Introduction
There is an adage for IIT JEE aspirants — cut-off friends, social media, television, and other non-academic activities when starting to prepare for the IIT JEE Examinations.
While somewhat true, the adage is aimed at inculcating a sense of hyper-focused and undivided attention of the child on being consistent with the preparation material and aiming to reduced time wastage on anything that diverts them from the goal of cracking the JEE Advance and JEE Main exams.
While in terms of style, competitiveness, questions, and syllabi, JEE Advance and JEE Main slightly differ. When it comes to success in the two examinations, one thing that is common between the two is “effective time management” for success in these two examinations.
Given the vast syllabus, analytical and complex nature of study material, and high number of competing aspirants, success belongs to a student who has been consistent, focused, and un-waived in their goal of conceptual clarity.
Such a task requires self-discipline, which comes through effective time-management, which should be done from day 1 of your study.
A day of laziness, or complacency has the ability to throw off your schedule by weeks, if not months. If not managing their time effectively, a student will easily lose out on revision aspects to be done daily. They can also miss out on their practice schedule for their day, which will hinder the ability to study in future.
Hence, to effectively manage time, one should:
Self-design a Daily, Monthly, and Yearly Timetable
A yearly timetable is one which should, at a high level, call out the milestones that you wish to achieve in a year. Be it certain number of marks threshold in a subject, or completing a list of books.
A monthly timetable focuses on the chapters, evaluations, mock tests schedules, and other 2 ndlevel elements of your study plan.
A daily + weekly timetable, is one which defines how you live your day during IIT JEE preparation. This is also the most important timetable for the serious candidate.
Your daily timetable should start with non-movable activities such as schools, tuitions etc. In the time remaining, your daily timetable should be dedicated to Physics, Chemistry, Math. Furthermore, it should call out the chapters, or sub-topics which you will cover across each of the subjects.
Subsequently, the time-table should call out separate set-out time for Daily Problem Papers (DPPs), revision, and mock tests (if any planned for that day or week).
Do remember that your entire timetable is then overlaid with the chapter you will study, the book you will refer to, or the problem set you will complete. Make it as detailed as possible.
P.S.: Before setting out the timetable, it is imperative that one familiarizes herself / himself with the syllabus, books, and content. One should also seek guidance of a qualified mentor.
Go off the Grid
Another adage that Indian students hear — two years of hard work, and lifetime worth of success.
Cracking the JEE Advanced and JEE Main exams is no small feat. Hence, cracking the exam is indeed equal to lifetime worth of success. It is also true that in most cases, cracking the exam does require 2 years of hard work.
However, while advantageous for mankind’s progress, television, social media, instant messaging apps and other digital elements are indeed a distraction. This can also be a deterrent to your dreams of being a successful exam aspirant.
The sheer magnitude of information flow across these digital channels is bound to throw your mind off. It will also make it wander across a variety of topics. Given the way digital algorithms work, they are designed to make youngsters stick to their mobile screens day-in day out. This releases chemicals in your brain that make you feel good while using these social avenues. But, this is inconsequential in the longer-run.
Hence, the best method is to stay away, and wait till you’re at an IIT to enjoy the full fruits of such digital channels.
Maintain their Mental Health
No doubt the JEE preparation is taxing — the human brain can only take so much. If not relaxing at regular intervals, one can get severely burnt out and lose the mental strength to continue.
Hence, to avoid getting burnt out due to intensive study, keep up your motivation. One should also maintain a consistent studying momentum, take care of your mental health by doing the below:
- Getting enough sleep — 7–8 hours at-least
- Exercising or playing — 1 hour a day
- Maintaining a healthy diet
- Socializing regularly with friends
- Taking mini-breaks during the day — talk to your family, or read the newspaper
While there is no one single way to manage time for competitive exam prep, time-management surely is the definite ask.
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Originally published at https://blogs.dynamind.co on March 30, 2022.
