In today’s competitive world, cracking IIT is becoming increasingly difficult. Competition is increasing day by day and to get an edge over ever-increasing competition, students in the race for IIT entrance exam are starting early in lower classes.
It is seen that a student preparing for IIT is generally under tremendous stress and pressure. However, if one prepares in a systematic and planned manner, the journey to IIT can be real fun. Based on my experience in this field, I would like to offer some tips on how to prepare for IIT JEE (or JEE Advanced).
1. Identify your strength – You must follow your passion and make a career in the area of your strength. Cracking IIT is not everyone’s cup of tea. If you are good at mathematics and have a logical reasoning and scientific bent of mind, then you may be a candidate for IIT.
2. Evaluation before starting – In case you are not sure whether you will be able to cope with the required standards for IIT preparation, you may go for an evaluation before you start.
3. When to start preparation – When it comes to iit preparation, the earlier you start, the better. Though it may be alright to start in class 11th, but I would personally recommend to start in class 9th which gives the student a phenomenal edge over others. However, it is important to study at your own individual pace while enjoying every moment of it.
4. IIT preparation is fun – Be relaxed and take it easy. If your approach and planning is proper, believe me, IIT preparation is fun. What is required is your own conviction, motivation, professional guidance, simple tools for solving problems fast and immediate clarification of doubts as they come. Be assured, you will enjoy your preparation like a game. Working hard and striving for excellence will become your passion.
5. Physical exercise or playing – Engaging in some sort of physical activity is recommended. It is good to simply do some jogging. This gives your body and mind the much needed break and relaxation.
6. Work smarter rather than just harder – It is the Quality over Quantity which is more important. Studying with concentration and analysing the principles and concepts with a clear mind will bring in efficiency and you will be able achieve the same targets in much less time.
7. Speed and Accuracy – You must solve a problem correctly the very first time. There is no room for an error as this would severely affect your rank. So, don’t rush and skip steps. (I shall separately deal with how to solve problems fast and thus save time). Note that solving problems accurately becomes our habit which can only be inculcated by practice. Accuracy can never be compromised with speed.
8. Focus on way to solve fast – To obtain a good rank in IIT, just solving a problem is not enough. We must focus on how to solve a problem very fast and that too without compromising on accuracy. Note that speed can be increased only by a better approach to solve the problem in a very relaxed manner rather than solving by longer method and hurriedly skipping steps. Though, this is not an easy area to deal with, my suggestion is make it a habit to think of alternative approach to solve the same problem while practising assignments.
9. Divide preparation in different levels – It is always better to study with a step wise approach. Whenever you start a new chapter, first complete the NCERT level including all derivations that may come in board exams, then practice all problems of JEE Main level and finally practice all problems of JEE Advanced level. This will make you feel more comfortable and you will be able to complete the chapter much faster.
10. Keep formulae and concepts handy for easy reference – I tell students not to put oneself under pressure in memorising formulae. Just keep them handy for easy reference. As you keep practicing problems, you will experience that with continued usage of formulae and concepts, they easily become your own property.
11. Make your own short notes – This is a very useful technique for many reasons. Firstly, making notes automatically brings in a lot of concentration. Secondly, you generally write only after giving a sufficient thought and analysis. Finally, these are your own notes. They help you in your quick revision.
12. Don’t compare with others and don’t follow others – Concentrate on your studies. Don’t worry about what others do and don’t get influenced by others. Everyone is different, have different way of grasping and presenting things. Be focused on your own target.
13. Eliminate your personal distractions as you study – You have already jumped into a mad competitive world; now you have to be religiously disciplined. Though (as I have said before) the preparation for IIT is a fun and the kick that you get out of solving tough problems automatically make you disciplined, but smart phones, social media like Facebook, etc. can be big distracters. Remove them from your life, at least temporarily.
14. Do continuous effort and make it a habit – Preparation for IIT requires continuous effort. Each subject must be given proper and regular time. Some students find one subject more interesting and tend to spend more time on it while ignoring others. All three subjects; Physics, Chemistry and Maths are equally important and none of them can be ignored.
15. So, on a concluding note I would say that cracking JEE is not all that difficult. Just be sincere, dedicated and smart. Success will be yours.
SUCCESS = HARD WORK + SMART WORK + LUCK
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