"Yesterday was not ours to recover, but tomorrow is ours to win or lose."
It's that time of the year where science stream students flex their brain muscles for engineering entrance examinations. JEE Main 2018, now have sailed but there are more for aspirants to look forward to. The imminent exams that will almost be reaching the shores are JEE Advanced and BITSAT.
With dreams and hopes, many students prepare for these exams as and when they are done with 10th class, some even before that. These exams give the students a chance to enroll themselves in premier engineering institutes of India.
When to begin?
As many students look forward to these examinations it is always advisable to stay ahead of the game as it is a tight space to make a mark. If one is planning to appear in these entrance tests, it's best to have a cushion of 2 years, so that if and when one gets stuck in the preparations then there is ample time to find a way out of it.
If one is done with the 12th boards, then it is assumed that he/she has already ingrained all the concepts into his/her DNA and it is time to practice like there is no tomorrow. It is advisable to begin preparations as soon as 10th boards get over. This has been the general trend of students appearing in these prestigious exams.
Whether to join coaching or not?
No one ever minds a bit of help, especially when one is about to give most competitive exams in India. It's not just about the extra helping hand that counts but the materials provided in these coaching centers are lifelines by many who have appeared in these examinations. The decision to join a coaching center can be as and when one has decided to begin his/her preparations. Always try to stay ahead.
The Secret to success is in daily routine:
Doesn't matter if one must become a night owl or a cuckoo, make sure that a timetable is formulated as such, wherein one can have enough time for coaching, self-study, and practice. It is advisable to curtail play/TV hours to accommodate time for preparations. Increase time slot for preparations as and when as the entrance test choosing nears.
This can be a skeleton to building a realistic timetable:
-
In self-study and solving numericals: Try to put in 2-3 hours.
-
2 hours a day to revise concepts.
-
1 hour for taking some time off and to breathe in fresh air.
-
The most important step: Save1-2 hours to solve previous year's question papers and take mock tests.
Deciphering the exam pattern:
Most of the engineering entrance tests are now MCQ (multiple-choice questions) based and it is important to prepare and practice in a similar module. JEE Advanced has now gone completely online, so you need to prepare accordingly and that will give an advantage over others, who are not well acquainted with the online mode. Online mode can be a barrier for some students from rural areas or for the ones who are not tech savvy. Well, there is no choice but to get a hang of the online before-hand.
Practice to prepare:
"Knowledge is of no value unless you put it into practice"
Most of these exams come with negative marks for every wrong answer. Exams like JEE and BITSAT demands speed and accuracy and that can be achieved only by practice.In the online mode, some had issues with having less space for working out the calculations, so, you need to keep that in mind while preparing for these exams.
Taking Mock Tests online and solve previous year's question papers in the real test environment will help one to test the waters and rectify the mistakes before the final test.
Common preparation mistakes:
What a lot of student does, while preparing for such exams is focus on what they are already good at. Taking notes of concepts that one is lagging and have not been doing well is important and accordingly planning to improve on it is the key. This is where analytics comes to picture as it shows exactly where you stand in your preparations.
Getting ready for the final bout:
One can call it struggle but think of it as an opportunity. Acknowledging these exams as an opportunity and this will give the desired motivation that one requires to battle through those down times and to achieve what one has set out to do.
There may be a fire in the heart but keeping a cool head will help in preparations in a more balanced way. Why does one need a balanced head? Because there is a huge repository of concepts for one to go through, endless numericals and problems to practice. This is not to frighten anyone but to give the real picture. As these exams near and one has immersed self in practice sessions, make sure that recalling concepts in your break hours becomes a habit.
Hard work will always be rewarded, given that one can keep their calm and have done smart preparations.
===All the best! ===
