategy
Planning how you attempt various questions is quite crucial to crack the entrance exam.
You do not have to approach the question paper the way it is intended to be, for example, follow the order of questions.
The important thing is not to waste time over questions which seem to be difficult.
Complete all the sections which you are really good at so that you can dedicate more time to the difficult ones.
Train your mind for the exam
Your mind should be prepared to perform well during an exam.
This requires consistent practice and concentration over a long period of time.
If you are planning to give your exam in the 9 am to 12 pm slot, you should practice solving papers at the same time so that your mind is trained to be super active during that period.
Practice previous year papers
Practicing the previous years' question papers should be left for the last couple of months before an exam.
These are actual questions which have appeared and you should time yourself while answering them so that you can compare your scores.
Also, try to attempt the test papers in the same time slot as your final exam.
Use cheat-sheets to revise formulae
Most online test preparation platforms have cheat sheets which you can refer to any time you have a doubt or forget a formula.
Revise these cheat sheets weekly and if required get them printed.
It includes a comprehensive list of everything you will ever need to crack your entrance exam.
Use method of elimination
Whenever in doubt use the method of elimination to your rescue.
Start by eliminating two options which have the least possibility of being correct.
Sometimes irrespective of the question, the fact contained in the options itself can be used to eliminate them.
Selecting a final answer out of two is sometimes tricky and if it's worth the risk you can go with your gut feel at times.
Learn all the shortcuts
Every student has shortcuts which they use during preparation.
Be it for remembering formulas or memorising charts, use shortcuts to save your time.
There are some standard shortcuts which you can tap into but creating your own could be worth it.
Stay physically and mentally balanced
The importance of keeping your body fit and your mind healthy is quite neglected during exam preparation but it can have adverse effects in the final outcome.
Exercise daily and sleep well so that your mind and body are fresh when you are taking the exam.
Avoid sleeping late and tune your mind so that it works best in the time slot of your final exam.
Practice, Practice, Practice
Finally, there is no substitute for practice.
Seventy per cent of exam preparation is practice.
Use this time very effectively to take mock tests which will prepare you for the real test scenario.
It increases your confidence levels and also helps in time management.
Like any competitive exam, using the right approach is the key to cracking the IIT JEE.
With proper planning and focus, unnecessary stress and disappointment can be eliminated.
Prepare with a clear objective and motivation to achieve and nothing can thwart your path to success.
ALSO READ
- Expert tips to crack the IIT-JEE
- 7 last-minute tips to crack the IIT-JEE Main
- Meet Chitraang Murdia, the IIT-JEE topper
Photo Courtesy: University of Central Arkansas/Wikimedia Commons
The author Zishaan Hayath is co-founder, Toppr.com, an online preparation platform for entrance exams in India. He is an alumnus of Indian Institute of Technology, Bombay.
