Last Minute Preparation Tips For JEE Main: Top 16 Tips From Mohit Tyagi

It is during the last leg of preparation before the Joint Entrance Examination (JEE) Main that students feel the most anxious. A host of questions plague their thoughts: what should be the last-minute personalised strategy to score the maximum? What are healthy habits to enhance learning and which habits must one avoid? What will work for you? Should you focus on the board exams or JEE Main? Should you revise the syllabus one more time or practice on JEE Main mock-tests and test papers? What facilitates or limits your performance in the examination hall?

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In a webinar conducted in association with Careers360, Mohit Tyagi, director, Competishun Institute, shared a host of tips for last-minute preparation that go far beyond the usual general advice covering healthy diets, adequate sleep, revision, attitude and mindset, clearing your doubts, overworking, time management and many more.

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The last few days or even hours, are crucial for the candidate. According to Mohit Tyagi, the factors that should be taken into account are listed below:

1. Board vs. JEE Main

2. JEE Main phase 1 vs phase 2 - which phase to target?

3. Finding the balance between “totally relaxed” and “overly worried”

4. Not able to score well in JEE main mock-tests?

5. Don’t listen to rumours

6. Don’t run after numerous sources of material

7. Practice test papers and analyse

8. The optimum number of test papers

9. Treat paper as one of 90 questions, not split in 3 sections

10. Be prepared for the tough questions from favourite topics

11. The art of leaving questions immediately

12. Setting a target

13. Don’t panic

14. Confidence

15. Don’t think of selection or anything else during the exam

16. Caution: a must-read

Let's address each, one by one, with examples.

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Board Vs. JEE Main

Sometimes, the Class 12 board exam and competitive exams are scheduled very close to each other. So, the question of which examination you should focus on first or, if you should pay equal attention to both, remains and often leaves you confused.

Usually, by this time, students are prepared enough for the board examination as they have been preparing for competitive examinations such as JEE Main. But in case you are not prepared enough for the board examination, then focus on that first.

But if you are prepared well for the board examination, then, focus primarily on the competitive examination leaving a few hours for revision for the board examination.

JEE Main: Phase 1 Vs Phase 2 - Which Phase to Target?

There are numerous factors to consider, including what percentage of the syllabus you have covered within what duration.

For example, student A has covered 80% of the syllabus in six months, while student B took more than 10 months to cover the same ground. It is most likely that student A would wrap up 100% of the syllabus in the time left for the examination. So, student A must target JEE Main I. Student B must cover the syllabus first and target JEE Mains II fully prepared.

Plan your strategies according to the time left for the examination. Don’t indulge in revision or preparation for JEE Main I if you are going for the second session. However, Student B should appear in the first session just to get an experience.

Balance Between “Totally Relaxed” And “Overly Worried”

At this crucial time, many students find themselves at one of two extremes – totally relaxed or very worried. It is not a good idea to relax even after completing the whole syllabus, revision, or after achieving a good score on the mock test. Don’t waste your time. Just reward yourself with some goodies and get back to the revision. If you want to increase or even keep your score constant, you also need to be consistent in your study.

However, students should not be overly anxious either, as it decreases efficiency and confidence. You will have enough time for this after the examination. So, a stable mind with consistent effort makes a difference on the positive side.

Not Able To Score Well JEE Main Mock-tests

A few students are unable to score well despite putting their maximum effort into preparation and find themselves zoned in a specific range of marks. Because of this, students tend to despair. But the revision done after completing the syllabus makes a remarkable difference in a short period of time. So, don’t stop working till the very last moment.

Don’t Listen to Rumours

We all know there are always all sorts of rumours about exam patterns, difficulty level, important topics and book choices floating around, and they increase closer to the examination. You must believe the truth, which is that nobody can predict such examination details.

So, do not pay attention to rumours, as they may affect your preparation strategy. The best preparation method must be to take care of all subjects equally. Your strategy should make you equally efficient in all subjects.

Don’t Run After Numerous Sources of Material

By this time, most students have covered their syllabus, and they start hunting for different sources for revision, such as mock tests, sample papers, and books. There are free PDFs available on Telegram. But these can confuse you and time is wasted.

If you have two different things to do from authentic sources, just go through them completely, one by one, and then you may go for the revision package.

Practice Test Papers and Analyse

Examinations are not meant for new experiments. Therefore, nothing can be more effective than developing a behaviour or to practice for learning. Do start practising test papers and analyse your results. Practice enables you to develop skills required to handle a question, skip a question at the appropriate time, select doable questions and manage your time. Mark the topics you need to revise. You can do this chapter-wise, subject-wise, or when you have covered more than half of the whole syllabus.

