Preparing for IIT

How to prepare for engineering entrance examination  ?

 “Start by doing what is needed, then do what is possible and you will realize that you have done the impossible.”

This philosophy works well for the preparation of Joint Entrance Examination or JEE conducted by the Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs) and several state and central bodies to admit students into engineering and science courses on the basis of their capabilities.

Competitive exams are different from the academic exams because competitive exams are designed to test not only your knowledge but also your concepts, common sense for subject and sharp mind. Therefore, mere knowledge cannot fetch you success in the competitive exams. 

The best time to start IIT preparation is at the beginning of 11th class. Students are fresh after the break after boards and a lot more can be learnt. Students who start late often end up leaving some key topics of 11th class JEE syllabus.

To be successful in the JEE, a student should first be thorough in NCERT books or prescribed text books from classes VI to X carefully for the basic knowledge and concepts of the subject. Then one should have clear knowledge on the fundamentals studied in classes 11 and 12.

There is general perception that only a genius or extraordinary brain can crack the engineering entrance exam. But this is definitely not true. Hard work, sincerity, planning and dedication can help a student crack the engineering entrance examinations.

 Time Management:  Here are some tips on time management:

• Divide syllabus with the total time you have till the date of examination.
• Make a routine and set a target for each day.
• Study at least 5 hours daily.
• Prepare a weekly data of the syllabus you have already covered.
• Cover the concepts and study the fundamentals. Do not indulge in selective study.
• Limit yourself with small targets rather than completing an entire chapter on one day.
• Stick to your deadline.

Proper Planning:

A superior and appropriate planning is the key to success. Good Planning keeps you focused and motivates you till your target is accomplished.

Make a to-do list, set your goals, work out the needed time to achieve them, and allocate a realistic time window. See if you are able to achieve them within the stipulated time or not. If ‘not’ then analyze what went wrong and how you can improve. 

Planning can be divided into two parts:

• Long term planning: Long term planning looks at the bigger picture for example when is the JEE exam, by when should you complete syllabus, when should you start your revision, your areas of weakness and strength.

• Short term planning: Short term planning requires intensive study on the specific area, revision of syllabus, consolidation of the concept and full fledged practice of previous years question papers within the stipulated time.

Preparation: The best way to perform in the entrance examination is regular practice of sample papers. With the help of these sample papers, your mind will be able to build many strategies and tricks about particular type of questions, which ultimately will help you during the exams. Sample Papers also helps you enhance concentration. Follow the following process:

• Be thorough with NCERT books from the 9th to 12th
• Prepare notes of important formulas and revise it regularly.
• Practice to solve the questions regularly and tough questions should be star-marked.
• Solve the question papers of past 10 years.  

Sharpness: Sharpness of mind is very important to crack the competitive exams. A sharp mind has many advantages such as concept understanding, quick response to a tricky question and speed. A normal mind can be converted into a sharp mind by regular brain exercises such as puzzles, crosswords, Sudoku. You can also play games such as Chess, which helps in sharpening the mind.   .

And last but not the least, Believe in yourself and your abilities. Belief has the power of making the impossible to possible.

Scoring topics that need to be covered first

Physics : Thermodynamics, Conduction and Convection of Heat , Hydrostatics and Bernoulli’s Principle, Waves in Elastic Media, Interference Beats and Doppler’s Effect, Electrostatics (full) , Electromagnetic Induction, Lorentz’ Forces, Circuits with Capacitors, Modern Physics (full), Collisions, Rotational Motion, Gravitation, Elasticity.

Chemistry : Atomic Structure, Bonding, Redox Reactions, Volumetric Analysis, Chemical Equilibrium and Kinetics, Ionic Equilibria, Electrochemical Cells, Solutions, Hess’s Law, Organic Chemistry (full) with special stress on reaction mechanism of reactions named in the syllabus, Oxyacids of P,S, C & N, Properties of Ozone Thiosulphates, H2O2, Coordination Compounds.

Mathematics: Calculus (full), Quadratic Equations and Expressions, Complex Numbers, Progressions, Solution of Triangles, Solution of Trigonometric Equations, Vector Analysis, Straight Lines, either Circles or Conic section.