The Joint Entrance Examination-Main, also known as JEE Main is conducted twice a year by the National Testing Agency on a nationwide scale, in order to grant students admission to various engineering colleges, as well as National Institutes of Technology. Even though JEE aspirants can appear for the exam a total of six times, it is quite obvious that any student would prefer to score great marks in their first attempt, in order to get admission to their preferred college.
Educate yourself about the exam
The first step while starting to study for any exam has to be to check the syllabus. No student can be sure that they have studied every topic they need to unless they familiarize themselves with the syllabus and check it on a regular basis. Since the JEE Main syllabus is divided according to the three subjects that students need to demonstrate excellence in, study preparations should be done with this division in mind. Students should remember that the JEE Main is different for different study paths- students who wish to pursue a B. Tech or B.E. degree will have to study for Physics, Chemistry, and Mathematics, while those who are appearing for the JEE to gain admission into B. Arch courses must prepare themselves for Mathematics, Aptitude tests, and Drawing tests. The total duration of JEE Main is three hours, and it is a Computer Based Exam.
Students should also have an idea of what type of educational institute they are hoping to get into, as this will indicate the score they will require. However, students should always aim to score higher than their required score, as this will improve their chances of getting into an even better program.
Tackle each subject independently
Sometimes, students depend on their interest in one single subject to get them through an exam. For example, a student who enjoys Mathematics might decide to focus only on that one subject and rely on what they have learned in that particular subject to help them solve questions related to Chemistry and Physics. This is one of the biggest mistakes students make in multi-subject exams. While a subject like Maths is bound to be useful in the applied fields of Chemistry and Physics, students cannot ignore the theoretical aspects and then expect to score good marks. Therefore, students should divide their study time properly among the subjects they need to study. Students must keep in mind that different strategies are effective for different subjects.
In Mathematics, the most crucial thing is to understand each and every concept thoroughly and to practice solving as many relevant problems as possible. Important or difficult questions should be solved and then marked down separately to use as revision material later on. Physics will require mastery over mathematical concepts such as integration, differentiation, etc. as well as their applications in Physics. Instead of memorizing formulae, students should aim to understand how they are derived, and the mechanism behind them, in order to remember them better. For Chemistry, students are advised to come up with their own little tips and tricks to memorize concepts like the periodic table. Students should also make sure to memorize the exceptions to different rules, as these are things that commonly appear in the exam. Students who understand the properties of different elements will find it easier to predict the outcomes of chemical reactions, instead of memorizing all of them.
Students should remember that solving problems as part of their revision is the best way to ensure good marks in JEE Main. Instead of simply going through and reading questions, students should set aside some time to actually solve questions for all three subjects. Students can use JEE Main 2020 PYQP with Answer Keys for finding reliable sample questions, mimicking exam conditions by solving an entire question paper in three hours, as well as for checking their answers. Using the latest versions of past question papers will ensure that students are revising according to the current exam pattern and syllabus.
Separate your notes
Messy, disorganized notes are one of the hurdles that stand between students and an excellent score in JEE Main. The syllabus requires students to study a hefty component of the theory, along with graphs, diagrams, etc. Students tend to use one notebook for the notes of each subject while preparing for the exam. However, once they have covered the entire syllabus and move on to the final revision, they realize that they are unable to easily navigate the notes previously made by them. This happens because all the theoretical notes, formulae, diagrams, charts, and graphs are crowded together in the same notebook. To avoid this situation, students should organize their notes properly right from the time they initially start studying. A highly recommended practice is to maintain one notebook for notes based on theory, one notebook for graphs and diagrams, one notebook for formulae and chemical reactions, and one notebook for practice questions and answers. With this kind of system, students will be able to flip through their notebooks and quickly find whatever they are looking for.
Don’t leave anything for the last minute
Some students think that they can afford to postpone studying easier topics till a few days before the exam, as they wish to focus primarily on the topics they find difficult. Alternatively, some students think that learning a difficult topic right before the exam will increase their chances of being able to recall it while writing the paper, as it will be a fresh addition to their memory. Both of these strategies can be effective, but only to a certain extent. While it is recommended that students finish studying the most difficult topics first, it is also possible that studying different topics in increasing order of difficulty will make it easier for the student to understand them. However, students must ensure that they do not consider the last few days before the exam to be a good time for learning any new concept. A good rule of thumb is to leave at least one week before the exam just for revision, as this will give students time to go over the syllabi of all three subjects properly.
