How to Plan Effectively for Boards and JEE?

Class XII boards are around the corner and soon after the boards get over in March, many students of Class XII will be taking up the JEE Main Examination, which is scheduled on 2nd of April 2022.

At this stage, many students are anxious about simultaneously balancing the Boards along with their IIT JEE preparation. However, for a layman the syllabus remains same for both but JEE requires in- depth knowledge of concepts whereas in Board Exams student needs to memorize these concepts at length to produce desirable results.

Some important and handy tips to help students to optimize their performance in both the examinations:

Prepare without losing Tempo

While the students are preparing for two distinct examinations, the good thing is that the syllabi and the paper setting authorities are common. The JEE main examination paper, as well as the CBSE Board paper both are set by the CBSE.  Sometimes considering the proximity to the Board, students tend to exclusively focus on the board type questions and start losing touch with the IIT JEE type questions. However, one must understand that if one is preparing for IIT-JEE, one is automatically preparing for the Boards.

Attempting Mock Tests to clarify all Doubts

There is a famous saying that “if you want to succeed, double your failure rate”. The essence of the statement in the context of exams is that the students should not be scared of trying new problems. The more problems we are exposed to before the actual exam, the more is the likelihood that we would get it right if a similar problem was asked in the actual exam. Sometimes, students are scared of taking mock tests thinking that they might not do well and may start feeling less confident due to a low score in the mock test. However, it is important to understand that not taking the mock tests test is not the solution. A test only exposes our weak points.

Give special emphasis to the exclusive Board-type questions

There are certain sub-topics in various subjects, which generally get more weightage in the Boards because the questions are subjective type. There are also some topics which are part of JEE Main but not part of the JEE Advanced exam which some students tend to ignore during their preparation. For example, in physics the chapters on Semiconductor Devices, Communications Systems and Electromagnetic Waves are part of JEE Main and the Board exam but not part of the Advanced Exam.

Communicate clearly in the Board Type Exams

While the Board exam as well as the JEE Main paper, both are set by CBSE, the approach required for attempting the exams is entirely different. A JEE exam is an objective type exam where it is not important to go through the steps of calculation, one may do all the calculations in one’s head or just some rough scribbling in the question paper. All that matters is that you pick the right option. It does not matter, whether you do it by the elimination of other options, or use any other trick. However, in Boards there is step marking and your working out of the intermediate steps is as important as getting the final answer correct.

Take Tips for Board from the writing style of the toppers

Previous years’ toppers answer sheets can be found on the internet for all the subjects by simply googling “best answer sheets”. What is important is to write to the point and do neat and clean work. Try to visualize or put yourself in the position of a teacher who is assigned with the task of evaluating hundreds of answer scripts. What happens when such a teacher comes across an answer script, which has a neat and clean work? The first impression is that this must be a good student and accordingly it does in a way influence the examiner’s evaluation of the answer script.

Understand and get ready to dwell in the Examination Temperament

For the JEE Examination, what really matters is not how much we know, rather what matters is that how much are we able to deliver in those three hours of the examination.  Many students make the mistake of attempting the questions sequentially and finding that there is not enough time left to attempt the questions that they otherwise knew how to do.  One must remember that JEE is a low scoring exam. Scoring even as low as 60% marks will get a student an excellent rank. Rather than aiming at solving all the questions, the aim should be to attempt all the questions that you are confident of doing correctly.

Stay Cool

It is important not to panic. Worry and Brooding have a negative effect on our ability to study and our test performance. The test should be written without any kind of tension or worry. Stay calm without any thought about past or future. As if the only thing that is present is the question, the answer and you!

Manage your time well

Time Management Strategy can differ from individual to individual however on an average, the effective attention span of a JEE aspirant is about 2 hours, so it is a good idea to take a small break after every two hours of continuous study session. Smaller study sessions should be avoided because every break in study session means about 10 minutes being spent as warm up time and about 10 minutes as cool down time. One must be selective about the problems one solves during the self-study sessions. Do not spend too much time on solving same types of problems. Identify the problems that you intend to solve at the beginning of your session.

Generally, candidates must keep in mind the following points while preparing for JEE Main & XII Board Exams simultaneously

• When preparing, always start from the Basics.
• Strengthen your Concepts.
• Avoid leaving the question in between because one must learn to understand up to what level his/ her concepts are clear.
• Always try a question with a Conceptual Approach. You should not just read the question and start attempting without getting the point.
• The most important thing is that you should have a time schedule which you should follow sincerely. Your study schedule should allow you to relax also.
• You will have to take appropriate sleep of at least six hours a day if you are preparing for JEE. Otherwise, your mind set for next day will not be in place.
• Never cram. Try to understand the problem or theory.
• Never lose your self-confidence.
• Keep in touch with intelligent students of your class or coaching centre to get that extra edge.
• Prepare as per prescribed syllabi of the exam. Don’t over-stress yourself by going beyond the syllabus.
• Whenever you complete a chapter or topic, go through that topic from NCERT as this would prepare you for the board exams.
• Problem solving must be qualitative than quantitative. Keep in mind that you have solved problems covering all concepts within a given chapter. So, be confident.
• If one has the right “attitude” required towards preparation for the JEE Main, then even an average student can crack it.

Month-Wise Preparation (January – March)

Majority of the topics of JEE are also covered in Boards, hence it is recommended that one must prepare for both the exams simultaneously.  The student must practice all NCERT problems while brushing up JEE chapters.

January-February: This period is the last crucial time one can utilize towards JEE preparation as most students will have completed their Board syllabi by now and will have time to devote on JEE topics with a proper action plan. Students must prepare a chapter wise plan while revising.

Each of three subjects Physics, Chemistry & Mathematics are equally important. 2-3 hrs per subject is the minimum time one must put on a daily basis solving JEE level problems. It will be the quality of time spent on self-study that will count.

The syllabi of Class 11 & 12 contribute about 45% and 55% of IIT-JEE question papers respectively. Students are advised to avoid selective study in Physics, Chemistry and Mathematics. The reason being, the number of questions is more in the objective papers where there is intermingling of concepts from various topics.

March: Keep this month devoted mainly for Board Exams except for certain days when one can still solve IITJEE level problems in the gaps between exams.

Mock Tests: It is advisable to take a minimum of 10 Mock Tests in the new pattern from a reputed source and solve at least last 5 years IIT JEE papers before heading to the examination.

Time management

• Divide these crucial 3 months aptly among the three subjects and allocate certain time for practicing Mock tests as well.
• Prepare a chapter-wise, topic-wise revision schedule.
• Create short notes, list all formulae and points to remember. This will help in quick revision before the examination.

The Article has been authored by Mr. Ramesh Batlish, Expert, FIITJEE.

For more information on JEE Main 2022 read more.