Tips & Strategies to Prepare for JEE Mains by an IITian

By- Shaurya | AIR 764 |IIT Kanpur- 2014 |Powered by LERNR

Preparation for JEE Mains is all about taking up your analytical skills to a high level. In school, the focus is different. As far as CBSE is concerned the focus is more on sharpening your skills to assimilate information and then be able to present them very well. This is an ability needed by everyone to get a job. But getting into IITs is not just about getting a job at least that is not the ideal mission of the IITs. The vision of IITs is to produce graduates who make innovative contribution in the fields of science and technology, i.e. who solve problems by applying science and math. So keeping up with that mission, they tend to ask similar questions that test your ability to apply science and math.

Let us see an example. Suppose you are taught how to solve a Rubik’s cube for a certain initial configuration, or you are taught a subset of steps required to solve the Rubik’s’ cube from a certain given position. What JEE Mains expects you to do is experiment with different initial configurations of the Rubik’s cube and try to solve it, learn new rules, make new rules, devise clever tricks and shortcuts, etc. You must have a got a hang of the point we are trying to make. So unless one is genuinely interested in physics and math, it is difficult to crack JEE Mains because you need to have that internal impetus to not just stop at Sridharacharya formula for solving quadratic equations. You should ask yourself is there no easier way to solve quadratic equations, can cubic equations be solved similarly, what special cases of bi-quadratic equations can be solved using this formula, etc. It is important to be able to ask a lot of questions or at least have a lot of inquisitiveness. If you have that then it’s just a matter of looking for the answers in the right places. Don’t worry about finding the answers to all your questions on your own. You are not aiming for the Olympiads. Just have an addictive temperament towards new problems, and understand how different problems are solved, internalize the steps, etc. There are many books to take care of anyone’s inquisitiveness as far as JEE Mains is concerned. We will talk about that also.

The importance of physics and math has been pointed out but it is important to realize that chemistry is equally important. Why it was omitted previously is because many students seem to be able to master JEE Mains chemistry level. First of all, JEE mains is a competition. So you need an edge over the others. Your chemistry should be very good because this gives you easy scores if you prepared correctly and many applicants get good scores. But you can get an edge over others only in physics and math. There is no point to aim for JEE Mains if you only like chemistry. It is only being stressed that with respect to getting into IITs, chemistry may not generally be sufficient. You need to be very strong in either math or physics if you want to have the capacity to choose which college you go and what department you study in. All those choices matter a lot but are beyond the scope of this article. So in nutshell physics or math? Choose one of them as your Sudarshana Chakra.

If you have all the above ingredients, then rest is mundane. Rest is just about finding the balance between learning 8 hours in school and studying for JEE Mains. For all practical purposes, both are mostly mutually exclusive and yet equally important for career (Wahi par locha hai mere dost!!). One could give time management tips here but it all boils down to one simple fact: If you want to get into IITs badly, you will yourself figure out the time balance. That is very easy compared to honing your physics and math skills.

For Mathematics, textbook series by Dr. K.C. Sinha is useful for foundation, as these books have got vast amount of problems segregated by different types of approach. It is like a bridge between school type math and JEE Mains type math. If you feel comfortable with those books, solving TMH books along with past years’ JEE papers should be enough practice. Best advice is to solve as many problems you can from different sources. Some coaching institutes have very good question banks having fantastic problems to solve. The trick to clear JEE Mains is exposure to different kinds of problems. Solve as much as you can. Everyone understands math, it’s not that hard, at least till JEE Mains level. The tough part is to solve a new problem based on that understanding. And it is again beyond the scope of this article to tell you how to develop your problem-solving skills in detail. Practice is a good method that most people know. There are foreign mathematicians who have written books to help enhance a student’s problem-solving ability.

For Physics, Concept of Physics by H.C. Verma is good for understanding the basics, Interactive Physics Series by R. Ravi is very instrumental in conceptual understanding of various topics and associated problems. The toughest part in physics for many students is mechanics. To master mechanics, a sure way is to read some graduate-level texts on mechanics and see how books like Meriam, Greenwood, Beer & Johnson try to solve problems. These books convert mechanics problem-solving into an algorithmic exercise so that you can close your eyes and if you remember the steps correctly, problem will get solved! A wholesome resource to cover all your needs for Physics JEE preparation is D.C. Pandey’s Arihant books. Selective Problems from IE Irodov is a book from which IIT professors have lifted questions in past. (IE Irodov Physics is a good book for solving Physics numerical. It includes good conceptual questions covering every topic. However, the book includes very tough problems that one does not really need to master, according to the current IIT syllabus)

For Organic Chemistry, it is important to understand reaction mechanisms. A good reference for this is Peter Sykes. But that book only explains mechanisms in detail. You need to solve problems in organic chemistry to really feel confident about that subject. Past year JEE papers and also question banks from coaching institutes like FIITJEE and Resonance can be very helpful. For Inorganic Chemistry, NCERT is more than enough. For Physical Chemistry, try getting used to the problem solving techniques of RC Mukherjee.

You must have got an idea from above that JEE Mains is all about problem-solving. It has got everything to do with analytical ability only. And the only way to have it is practice. Due to the unlimited supply of problems to solve, it is important to be in touch with other fellow competitors. You should know what they are solving, is your problem-solving ability comparable to theirs, are you missing out on a good book they are using, etc. It is impossible to be absolutely prepared for a tough exam based on math or physics. And JEE Mains is tough! So you should aim at be prepared relative to others. Appear in Mock exams to gauge your level among your peers. Whether you need to join a coaching institute depends totally on you. If you want to enter IITs badly but don’t have the proper motivation or background to do so, coaching institutes may help. If you are solving a lot of problems on daily basis on your own, then self-preparation is good. If you are very good in problem solving but you need competition to maintain that level, coaching institutes may help. If good coaching institutes area not available in your area, then self-preparation is good. Don’t just go on brand, enquire about the qualification of the teacher before joining. However it is beyond the scope of this article to give you a definitive answer.

Ideally the preparation for JEE Mains should start at least two years before the exam date. You need to be gifted to crack the exam by preparing just few weeks for it unless you are smartly revising by yourself or with best teachers of every subject. We all know how IITs give you a standing in the society and a platform to achieve so many different kinds of things. And plus it has a brand value that is very hard to cultivate on your own or even for a good institute. But for JEE mains your attitude should not be how to find ways to crack/hack JEE Mains. You should aim how to make your fundamentals strong enough so that you can solve a new physics or maths problem. This is not because you cannot make the former attitude work, it is only that the latter attitude is much less painful and the correct approach. The former approach only builds pressure by always pitting you against chances of not getting into IITs.

In the end, this article just sums up personal views of the author and tries to provide helpful tips to students preparing for IIT entrance exams. All the best and be a smart LERNR.

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