Studying at India’s premier Indian Institutes of Technology is a dream for many engineering aspirants. But to walk through the gates of the institutes one needs to first clear the toughest competitive exams in India – the JEE or the Joint Entrance Exam.
Parth Mahajan from Nasik scored 99.91 per cent in the recently conducted JEE Mains, 2023. He shares his journey…
When did you first aspire to become a student of engineering? Was it an interest in Science and Maths or some other experience that pushed you to pursue this dream?
As a kid, I was always interested in science and technology. I was keen on knowing how things are made and the science behind them. This pushed me to aspire to become an engineer.
I discovered IIT colleges when I was in Class 10. I also saw some videos of the campus and believed that this is the best place for me. So, with an interest in science and technology, I made up my mind to make either of the IITs my alma mater and pursue engineering, and thus I began my journey to crack the JEE exam. I would love to get admission in my dream college – IIT Bombay.
Along with that, my parents' hope for me to achieve the best possible thing always motivated me to aim for higher goals. My dad is a Cylindrical Grinding Engineer and has supported him throughout my journey.
Tell us about your support system - family, friends, teachers, tutors? How did these people help psychologically while preparing for the exam as well as academically?
My support system has been my family, friends, and teachers. They have been great motivators for me throughout my preparation journey. My parents always had big dreams for me, which I feel have proven to be the biggest drivers of my success so far.
Apart from this, the coaching institute where I trained, the teachers there helped me too. They have really impacted my life and the most important thing I got from them, other than the subject knowledge, is the path they showed me. Whenever I was doing something wrong in my preparation, they showed me a much better way from their experience of teaching thousands of students. I am grateful for all the guidance they have provided.
In addition to this, some videos of the campus and festivals of IIT Bombay on YouTube also motivated me to crack the exam.
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Recently, there has been a lot of talk about how stressful it is to prepare for the JEE, with some academicians even going on to say that students focus more for JEE than for class 12 exams. Was it true in your case? What should be the student's approach while preparing - focus on JEE only or on both?
Yes, the preparation is stressful, not because it is a tough exam to crack, but due to the vastness of the syllabus. The most important tip I want to give to fellow students is that revision and practice is the key to success. The more you practice the more you learn. And the more you revise, the fewer chances to forget.
The most accurate method while preparing for JEE in Class 12 according to me is that the students should focus on JEE for the whole year as the syllabus of JEE almost covers all of Class 12 syllabus and also some extra topics. However, closer to the board exam, focus only on preparing for boards.
The role of tutors in training students is important, but finally the person who gives the exam is the student, so what did Parth do differently than his batchmates to score a 99.91%?
I think what worked for me is my approach. The exam strategy that I followed was focused majorly on revision. I used to revise all the notes from the previous day, every morning. Also, every month I used to revise all the chapters that I had studied to date. I used to schedule 3-4 hours of study slots while also focusing on some rest time in between.
I believe that the most important tip for fellow candidates is to revise everything over and again, and with constant practice, you’ll learn effectively. The mantra that I followed was “revision is the key” and the more mock tests I gave, the less likely I was to forget a topic.
Tell us what do you do other than academics? Do you pursue any sport or hobby? How did you take breaks during studying for JEE Mains?
To maintain my physical health, I used to play cricket daily for about half an hour and used to also exercise in the morning. Apart from this, I also enjoy listening to music and watching informational and motivational videos.
According to you, what is the importance of taking a break and playing a sport, or pursuing some hobby?
While most of my time used to go into studies, taking breaks was also very important for me. I used to take some time off in-between, this acted as a stress buster for me. Playing games and doing exercise helped in keeping me physically healthy and increased my capacity to retain maximum information.
Finally, what do you aspire to achieve as a professional? Is there a dream job, or venture that you have in mind and how do you plan to go about achieving that dream?
I haven’t decided on any specific profession yet. I will decide on this as I gather more information while pursuing my further studies. My main focus is to gather knowledge and ace the specialisation that I choose which will help towards my career growth.
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