JEE Advanced 2024 Topper Interview: Rajdeep Mishra Secured AIR 6

JEE Advanced 2024 Topper Interview: Rajdeep Mishra achieved AIR 6 in the JEE Advanced 2024 exam. He secured a total of 333 marks out of 360 marks in the JEE Advanced 2024 exam. Rajdeep is one of the toppers of JEE Advanced 2024 exam from the Bombay zone. Rajdeep’s incredible determination and focus have helped him achieve this score.

Rajdeep placed a lot of emphasis on the importance of attending exams beyond the school curriculum such as olympiads. According to him, while school & coaching exams limit the competition & scope of learning, attempting national & international level olympiads helps the students not only analyse their weak points but also determine their ranking at the national & international levels. He also believes in the importance of good support systems to maintain a healthy mindset. He also emphasized pursuing hobbies for a fresh & active mind. Read on to learn about his preparation for the JEE advanced exam and some fun tidbits about him.

Q1. How did you feel when the result was released & you achieved the JEE Advanced 2024 topper title? Did you believe in your hard work and expect the result achieved by you?

Rajdeep Mishra: It felt very nice to be AIR 6 because when you invest so much time & energy into something, and you gain the desired result, it feels very nice. All of my well-wishers have been congratulating me, so I am feeling immense satisfaction right now.

Q2. According to you, when should a student recognise & analyse their field of interest, whether it is maths or biology? When do you think is the right time?

Rajdeep Mishra: I believe that the right time to think about your field of interest is from classes 8 to 10 & to decide what to do in the future. During this time, students should spend some time attempting olympiads, etc in various subjects to properly identify if the subject you are interested in is something you would want to pursue a career in for a long time. It was through olympiads that I discovered my interest in PCM. Hence, I feel students should move away from the school curriculum & identify their complete interest

Q3. Why are national or international level exams such as olympiads important for students?

Rajdeep Mishra: When we are in a school or a coaching centre, you can only compare ourselves to those limited number of students. However, when students compete at national or international levels, the vast competition helps us understand where we stand in national or international standards. This will also help us identify and improve weak points in our preparation. Attempting olympiads & other similar exams helps us overcome the limitations of school or coaching exams.

Q4. Which olympiads did you attempt & in which years?

Rajdeep Mishra: In class 9th, I attended the International Junior Science Olympiad 2021, then I attended the International Junior Science Olympiad 2022 in Columbia, and Then in 2023, I attended the International Olympiad in Astronomy & Astrophysics, 2023 in Poland. I attempted many exams afterwards in online format such as Physics brawl, which was a team competition and the International Zhautykov Olympiad in which I won a silver medal in physics.

Q5. How does it feel to represent and win something for India?

Rajdeep Mishra: It is impossible to describe my happiness when my name and India were announced in huge auditoriums. When we climb onto the stage & people from different countries cheer for us, & when everyone cheers for us when we return home, I feel that experience is something that can only be gained by attempting international olympiads.

Q6. When you face difficulties or get unmotivated in life, how do you keep yourself motivated?

Rajdeep Mishra: It is very common for any student to feel demotivated upon not performing as well as expected in the exam. But what is most important is that we learn from those failures. We should analyse our mistakes & figure out how to improve them. Noone is perfect & even toppers have some drawbacks. Only when we rectify those, can we achieve our goal.

Q7. Please share your preparation schedule for the exam. DO you allot equal time to maths, physics & chemistry or do you have any preferences?

Rajdeep Mishra: I believe it is more important to have equitable preparation over equal preparation. I feel we should give equal energy in preparing for all the subjects over giving equal time. This is because sometimes, we are naturally more proficient towards one subject when compared to the others. Also, invest more time in the subjects that you are lacking in.

Q8. A lot of students make silly mistakes while attempting the exam, so how did you overcome those hurdles?

Rajdeep Mishra: The best way to avoid stress or panic-related silly mistakes is to think that the exam does not determine your life. So you should not be influenced by the exam but focus on the questions instead. In case, you have done some silly mistakes, do not dwell on them but note down the mistakes and try to rectify them before the next test. Revise this list just before the next test to remember what kind of mistakes you have been making.

Q9. Have you ever had backlogs? If yes, how did you cope with it?

Rajdeep Mishra: Yes I have goten a lot of backlogs as I would attend a number of olympiad camps. One common mistake is that we do not attend classes unless we have covered up the backlogs. This creates a lot of backlog from the previous and future classes. Hence, candidates should try to cover the backups ASAP as the topics are mostly related.

Q10. Should a student always focus on studies or should they also focus on hobbies?

Rajdeep Mishra: I have noticed that as soon as I take a break from my studies and focus on sports or hobbies, my mind automatically gets refreshed. The mind gets refreshed for the next study session. So if i study for 2 hours, I take a 15 to 20 min break, in which I solve the Rubix cube or read a book or watch some nice web series. I also maintain old hobbies or work on maintaining my typing speed.

Q11. Did you fix a strategy before attempting the exam? And did this strategy work while attempting the exam?

Rajdeep Mishra: Yes, I had fixed a strategy before attempting the exam. I thought I would first do physics and start with the 6 marks then 4 marks. This created a lot of problems initially because it would not work. Then I realized that “the best strategy is no strategy”. Just analyse the question paper before attempting & finish the easy sections first. Ensure you don't make any silly mistakes. And if you can't solve the hard sections, then no one else can.

Q12. What tips would like to give your juniors about preparing for the exam? Also, what did you like about the atmosphere of Kota & Allen Careers Institute?

Rajdeep Mishra: The most important tip that I would like to give my juniors is to have trust, both in themselves & the system. The teachers of Allen have been coaching students for the last 10 years, so their advice is based on experience. The study plan or the questions given by them have been formulated with a lot of knowledge & expertise. Both Allen & Kota’s environments help in supercharging your studies.