After leaving no stone unturned and burning midnight oil, Kalash Gupta has passed JEE Advanced with flying colors and clinched All India Rank 3. He credits his family and coaching institute for his success. According to him, consistency and family support has really helped him to climb the ladder of success. Careers360 interacted with him to find out the reasons behind his tremendous success. Read the full interview of JEE Advanced topper 2018 to know everything about his preparation.
Careers360: Congratulations for your outstanding performance in JEE Advanced 2018! What was your reaction upon knowing your rank?
Kalash Gupta: I was actually shocked when I saw my rank. I double checked it actually then happiness settled. It was a wonderful experience.
Careers360: Tell us something about yourself. Which board have you studied under? Which school have you studied in?
Kalash Gupta: I completed my schooling from Amity International School, Saket.
Careers360: What is your score in JEE Advanced 2018? What is your All India rank and category rank?
Kalash Gupta: I achieved All India Rank 3 and my score is 325 out of 360 in JEE Advanced 2018.
Careers360: Why do you want to study engineering? When did you decide to study engineering? Which branch would you be interested in? Any reason?
Kalash Gupta: I pursued computer tech programming from class 10. This was the reason I pursued Engineering. I have an interest in Computer Science. I am planning to go for IIT Delhi or IIT Bombay. I will take CS branch.
Careers360: JEE Advanced went online this year. What is your opinion about it? Did it change your preparation strategy for the exam?
Kalash Gupta: It was a different experience but I was comfortable with it. I had problems marking bubbles in the OMR sheet. So it was a better experience. FIITJEE conducted regular AITS(All India Test Series) which were conducted in online mode so we got fairly used to the pattern. Therefore, no other changes were required actually.
Careers360: When did you start your JEE Advanced preparation? Tell us something about your preparation strategy and daily routine for JEE Advanced?
Kalash Gupta: I started my preparation mid-way in my eleventh class. Earlier my preparation was not so rigorous.I just completed what was given to me. Later on, I started doing revision side by side. Towards the end I started giving one to two tests everyday.
Careers360: How was the preparation for JEE Advanced different from JEE Main?
Kalash Gupta: Actually, I did not specially prepare for JEE Main. The syllabus was covered while preparing for boards and JEE Advanced.
Careers360: Since there was just a month after the JEE Main, elaborate on your preparation strategy?
Kalash Gupta: I gave a lot of mock tests. Also, there were some sections in inorganic chemistry that I have not yet covered fully, so I brushed up those parts. That’s what I did during that month.
Careers360: Did you take coaching for JEE and if yes from where? What are the benefits of coaching according to you?
Kalash Gupta: I took coaching from FIITJEE South Delhi. Yes, coaching proved to be immensely helpful for me. It gave direction to my preparation and helped identify areas I needed to work on. The institute conducted regular tests. All India Tests conducted by them gave an idea of where I stood at National level.
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?
Kalash Gupta: Yes, I practiced from previous years’ papers. I completed the archive of old JEE questions and regularly practiced the tests given by FIITJEE. Most of them were based on JEE Advanced exam pattern and the questions were quite relevant.
Careers360: Are there any special books that you feel have helped with your JEE Advanced preparation?
Kalash Gupta: No, not really. I did not study from any specific book other than the study material provided by my coaching.
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?
Kalash Gupta: My Maths paper did not go well. Maths was the toughest subject for me and I found Physics to be the easiest. I like Physics.
Careers360: Did you face any technical glitches during the exam? What is your opinion on the way the exam was conducted?
Kalash Gupta: No, I did not face any technical glitches. As I said I had a problem with marking bubbles on the OMR sheet, so I was comfortable with the online mode.
Careers360: What is the main difference between the two papers in JEE Advanced?
Kalash Gupta: I got tired by the second paper. As such there was not any difference. Decimal part was expected for the second paper so that was not much of a shock.
Careers360: What do you think are the key factors behind your stupendous success in JEE Advanced?
Kalash Gupta: Consistent preparation and family support have really pushed me so far. I would also like to give credit to the FIITJEE. The faculty, apart from teaching has put in so much efforts that I have been able to believe in myself and work hard for this.
Careers360: How did you de-stress yourself during the preparation? What are your hobbies? How often could you pursue them?
Kalash Gupta: I like programming. I played chess. I even played football when I went to school. It was a real stress buster and I watched stand up comedy clips.
Careers360: Who is your ideal or biggest inspiration in life and why?
Kalash Gupta: My family is my biggest inspiration. They have been a constant support through out the journey.
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?
Kalash Gupta: Even if the going gets tough, the trick is to not get demotivated. It is because demotivation can derail the preparation process. I want to wish all the future aspirants good luck and All the best.
