I want to do IIT



I’m a student of Std VIII. I want to do IIT. What should my plans be to get a good rank in it? How should I study in order to crack it and which books would you suggest for maths, physics and chemistry?



Getting into the IITs is the dream of almost every student and be IITJEE Entrance Exam is the most sought after competitive exam. There are around 10k seats in the IITs and lakhs of students complete for them every year. So, the level of competition is very high and one must have a strong preparation plan in place. JEE needs systematic preparation. Most of the problems asked are application-based questions and requires you to apply the theoretical concepts to solve it. Hence, “Conceptual Clarity” is important to crack the nut. Mugging up/cramming is not what is expected in JEE entrance and it’s no way going to help you to score top ranks.



Usually, the school curriculum does not cover the kind of preparation required for the IIT JEE entrance exam. Board exams test you with basic knowledge while the JEE entrance tests you on your deeper understanding levels of each topic and concept.



The earlier you start, the more time you would get to learn, revise and practice! By starting an early preparation, your mind gets stimulated, gains confidence, and you will also get ample time to practice.



For the next 1-2 years you can focus on self-study; later you may join some good coaching classes. Good coaching centres/institutes give students an edge in analytical and problem-solving skills, which helps students crack competitive exams with ease.



And to score top ranks in JEE you need regular practice. You need to do a lot of self-study in the form of concept reinforcement, problem-solving. It’s not difficult to clear JEE, provided your concepts are clear and you are able to apply them properly. There are no secrets to success. It’s all the result of preparation, hard work and learning from mistakes.



 



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Does your proficiency in English help in JEE exams?



It only helps in the initial stages of preparation since most of the good books are published in English. But if the person has the capacity of converting it into his own language then it’s not a problem. But I have taught a lot of students from states like Bihar, and within three to four months they are tuned to English. They should have conviction in their own intellectual strength. English is a barrier that can be easily overcome.



 



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What should be a student strong at: all three of the PCM subjects?



It’s a very popular and glamorous notion that one should concentrate on physics and maths, but you will be surprised to know that the paper which makes a student pass or fail JEE is chemistry. The logic behind this is very simple. In chemistry there is a limit beyond which you cannot complicate the problem. But in maths and physics there is no limit. Students are known to score 70-80 per cent in chemistry. But getting more than 40-50 per cent in maths and physics is very difficult. I have never known a student who has passed the JEE exam by doing badly in chemistry. Similarly, I have not known many students who have not cleared JEE by doing very well in chemistry.



 



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Should a student take an aptitude test before JEE to know whether he will succeed or not?



Marks are not a criterion. Students who got 99 in school may also not get through. But an honest student can surely put some questions to himself: Am I the type who tries to locate whether I have seen this type of question or not. Does it fit into the familiar case or not. If there is some unfamiliarity, does that make me uncomfortable. Am I always looking for formats? If so, you will also find it difficult. This category of students will find it very difficult. It’s a matter of how much you love the subjects.



 



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The general preparation is that clearing JEE is a case of burning the midnight oil. Is that true?



That’s not far from the truth. But one thing is clear, it’s a tremendously educating and enjoyable experience. It will enrich your soul. Unlike many other exams, the preparation uplifts your soul. Yes, you do burn the midnight oil, but then the oil burns and gives you energy. This is a process which is tremendously educating. It uplifts your soul. I am talking the words I have lived myself. You will be a tremendously enriched person after two years of preparation of JEE. Passing and failing becomes a by-product.



Forget the passing and failing – if you are better off intellectually, the process would be worth it. You are preparing for IIT-JEE when you are 16-17. This s the time when one peaks in intellectual growth. At that point of time, the preparation inculcates in you the methodology of looking at things differently. That capability will remain with you throughout life.



I have come cross students who prepared for IIT intensely, could not get through, joined a regional college and still excelled in their professions. What are you going to lose? Some money, maybe. Some prime time, yes. But the intellectual gains are tremendous, which no process after 18 will help you gain.



 



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What aspects are tested in the JEE examinations?



They look for students who have not confined themselves to the regular information, but have gone deeper. It is not just about textbooks. You have to go through more books and absorb what all you would have read. Someone might clear the examinations by reading one book and someone else might go through 10 books and still come a cropper. How you handle the book is more important than how many books you would have handled.



 



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What is the right approach needed for the JEE examinations?



I am in the habit of telling my students that the only certain aspect of the examination is its uncertainty. The entire philosophy of the JEE paper is, let the student face a situation he has never been through before. They ask the kind of questions that’s not often asked, and they might increase the duration of the examination or reduce it. How effectively a student handles these aspects will determine the final outcome. This is one aspect you must bear in mind even as you decide to prepare for the exam. The right strategy would then be to gain a deep understanding of the subjects. The fundamentals should be clear. Try to convert the information into knowledge. In doing so you would have to go beyond working out the formulae and concepts an definitions and get to three level, such as:




  1. What happens when a particular law is applied.

  2. How to handle a situation where-in four laws are put together.

  3. How to convert numerical or applied case into theory.



You would have to ask what you learnt while solving the problems. You will be amazed to find that there might be 10,000 problems, but all of them boil down to 10 or 11 key solutions. Make every problem an educational experience.



By strategy, if you mean joining a coaching institute, yes definitely, it helps to learn from a person  who has live with the subjects for 10 years. But just keep in mind that the questions themselves might not come in the examination.



 



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When should a student begin preparing for JEE? Do late starters stand a chance?



There are two parts to your question. Ideally, students should start preparing from class IX itself. Not that you should be thinking of IIT itself, but you should try to go deeper into whatever subject you are studying at that point of time. In class X one tends to think of scoring marks. But in class IX, that’s not the case. So you could devote time at that stage to gain a deeper understanding of the subjects. Some help from the teachers may be required, say in answering questions like ‘Why am I learning what I am learning’. Can I go beyond that? But if even if you hadn’t started the preparations in class IX, don’t think that your purpose is defeated. The moment you finish class X examinations get started with the preparations for JEE.



 



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