IIT JEE: Test of Caliber

The IITs, which enjoy a cult status attract some of brightest minds from the whole of India. No wonder then that the competition is fierce, with the number of students appearing for the entrance exams increasing every year. This year, the exam that is being conducted by IIT Delhi will see over five lakh students appearing for the mere ten thousand seats available in the seven IITs spread across India. You don’t need to be a great analyst to work out the math for just how difficult getting into IIT can prove to be. 

The sprawling tree-lined campuses of the IITs have nurtured many dreams and continue to lure the brightest minds.

Speaking about the increased competition, Professor Avinash Mahajan, Chairman, IIT-JEE Bombay zone, an IITB alumnus who graduated in 1986 says, “If I remember correctly, there were about 50,000 students appearing for the exam in 1982 for something like 1,200-1.300 seats. Now both have increased almost ten times. So, in some sense, the competition is still the same, but maybe there is a greater focus on the IITs now than before and so a larger fraction are preparing very hard for the entrance exam. In that sense, it may be more difficult now. Also, right now the reserved seats are 49.5 %, while earlier the fraction of reserved seats was 22.5 %. So the number of open category seats is smaller, making it all the more challenging.” So how does one prepare for these exams? Here’s the low-down.

Headstart

First of, there is no formula for success other than hard work. If you are serious about cracking the exams, then you should began preparing as early as class nine. For one, it will help you to do well in school, and secondly, it provides you with ample time to familiarize yourself and study the concepts in-depth. Ramesh Batlish, Maths Expert from FIITJEE, says, “Ideally one should start preparing as early as standard nine, simply because the volume of preparations required is quite high. This will give them sufficient time to understand those concepts and apply them in the various kinds of problems which are generally asked in the JEE. Also, it covers concepts of Maths, Chemistry and Physics, which are even a part of the standard 11 and 12 CBSE board syllabi. And these are also covered to some extent in the standard 9 and 10 syllabus. So if you start preparing earlier then it will definitely give you an edge over others.”

Preparations

Most of the students rely on coaching classes to prepare for these entrance exams and there is no dearth of such institutes. In fact, there are some towns that have emerged as coaching class hubs, specializing in training for entrance exams. Kota in Rajasthan is one such city that has garnered a reputation of producing toppers at the IIT entrance exams, year after year. The coaching institutes, themselves have a stringent admission process. A student will be offered a place based on his exam scores and getting into a reputed institute can be challenge in itself. If you are lucky enough to get through, you will have to follow a strict study regime and your performance in tests will be constantly monitored. You will have to manage this along with your regular studies. It goes without saying that this is definitely not an easy task. 

Preparations for the exams

While there are many voices raised against these coaching classes totally governing the lives of students, the sad fact remains that without them the chances of clearing the entrance exams are slim. But this doesn’t mean that it can’t be done. If a student is exceptionally focused, motivated and can grasp the concepts really well, then he can easily do well without the help of any classes. But for the rest, coaching classes can provide the right direction, as they are more focused on syllabi based on the entrance exams. Speaking about the need of coaching classes, Ramesh says, “The best part of the coaching classes is that it brings together like-minded students, where they get ample opportunities to prepare for exams, manage their time, build confidence, identify their weak areas and work on them before the exam. Also, we teach students to solve a particular question using two to three methods. The student can then choose one he is most comfortable with when solving problems. Apart from this, their performance is also monitored long before the actual exams and they have the opportunity to improve by working on their weaker areas much before the actual exam.” 

Prof Mahajan admits that the question of coaching classes is a tricky one. While he says that it’s not imperative to join a coaching class, he opines that joining one can definitely help. “There are lakhs of students in the coaching classes and they are doing a serious job. They are helping students learn the concepts in a way that is geared towards this sort of exam, as opposed to 12th standard which is not geared to these exams.”