Preparation techniques to crack the IIT entrance exam

After writing my e-book ‘Mission – IIT – R’ which dealt with my son’s life at IIT, Roorkee and the placement story there, this blog post is about how he prepared for the IIT Mains and Advanced exam itself (the Mains and Advanced are two exams that you have to crack to secure admission to India’s top engineering colleges) For the uninitiated, my son cracked the IIT JEE Mains and Advanced exam in 2019 and joined IIT, Roorkee in the Engineering Physics stream in 2019. He successfully graduated with a CGPA of 9.331 in July 2023.

I think we who are from India, which ever part of the world we are settled in, love to study. Many of us are more academically inclined than anybody else. It is in our genes to study. Me and my family are no exception to that rule.

Amidst all this, my son is even more eager to study!! 🙂 A close up of my son for those who don’t know him – My son is a very, very studious boy and has been that way even from a young age(yes!! :)) He loved to study and can keep doing Math, Physics, Chemistry and Computer Science without getting tired out. It is probably because he loved studying that he didn’t feel much stress doing it and actually enjoyed it! :)(ha, ha)

Here is a timeline of events that happened from 7th grade:

He attended IIT coaching(FIITJEE) in 7th and 8th grade only because he enjoyed it! 🙂

He only focused on school work in 9th and 10th grade(he attended ICSE board)

He switched to CBSE board(because it was catered to Indian college entrance exams) in 11th and 12th grade and switched back to IIT coaching again.

The coaching center that he chose was known for giving extremely difficult problems in Math, Physics and Chemistry.

So, what was his preparation strategy to crack one of the world’s toughest entrance exam? Here are his answers to the most popular question on how to prepare for the exam:

1. How many hours did you prepare for the Mains and Advanced exam beginning from 11th grade? The JEE syllabus is based on the CBSE 11^th and 12^th grade syllabus in India, and while coaching institutes (at least in India) offer coaching before this, I believe it is necessary to start JEE prep only in class 11 (since the concepts covered before class 11 are generally not even part of the JEE syllabus). I do not generally keep track of the number of hours I study every day, but I believe that from class 11 onwards, you should try to be more regular in your studies (rather than studying only before each school/coaching test) In India, there is supposed to be a “jump” in the difficulty level of the CBSE syllabus between 10^th and 11^th grade, and the JEE advanced syllabus is a couple of levels higher than that (though the concepts are similar) Hence, you should spend more time on your studies in 11^th and 12^th grade than in 9^th and 10^th .
2. What are some studying tactics/tips you might offer to someone for someone who is preparing?? These tactics can be employed in your 11^th and 12^th grade:
   •     Try (as much as possible) to read each concept as soon as it is covered in school (and coaching as well, if it is feasible)
   •     Use recommended reference books (usually suggested in coaching) to get a more in-depth understanding of concepts
   • Take notes regularly in school and coaching
   • Give more emphasis on numericals rather than theory in Physics and Physical Chemistry
   • Solve multiple types of problems, not just multiple problems (in Physics, Chemistry and Math)
   •  Attempt the tests offered by your coaching institute and (as much as possible) analyze your mistakes after each test. And finally, the most important question:
3. How did you manage your school work and IIT coaching, and your hobbies? From 11^th grade onwards, I attended coaching classes and had to manage them along with my school work. Initially I laid emphasis on the CBSE syllabus but at the same time, attended my coaching classes regularly and took notes for future reference. As the JEE and CBSE 12^th grade exams drew nearer, I switched my emphasis to my coaching notes (since the syllabus was completed by then) As for hobbies, I believe that time management is the key here – you should plan such that you always have some free time for your hobbies, even if your exams are near. This can be accomplished by being regular in your studies (as I mentioned before).

My thoughts on the preparation for the Mains and Advanced exam:

1. I have watched my son prepare for the Mains and Advanced exam. Those Math, Physics and Chemistry exam concepts run deep and both the Mains and Advanced exam are extremely difficult exams. I would like to appreciate all the children who are preparing for these exams. Quite frankly, I think the InfoSec concepts and Java programming concepts(you can ask me about Java any day or night and I can answer it :)) are much easier than those 12th grade Physics numericals 🙂
2. In all seriousness, it is quite a big, big challenge to balance both 12th grade boards and the different entrance exams. There are practical books to be completed, projects to be done and homework in all places and coaching to attend to as well. I would suggest to prioritize the most important work first. In all probabilities, school work will take precedence and it is good to focus on that first. Eventually, you will be able to catch up with the work at coaching and be able to excel in it.
3. It is fine if you cannot grasp all the concepts of Math, Physics and Chemistry immediately. It will take time and it requires tremendous patience. Just stick with the process if you want to.
4. There are kids who will be able to grasp quickly and there are many who cannot grasp as quickly as well. It is fine either way and the important thing is to keep at it(if you want to only enter IIT)
5. If you want to quit coaching because of acute stress, that is fine too(though, in the long run, it might be difficult to catch up if you really want to enter IIT) The important thing is to do your best.
6. It is fine if you find Mains itself to be difficult, there are plenty of other colleges and their entrance exams. Getting into an IIT is not the be all and end all of life. The important thing is to figure out what you want to do and not what others want you to do.
7. All of us have different skills and talents and it is good to use our potential correctly.
8. And finally, be happy and enjoy the process! I am sure you will get into the best college there is! 🙂 and there will be a rainbow of opportunities that will come your way…

All the best to all who are preparing for all/any entrance exams! Things will work out in one way or the other, so do not feel demoralized!

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