PREPARATION TIPS FOR IIT JEE

Becoming an engineer is a dream for many students. As soon as a student steps into college, all he dreams about is cracking the IIT JEE exam. It is considered as one of the challenging exams in India, but with proper preparation and skill set one can definitely crack the examination. It is estimated that approximately 12 lakh students apply for the examination amongst which only 3% students get through. And yet, IIT JEE exam is a dream for students who aspire to be engineers with an aim to shape their future. It is rightly said, "To achieve big, you need to dream big". Let not the competitiveness of the exam intimidate you, but let it be the driving force towards your preparedness for the examination. Perks of cracking the IIT JEE exam can be exhilarating, but that is where your eyes should be, setting a goal is a must. The next step is carving your path towards the goal and for that a "proper preparation' is the key.

A competitive exam is bound to be tough, it is called so for a reason! But with the right attitude, preparation and strategy it is possible to crack it. Many of the students take up coaching for the exam and follow what is told and taught, they follow the study pattern that has been provided instead of building a study pattern that matches their approach and capabilities. Understanding this is a crucial part of the IIT JEE preparations.

Here I have curated a few points one must incorporate in their preparation of the IIT JEE exam.

1. Shed the fear of the examination : It is common notion among students that not only the IIT JEE exam is tough but also IIT JEE preparation is more difficult and tedious. But reportedly, proper and adequate preparation is something that will help you crack the JEE Mains & JEE Advance. Having a study plan and preparation will make you feel confident.
2. Start at the right time : Starting at the correct time helps you provide yourself with the required time for presentation. Last moment preparation may only lead you to hassel and panic. IIT JEE syllabus is vast and complex, you need to allocate ample amount of time for its preparations in order to get a hold on every concept. Aligning IIT JEE preparations with your Board exam preparation is advisable as the syllabus remains the same for both. Doing this shall help you in effectively managing time and understanding the concept deeply.
3. Have a clear goal or target : Pre-determining your goal can help you carve the path that may lead you towards it. It enables you to improve and align your focus and concentration. It promotes self-mastery which enables you to feel confident and do better each time.
4. Consider NCERT as a bible : NCERT books is the best compiled study material with regards to IIT JEE syllabus. A JEE mentor states that, "If you have really understood NCERT books completely line by line, gone through each and every word of it including the tables and reactions, all solved examples and all questions of the exercises then it will be sufficient to score around 200–240 depending on your accuracy." 
5. Time management : Time is a precious asset one possesses. With the diligent and appropriate use of time, you can achieve all the desired goals and targets. Time management helps you focus on the important things and enables you to complete them well within time. It also helps you to effectively utilize your time and check off all the tasks in your to do list easily.
6. Prepare a study plan or a schedule : Every student has his/her own learning pace and style. This solely depends on the students grasping and understanding capabilities. A particular study pattern may work for one student but the same study pattern may not work for the other. With the 10+2 study experience every student knows exactly how his study pattern must be, or how long he requires to understand a concept and grasp it. Based on all the analysis it is advisable to make a day to day to do list. This will help you complete all the planned activities like reading, learning formulas etc.
7. Know everything about the examination : Knowing everything about the examination helps you form the best study plan and strategies. You must take information like paper pattern, syllabus and topic wise weightage, Important and frequently asked concepts etc into consideration. This gives you an important insight of the examination.
8. Read : Reading is the best exercise for memorization and understanding. Be the NCERT books or the board textbook, inculcating a habit of reading helps you to grasp a concept better. Reading a concept before you try to memorize it or solve sums/problems is advised by many teachers and mentors.
9. Have a tutor/coaching : It is true that self study is above everything. But joining a coaching or having a tutor can be a beneficial guidance. It can be helpful in order to resolve doubts, confusion and understand complex concepts. It also provides you with the assessment to track your progress and gives you insights regarding areas of improvement.
10. Dedicate your time for self study : Self study is important as it enhances the study experience. With self study students are able to learn beyond the contents of the textbook, have questions about it and find answers themselves. Self study enables a student to cope up with the studies at their own pace.
11. Take the tips and tricks taught seriously and practice them often : IIT JEE examination has multiple choice questions, you have to solve all the questions in a limited time frame due to which solving sums at length seems tedious and time consuming. Teachers usually give out tips and tricks wherein you can deduce the number of steps in order to find the final answer. These tricks are important inorder to complete the question paper. These tricks need to be practiced well so that it can be implemented well.
12. Revise formulas daily : As mentioned in the point above, cracking IIT JEE exam depends upon effective management of time. For all the tips and tricks to be implemented well, one must remember all the formulas. Learning and remembering formulas can be difficult and it can be easily forgotten. Use of an incorrect formula may lead to a wrong answer which would in turn amount to negative marking. To get all your formulas well memorized you must use a similar technique with which our parents taught us multiplication tables. List all the formulas in a book and read them loud daily, this will help you remember them better.
13. Follow the 3s rule : Studying for IIT JEE need not have to be unrealistically tough. Following the 3s rule you can easily master concepts and solve any given sum. The 3s strategy can be implemented during regular study as well as during revisions.
14. Study the concept : It is very important to study/read about the concept in depth. This helps you to have an intricate understanding of the concept. 
15. Solve problems : After understanding the concept deeply, try to solve relevant sums and numericals. This kind of practice enables you to relate the concept and the sums.
16. See the Solution : Once you have successfully solved the sum look out for the solution. It will give you a better understanding of your approach towards solving that sum. 
17. Pay attention to concepts in detail : Detailed study of the concept is important when studying for IIT JEE. The question may come from any part of the concept and knowledge of the basics will help you solve even the toughest sums or numericals.
18. Solve previous years question papers : Solving previous years question paper is best practice to understand the exam and to practice the problem solving process. It can be also looked upon as an assessment to evaluate your performance and improve.
19. Have a time bound assessment for yourself : This can be easily done by taking up online Mock tests. Offline mock tests also can be taken in the coaching institutes.
20. Pay attention to your health : Health is wealth. Maintaining good health throughout this journey is important. One must look out for their physical as well as mental health. Regular exercise and a brisk walk will boost oxygen concentration in the brain and improve blood circulation in the body which will help you stay active and focused. It will also help to amplify your concentration power. Eating right will help you gain physical strength to carry out all activities effectively.
21. Take advice from the people who have successfully cracked the examination : We always have seniors in the college or coaching who have successfully cracked the examination. The experience and advice can be beneficial to gain insights regarding preparation exam extra. Talking to such a person shall make you feel motivated and he/she shall encourage you to walk on their footsteps. 
22. Avoid distractions : With a mobile phone in the hand and a personal computer in the front distractions can easily overpower. Knowing the difference between distractions and relaxation is a must. You can use the computer and mobile phone during your leisure time. But whiling on it constantly is something that needs to be curbed and monitored.
23. Try to gain an insight about your learnings each day : Retrospecting your work each day enables you to have a clear idea of where the efforts need to be taken more and scope of improvement. It also helps you to have a better outlook towards your preparations and make necessary improvements.
24. Take power naps : With all the hard work, tiredness is bound to clasp. Taking power naps helps you maintain your focus and concentration. It also helps you to stay relaxed and stress-free.

It is rightly said, "The potential of the human brain and will power is immense". There is no exam in the world that a human mind cannot conquer. With the right approach and preparation, IIT JEE exam wouldn't seem as difficult as it is exaggerated to be. 

All the best!