With the completion of board exams, arrives the most crucial time in a student’s life- appearing for various entrance exams. One such critical exam is the JEE MAIN. JEE Main is one of the most popular and competitive national-level entrance exams in India, conducted by the National Testing Agency for students who wish to pursue a career in engineering.
Every year, lakhs of students appear for this competitive exam and have one common goal- to seek admission in some of the prestigious institutions in the country like IITs, NITs, IIITs, CFTIs, GFTIs, and many others. Considered one of the most challenging entrance exams across the globe, not many know how to prepare for JEE and lack the necessary guidance.
If you are someone who has not yet begun preparing for the exam, here are 10 tips and strategies that would help you understand how to prepare for JEE Mains Exam more effectively. Read on further to know what these tips and techniques are!
JEE Main Preparation Tips
If you are wondering how to prepare for JEE Mains Exam, here are the tips that will help you get going with your preparations.
Know the syllabus for JEE Main Exam
Before you start your JEE preparation, make sure that you go through the required study material, and keep yourself up to date with the JEE Main syllabus. Familiarise yourself with the syllabus carefully as it plays a vital role in letting you know the important topics that carry maximum weightage. Once you are familiar with the syllabus, it will become much easier for you to understand how to prepare for JEE Main exam and plan your preparations further.
Make a realistic timetable and follow it rigorously
The first step to success is a well-structured plan. Creating a realistic timetable will help you decide when and how much you should study in a day. Once you are done with preparing your timetable, make sure to stick to it. Divide the syllabus into equal sections and then prioritise the important topics. Set smaller and achievable goals like finishing studying a concept of chemistry in an hour- this will help you be on track, stay focused, and automatically fight any distractions. Besides, remember that studying in stretch can bring exhaustion. Hence, always take short breaks to refresh your mind.
Self-study is important
One of the biggest challenges faced by engineering aspirants is to manage their time for some efficient self-study. However, it makes you work hard the actual way. While you sit to study with a peaceful mind and circumvent any unnecessary distractions, it is the time when you understand your true potential. Simultaneously, self-study gives you a deeper understanding of the topic and generates doubts that can be clarified later. This is better than studying the entire syllabus a night before the exam and ending up with many more questions than answers.
Be aware of the the exam pattern
Frequent alterations are made in the exam pattern by the NTA, including this academic year. Hence, it is significant to be aware of the pattern, just as it is essential to be aware of the syllabus. For example, the total number of questions has been increased from 25 to 30 for each subject. However, the total questions to be attempted remains the same, i.e., 25. Each subject will have 20 MCQs and 10 Numerical Value Questions, and out of 10, only 5 have to be done. It is essential to have knowledge of the changes and prepare accordingly.
Learn to manage your time effectively
Managing your time during your JEE Main preparation is one of the most crucial things to do. While preparing for any competitive examination, you must maintain a balance between studies and other things. No matter how much effort you put in to prepare for the JEE exam, if you don’t know how to utilise your time effectively and wisely, you will never be able to complete your syllabus on time. Thus, make sure you learn to manage your time effectively to succeed in the JEE exam.
NCERT is a must
While choosing the study material to prepare for the JEE Main exam, always prefer quality over quantity. If you refer to too many books, it may lead to confusion, and you will end up losing your confidence. Always start with the NCERT books as these include all the essential concepts and formulas. Not only this, 60-70% of the questions in JEE Main exam is based on NCERT books. Learning NCERT books first will help you build a solid foundation of the theories and concepts.
Choose the reference books wisely
The market caters to ample amounts of reference books to prepare for such competitive exams. However, the only trend that JEE shows is its focus on understanding instead of rote learning and its emphasis on applying one’s knowledge to new and unforeseen problems. Studying from the correct books holds a lot of significance since students cannot afford to waste their time preparing for inappropriate books or study material. Here are some classic textbooks for each subject that are highly recommended –
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For Mathematics
- Higher Algebra by Hall & Knight
- Coordinate Geometry by S. L. Loney
- Trigonometry by S. L. Loney
- Problems in Calculus of One Variable by I.A. Maron
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For Physics
- Problems in General Physics by I.E. Irodov
- Fundamentals of Physics by Halliday, Resnick & Walker
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For Chemistry
- Organic Chemistry by Paula Bruice Yurkanis
- Organic Chemistry by Morrison & Boyd
- Wiley’s J.D. Lee Concise Inorganic Chemistry for JEE (Main & Advanced)
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Solve previous year papers and mock tests
The JEE Main questions are not curtailed to a single chapter or concept, which makes the questions even more complicated. To solve these kinds of questions, it is of prime importance that your basics are crystal clear. Seconding this, it is vital to solving as many mock tests and previous year exam papers. Solving previous exam papers enhances you speed and accuracy to solve time-consuming questions. Besides, such test papers provide you with insights on what types of questions that might come in the exam, the difficulty level of those questions, and will boost your confidence. Taking mock tests regularly will help you identify your weak spots and optimise your study schedule and circumvent distractions. There are a lot of websites that offer free/paid mock tests for your target examination.
Always be curious to learn
It is rightly said that “Curiosity is the wick in the candle of learning.” Thus, when it comes to preparing for a competitive examination, you should have a curious mind. Never hesitate to ask questions from your teachers or peers whenever you feel stuck at solving a problem and get your doubts cleared then and there. If you find anything complicated, ask again and again. Asking questions will help you widen your knowledge and solve similar complex problems. Remember, you cannot solve problems if you just focus on mugging concepts.
Revise as much as you can
As the syllabus is vast, you need thorough revision that will help you remember each concept. The regular revision will increase your knowledge, retention, and understanding of the subject in the best way. It will give you momentum that will help you avoid forgetting the topics in the exam. Revise important concepts that you might have studied a while ago at least once in two weeks. Along with solving exam papers and taking mock tests, inculcate the habit of regularly revising if you seriously want to clear JEE Main in your first attempt.
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Always have a positive attitude
Having a positive attitude throughout the preparation period is important. Taking too much stress will also lead to a bad result and non-satisfactory performance in the exam.
Hence, always think about the positive results. Whenever you feel that you’ve come across a slump, never feel discouraged, instead, try to face the problem with confidence. Keeping yourself positive will not only help you in your JEE Main and JEE Advanced Preparation but will also boost your confidence level.
Wrapping it up
Following the above-mentioned tips can make a huge difference. If you really wish to achieve your dream of cracking the JEE Main exam and getting a seat in an elite engineering college, then follow the tips mentioned above. These preparation strategies would help you prepare for the IIT-JEE exam and clear it with flying colours.
Well, there is no doubt that JEE is one of the most challenging entrance exams, thus if you need any guidance on how to plan your preparations, get in touch with the Expert Career Coaches at Mindler and avail career counselling online
All the best!
