JEE Advanced 2017 Topper Interview- Aashish Waikar (AIR 7) “Remain motivated, work hard and have confidence in yourself”

The will to succeed, helps one to keep their eyes on their goal as it is the need of the hour.  The JEE Advanced AIR (7), Aashish Waikar, is all set to venture into the new world of engineering where he aspires to study computer science. His interest in mathematics motivated him to take up engineering as a career, when he was in class IX. Unlike most students, who follow a fixed routine during the preparation for JEE Advanced, Aashish did not follow a fixed pattern. He used to plan his day according to the syllabus and the topics that he had to cover on that particular day. Despite the hectic schedule, Aashish used to make it a point to destress himself by listening to music. Sharing his preparation strategy, Aashish stressed on the need to solve the question papers of previous years as this gave him an idea about the likely rank that he would get in the JEE Advanced. 

Careers360: Congratulations for your outstanding performance in JEE Advanced 2017! What was your reaction upon knowing your rank?

Aashish Waikar: Thanks. I was extremely happy upon knowing my rank and celebrated it with my family.

Careers360:  Tell us something about yourself. Which board have you studied under? Which school have you studied in?

Aashish Waikar: I studied at  Bhavan Vidyalaya, Panchkula . The school is affiliated to the CBSE board.

Careers360: What is your score in JEE Advanced 2017? What is your all India rank and category rank? What are the marks that you scored in each subject?

Aashish Waikar: My JEE Advanced 2017 score is 329 and AIR 7 in general category. The marks scored in the different subjects are:

• Physics-111

• Chemistry-100

• Maths-118

Careers360: Why do you want to study engineering? When did you decided to study engineering? Which branch would you be interested in? Any reason?

Aashish Waikar: The main reason for my decision to pursue engineering was my interest in maths.  It was in class 9 that I developed an inclination towards engineering. However, it was towards the end of class X that I made up my mind that I wanted to study engineering. I am interested in Computer Science as there are a lot of job opportunities in this field.

Careers360: When did you start your JEE Advanced preparation? Tell us something about your preparation strategy and daily routine for JEE Advanced?

Aashish Waikar: I started preparing properly for the JEE exam when I was in class XI. I followed the vital tips that were provided to me by my teachers.  There was no fixed daily routine that I followed. My study hours depended on how much syllabus and topics I had to cover on that particular day.

Careers360: How was the preparation for JEE Advanced different from JEE Main?

Aashish Waikar:  I thoroughly revised from the NCERT books while I was preparing for JEE Main 2017. For JEE Advanced 2017, I practised from a wide array of questions as it helped me to increase my accuracy and speed.

Careers360: Since there was just a month after the JEE Main, elaborate on your preparation strategy?

Aashish Waikar: Once the JEE Main 2017 exam was over, I started to make notes of those concepts that I tended to forget or was unsure of. In the last two to three days I merely revised those things which I was not able to recall.

Careers360: Did you take coaching for JEE and if yes from where? What are the benefits of coaching according to you?

Aashish Waikar: I took coaching from Lakshya, Chandigarh.  In order to have that extra edge, apart from the concepts that are given in the NCERT books, coaching is required. The teachers at the coaching institutes recommended some goodt books and taught us some intelligent methods to solve the tough problems.

Careers360: Mock tests and sample papers – how extensively did you practise with the help of these? Do you think practising from the previous year papers help and how?

Aashish Waikar: The coaching institute used to conduct the mock tests on every Sunday. I followed the routine they prescribed for two years - Class XI and Class XII. However, in the last five to six months prior to the JEE Advanced exam, I used to practise mock tests almost everyday. I had also appeared in the test series conducted by various other institutes. Practising the question papers of JEE Advanced of previous years helped me to analyse where I stood and gave me an idea of the likely All India Rank, thet I might get.

Careers360: Are there any special books that you feel have helped with your JEE Advanced preparation?

Aashish Waikar: The books that I consulted during the JEE Advanced prepration are mentioned below:

1. Physics- Irodov

2. Chemistry

• Organic- MS Chauhan,Himanshu Pandey

• Inorganic- V K Jaiswal

• Physcal- N Awasthi

3. Maths

• Vinay Kumar for functions ,differentiation and integration

•  SL Loney for Trigo, Coordinate Geometry.

Careers360:  Did you face any problem during the JEE Advanced examination?  Which subject was the easiest and which was the toughest in JEE Advanced? What do you think is a tough thing to manage during the JEE Advanced exam? What is the difference between Paper 1and Paper 2 of JEE Advanced 2017?

Aashish Waikar: I found chemistry in  paper 2 of JEE Advanced quite tricky due to a few ambiguous questions. Chemistry was the toughest and Maths was the easiest in JEE Advanced. One of the most tough things during the JEE Advanced 2017 is time management. Paper 1 was straightforward but paper 2 was slightly difficult.  

Careers360:  The answer keys revealed bonus marks for 5 questions. Dis you answer those questions? What was your reaction while answering them and after the answer key announced the bonus marks?

Aashish Waikar: I had answered all the five questions. During the JEE Advanced exam, I felt that two of them were incorrect. The bonus marks helped me to improve my marks by three.

Careers360: What do you think are the key factors behind your stupendous success in JEE Advanced?

Aashish Waikar: Motivation, hard work and confidence are the key factors behind my success.

Careers360: How did you de-stress yourself during the preparation? What are your hobbies? How often could you pursue them?

Aashish Waikar: I used to de-stress myself by listening to music I also used to go out for walks and I am interested in birdwatching.

Careers360: Who is your ideal or biggest inspiration in life and why?

Aashish Waikar: My biggest inspiration is my father. He always motivated me with sayings like,“Veer tum badhe chalo,waqt ki pukar hai”.

Careers360: You know you are an inspiration to thousands of students across the country. Do you have any message for future aspirants on tackling the JEE Advanced exam?

Aashish Waikar: I would like to advise the future aspirants to practise as many questions as possible. This will help them to increase their speed while solving the questions in the examination hall.

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