A-Z of JEE Main
Are you still confused about JEE Main?
Do you understand the importance of JEE Main even if your aim is JEE-Adv.
Don’t you know the correct path to follow….
I will try to answer all such questions in your mind in this article.
What and Why?
Jee Main is one of the most competitive exams being conducted in India with almost 10 Lakhs unique students sitting for the exam each year. It is a gateway to 31 National Institute of Technology campuses, 25 Indian Institute of Information Technology campuses, and 19 other Government Funded Technical Institutes (GFTIs) and most importantly you need to qualify JEE Main to sit for JEE-Advanced, one of the most prestigious exams not only in India but in the whole world. Around 2.5 lakhs of students are selected to appear for JEE-Advanced.
JEE Main is being conducted by National Testing Agency (NTA). JEE Main has two papers, Paper-I and Paper-II. Candidates may opt for either or both of them. Both papers contain multiple-choice questions. Paper-I is for admission to B.E./B.Tech courses and is conducted in a Computer Based Test mode. Paper-II is for admission in B.Arch and B.Planning courses and will also be conducted in Computer Based Test mode except for one paper, namely the ‘Drawing Test’ which shall be conducted in Pen and Paper mode or offline mode.
For the rest of the article, we will only talk about Paper-I.
Exam Pattern
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Jee Main is being conducted 4 times a year starting from late February to August(months are not fixed and may vary) and a student is allowed to sit in all four attempts. The best out of 4 is considered for the final result.
The paper consists of 20 Multiple choice questions (The single option is correct) and 10 Numerical type questions( you have to answer any 5 of them and the answer will be a number up to two decimal points) in each of the three subjects viz. Physics, Chemistry, and Mathematics. Each MCQ is of 4 marks with -1 negative marking while each numerical type question is of 4 marks and no negative marking because if you could make a guess correct up to two decimal points then you are already a jodd 😅 so the Maximum and Minimum marks one can score is 300 😎 and -60 🥶 respectively. For each unanswered question neither you get any mark nor lose.
The syllabus list is too long to be put here but you can check the official JEE Main website by clicking here. It majorly consists of class 11th and 12th NCERT syllabus in all three subjects.
Strategy :)
Now comes the most important part. So what should be your strategy for the exam? Should you go for the first attempt or the Last one. Actually, answers depend on your level of preparation and also whether you are in class 12th or a dropper and I will count you the ups and downs for both.
For a class 12th guy who had completed his syllabus anytime up to December or January should surely go for the first attempt considering it the last one because…
First of all, since it is your first exam and you have never tasted failure before you will go in the exam with your wings full of colors aiming to fly and that confidence really helps.
Secondly, if you scored a decent percentile then your life further is gonna be much easier as now you can easily prepare for boards, and as soon as they get over you can directly prepare for JEE-Advanced without worrying a lot about the remaining JEE Main attempts.
Third, since you have already started early for JEE Advanced you are already ahead of the peeps still sitting for JEE-Main and you also get a good self-belief that yes you can crack it!
Lastly, you have already reserved your seat in a good NIT so now you have nothing to lose but are all set to get that tag of being an IITian.
Okay but again life is not as beautiful as it seems. So for a dropper or one who is not able to finish the syllabus on time, it is not THE END.
You guys should target the third or fourth attempt to get the best out of you in JEE Mains as it takes at least 2 months to revise the whole syllabus. And the students who are in 12th will get their boards midways so the revision of NCERT will definitely gonna increase your marks, especially in Chemistry. Once you get a decent percentile, shift your focus to JEE Advanced as soon as possible.
What to do in the final few months?
The obvious answer is Revision and I am not here to tell you that but other things which are not so obvious are as follows:-
Take care of your health as you don’t wanna waste time in these months.
Give a mock test every day before 15–20 days of the exam date at the exact same time when you have to give the final exam. It will increase your speed, focus and brain activity for that period of time if we talk scientifically and you will be better prepared for THE ENDGAME.
In mock tests try to finish Chemistry in under 45 minutes and Physics and Maths under 1 hour and the last 15 minutes to do the question that you have doubts about or partially solved.
Final few words
For most of you, Jee Main is gonna be your first encounter with highly competitive exams. While some of you will perform better than you might have expected, others may perform worse than your expectation. If you are in the first set of people then go study hard for JEE Advanced and if you are in the later one then go and study and find the mistakes which lead you here. It is not THE END and you have three more chances to correct your mistakes and go with a BANG in JEE-Advanced. There is nothing to be sad about but correct them until it is too late and develop the “NEVER GIVE UP” attitude which we talked about in my last article.
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Feel free to write feedback or questions in the comment box below and I will try my best to give a response.
With a very old yet important quote saying “I never fail…I either succeed or I learn” I will say GoodBye until next time….