In today’s competitive scenario, students are pulling out all the stops to set themselves apart from others. The high aspirational value of sought after careers like engineering has incited an undying spirit in students to surpass their peers. Gone are the days when simply achieving a good percentage in class XII was sufficient to have an edge over others. Nowadays, earning good marks in competitive exams has gained equal importance owing to the urge to kick start one’s career.

The Joint Entrance Examination (JEE) is one such competitive exam which is conducted for admission into engineering courses all over India. Unlike the conventional pattern, JEE is now held at two levels, namely JEE (Main) and JEE (Advanced). JEE (Main) exam is equivalent to AIEEE and JEE (Advanced) is equivalent to IIT-JEE. JEE is carefully-engineered in order to assess the aptitude and analytical, logical and reasoning skills of students. Although the syllabus of class XI and XII and that of JEE (Main & Advanced) is similar, the pattern is quite different. The difficulty level of JEE is far above the standard board examination.

It is common for students to experience exam-fever and become panicky just before the exam. To avoid such problems, it’s best to start preparing beforehand and to be well-versed with the details of the exam they are going to appear for. For this, it’s essential to browse through some crucial topics and the strategies that will assist students to nail the exam.

JEE (Main)

JEE (Main) exam is organized by CBSE. Candidates who ace the JEE (Main) are qualified for admission into engineering colleges like National Institutes of Technology (NITs) and many other government and private colleges. There are a total of 90 Multiple Choice Questions which are to be solved in 180 minutes. Thus, a candidate cannot devote more than 2 minutes per question.

The whole syllabus of the JEE Main is important and hence, students cannot afford to miss any subject. Physics, Chemistry and Mathematics form the core of the entire syllabus. Therefore, conceptual understanding of these subjects is of utmost importance to score well in the exam.

Physics: Students should have a basic know-how of Kinematics, Dynamics and Electromagnetism. They should be adept at solving problems efficiently and quickly.

Chemistry: Both Physical Chemistry and Inorganic Chemistry are of paramount importance. Hence, it’s necessary to possess fundamental understanding of both.

Mathematics: Calculus, Trigonometry, Matrices & Determinants, Sequences, Permutation and Combination are the topics in which students can get good marks. Hence students need to have a thorough understanding of all these topics. They must be able to relate the complex numbers with Coordinate Geometry and Vectors.

JEE (Advanced)

JEE (Advanced) contains two objective type papers: Paper-1 and Paper-2. Each Paper comprises Physics, Chemistry and Mathematics with two different sections in the first paper and three separate sections in the second paper. Each paper consists of 60 questions divided in such a way that 20 questions are devoted to one particular subject. 180 marks are allotted for each paper. There is negative marking in some sections for incorrect answers.

Important Topics

Physics: Kinematics, Mechanics, Electrodynamics and Modern Physics are the most scoring units of Physics. Out of these Modern Physics requires minimum time to prepare. Other topics on which questions are raised are Heat and Thermodynamics, and Optics. In Physics, you should always remember, concepts are few, applications are huge. Hence, a slight weaker understanding of the concepts will always leave you in doubt about your Physics preparation.

Chemistry: Organic Chemistry requires strong concept, Mechanism and road-map to master it. Physical Chemistry requires basic conceptual understanding, formula on tips and sufficient numerical practice. Inorganic Chemistry is the most exhaustive part of Chemistry, which can be better tamed with the help of charts, mnemonics and brain-mapping.

Mathematics: Students should be proficient in Coordinate Geometry, Vectors and 3D, and Algebra and should have the ability to solve complex problems. For Calculus, the students should have good command on Basic Functions and their graphical behaviour. For problems related to Probability, students must have a strong understanding in Permutation and Combinations. For Trigonometry, Formula and Problem solving skills can be enhanced by consistent practice.

Tips for last-minute preparation

Solving Previous Years’ Papers: Students should solve JEE papers from 2012 onwards in order to grasp the latest trends [as there has been drastic change in the pattern after the introduction of JEE(M) and JEE(Adv)] and complexity level of the entrance exam. Students should solve at least 15-20 mock papers before appearing in the entrance exam. Solving such papers in time bound-manner helps you learn time management skill thereby improving your performance during the exam.

Relaxed Mind: Before appearing in the exam, students are advised to rid themselves of any anxieties and tensions by just relaxing and having some fun or listening to music. A good sleep and fresh mind is the key to applying the maximum of your aptitude during the exam time. Often students wake up the whole night before the exam day or have the habit of studying at night but sleeping in the day time. This habit is suddenly reversed on exam day, leaving the body in a state of confusion. This may lead to students going blank during the exam. The best practice is to regulate your mind by shifting your study time slowly in such a way that your mind is fresh during the exam-timings.

Have Faith in Yourself:  When taking JEE, the best thing you can do is to be confident in yourself. After all the studying, preparation and practice, you should feel confident in being able to clear the exam with a high score. Self-belief wins half the battle for you. Go in there with your mind set on coming out on top. This unwavering confidence will definitely give you your desired results.