Balaaji Reddy, a resident of Hyderabad secured All India Rank 9 in one of the toughest exams of India, JEE Advanced 2023. After achieving this huge feat in his career, Balaaji now wishes to pursue his dream of graduating from one of the most prestigious institutes of India, IIT Bombay in Computer Science Engineering. Balaaji revealed his success mantra in an interview, and through this article Careers360 helps you to understand and analyse the strategy that he followed to excel in the examination.
Careers360: What strategy did you follow for the JEE advanced 2023?
Balaaji: I made a full proof strategy during my school days itself. You will be surprised to know this, but I started my preparation in grade 7th itself. I never skipped any tests, and I attended every class so as to ensure that I do not miss any important topic that might be asked in the examination. I paid attention to all the lectures and worked on the mistakes as told by my teachers.
Careers360: What was your time schedule while preparing for the exam?
Balaaji: I gave my full attention to clear this exam successfully, I used to study for at least 10 to 12 hours a day and spent like 3 hours a day regularly to understand the topics I lacked understanding of.
Careers360: What were the challenges that you faced as an aspirant?
Balaaji: An aspirant faces various challenges while preparing for the examination and these challenges vary from aspirant to aspirant. For me, the toughest part was chemistry, but I overcame it with rigorous revision and hard work. Along with this I worked really hard on my time management so that I do not miss any topic in my preparation.
Careers360: Why did you choose JEE Advanced exam over other examinations?
Balaaji: To have a safe career option in the field of engineering, JEE Advanced is the best option. As this exam helps candidates to get admission in the renowned IIT institutions. I always had this dream of becoming an engineer and, in the future, maybe I can be an industrial researcher.
Careers360: What's your suggestion to other aspirants preparing for JEE?
Balaaji: Most important suggestion to future aspirants is repeated revision of topics from trusted sources like JEE Advanced question papers. Practice as many JEE Advanced 2023 mock tests as possible along with working on N learn app.
Careers360: How did Narayana’s system help you to score such a good rank?
Balaaji: Undoubtedly Narayana group has been an excellent and most important source of my exam preparation. The faculty over here guided me throughout my journey by clearing my doubts, explained the concepts very well.
Careers360: How much did you score in 10th & 12th?
Balaaji: In my 10th standard I secured 10 CGPA, while in 12th standard I secured 97.5% marks.
Careers360: Which IIT and program do you plan to pursue?
Balaaji: Since my childhood I wanted to pursue Computer Science Engineering from IIT Bombay. So I wish to get admission in IIT Bombay.
Careers360: What's your larger purpose in pursuing engineering?
Balaaji: I wish to work on technology end as an engineer.
Careers360: Tell us a little about your background?
Balaaji: I hail from Hyderabad; my father is a lecturer in the Electronics and Communication Engineering department. I started my preparation in class 7th itself as I firmly believe that starting early helps a lot. My parents and teachers explained to me the importance of science and computers which made me really interested to pursue these subjects further. So I decided to become an engineer.
On Question asked by student community
You can attempt the JEE Advanced exam maximum of two times in two consecutive years. This rule also applies if you did not take the exam in the year you completed your 12th grade. If you skip the first attempt in your 12th grade year, you can only appear for the exam once, in the following year (your drop year).
Yes, JEE Advanced paper is also available in Hindi medium. When you fill the form, you will get the option to choose your language preference like English, Hindi or other regional languages allowed by NTA. If you choose Hindi, then in the exam hall you will get the paper in Hindi medium.
Website: https://jeeadv.ac.in
You can easily download IIT JEE 2025 papers in Hindi. For JEE Main, websites like Careers360 give shift-wise question papers with answers in Hindi. For JEE Advanced, you can get both Paper 1 and 2 in Hindi from the official site jeeadv.ac.in (https://jeeadv.ac.in/)
Hello Alka
For JEE Advance, the best 5 subjects through which you need to calculate your percentage is:
1. Physics
2. Chemistry
3. Mathematics
4. One language (which is English)
5. One other subject of your choice
So you will need to choose PCM + English + a 5th subject to calculate your percentage.
Hope this answer helps! Thank You!!!
Hello!
In JEE Advanced eligibility, the top 5 subjects from your board exam are considered. Usually, they are Physics, Chemistry, Mathematics, and any two other subjects from the main curriculum. If CMS is your optional subject and IT is an additional subject, the board will still calculate based on the 5 highest marks from your eligible subjects. Additional subjects are considered only if they replace a lower score from another subject. For example, if IT has a higher score than English or CMS, then IT can be counted. However, some boards follow strict rules where only main subjects are counted, so you must verify with your board’s official notification. The 75% criteria means your average percentage in those best 5 subjects must meet the requirement. My advice—list all your subjects, arrange them from highest to lowest marks, and take the top five as per rules.
Hope this clears your doubt!
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