The Optimum Number of Test Paper

Don’t exhaust your brain by attempting test papers or mock tests on a daily basis. The optimum number of test papers you should appear in is two to three per week and for the rest of the time, strengthen your command over the subjects. If you attend more than the optimum number of test papers, you might start to lose focus. Also, choose test papers from reputed institutes, as they are balanced in terms of distributed marks and difficulty level.

Treat Paper As One Of 90 Questions, Not Split In 3 Sections

Most students strategise according to the subject they prefer. For example, in a PCM (Physics, Chemistry, Maths) paper of JEE, students usually mark 40–45 minutes for Chemistry, one hour for the Physics section and the time saved from Chemistry is utilised for Maths.

This is not the right approach because you never know which subject will have a high difficulty level in the upcoming exam. Suppose the Mathematics questions seem difficult, while the Physics questions are lengthy but super easy. You are able to solve most of the Physics questions comfortably. As the Physics section is lengthy, you will run out of time because you have already set one hour aside for it. What happens then? You will end up leaving doable questions in the Physics section and moving to Mathematics to waste time on questions you can’t answer. This will cost you all the marks of doable questions.

So, don’t set a rigid time barrier for any subject because the time you devote to a section must depend on the difficulty level of individual questions and that is impossible to predict.

Make sure you attempt doable questions at first, regardless of the subject they belong to. Then, attempt mid-level questions and at last, you can struggle with the difficult ones in the remaining time. If you think some questions are going to consume more than five minutes, skip it at the first instance and move on to the next one.

Be Prepared For The Tough Questions From Favourite Topics

Some topics are your strength for a particular subject. Sometimes, tough questions are framed from those topics. You may be stunned if you fail to attempt such questions. So, be mentally prepared for difficult questions from those topics.

The Art Of Leaving Questions Immediately

Dropping questions you can’t answer immediately plays a game-changing role in your paper. For example, you start solving a doable question but you find yourself unable to solve it after five minutes. You should drop it and move to the next question immediately and you can come back to it later. Do not work on the assumption that you will be able to solve the question by investing just two more minutes. This can disturb your flow for the rest of the questions. You might be able to solve that in the next two minutes but you should invest that time only after attempting all doable questions in the paper.

Setting A Target

Do not target certain marks in the examination because it depends on the difficulty level.

For example, in 2021, students who scored 210 marks were selected for some branches of BTech at Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Delhi. Now, if you target 210 marks in the upcoming JEE Main, you will be mistaken.

Students cannot presume what score will fetch them seats in a specific branch or college because eventually, it depends on the cut-off marks or difficulty level of the paper. So, there could be any possibility. This year, even 250 marks may not be enough for admission.

Marks should not be correlated with your preparation level because the JEE Main cut-off may vary depending on the difficulty level. What matters is rank or percentile and don't worry if the paper is difficult or easy; it will be the same for all.

Don’t Panic

If you are unable to solve the first few questions, it doesn’t mean you will be unable to make it any further. You will find doable questions too as you move further because the paper covers three difficulty levels of questions: easy, medium and difficult. The JEE Main is known to check mental strength apart from subject knowledge and that's why difficult questions can be placed in any order. So, don’t panic, stay confident, and attempt the paper in a regular manner, regardless of difficulty level.

Be Confident

The key to success is to be confident. Each student would be at a different level of preparation; some might have prepared very well while others struggled. If you have worked hard, it will definitely pay off. So, just stay confident and positive. The confidence with which you approach the paper will also affect your score. Whatever days you have left and no matter how far you have prepared, just stay confident. It will help you to stay positive and keep learning till the last moment.

Don’t Think Of Selection Or Anything Else During The Exam

Dreams can come true only if you focus on the paper and take the right approach during the exam. So, don’t think about exam pattern, difficulty level, or selection. If the paper seems somewhat easy, don’t start daydreaming; attempt the doable questions in the first go.

Caution: A Must-Read

Each of you needs a different type of intervention and strategy.

So, do not copy the methods and strategies of others, as they may be unhealthy for you and you won’t be benefitted in any way. Don’t get tricked by cognitive biases during this crucial time left for JEE Main.

But how do we learn exactly? Why do some of the students learn things faster and more easily? Why are some skills easier to master than others? Why do we forget what we learned? Find out what works for you and strategize accordingly.