With Class XII Board exams round the corner to be followed by JEE Mains, Partha Halder, shares tips on how the students can cope with both

In few week’s time the exam season is about to begin. First it will be the CBSE Class XII Board in March followed by engineering entrance exams. Since it will be a long season of exams it is important to prepare a systematic and workable plan for optimising time, resources and most importantly the outcome in each exam. Students from Science are essentially engineering aspirants and would have appeared in JEE Main held in January 2019 by the National Testing Agency (NTA). Those who did not appear in January and/or those who wish to improve their January percentile will get another chance to appear in JEE Main in April 2019. So a student has Board and JEE Main exam to deal. Tips for them.

Deal with the volume

The syllabus of JEE Main is equal to the syllabus of CBSE Classes XI and XII. In view of upcoming Class XII board exam, a student is likely to cover the Class XII syllabus very well. Since a substantial portion of questions asked in JEE Main is from Class XI, a student must factor in the revision of this portion in their study plan. There is a likelihood that a student might be out of touch with Class XI syllabus for a sustained period of time due to board and competitive exams. In such a case revision of Class XI syllabus should be strategic. Student’s who completed Class XII last year, and targeting JEE in 2019 should focus on both Class XI and XII syllabus.

Revision

Revising is very important. It will help for both the Board and JEE Main exam. Evaluate the weightage attached to different chapters, as it will help you to decide the time required to be devoted for revision. Make revision notes so that you can quickly brush up the concepts. Give due importance to fourth and fifth subjects of the Boards, as they are key contributor to your overall percentage.

Clarify your Doubts

After you have finished revising a chapter, you should feel 100% confident of solving any question being asked on that chapter. If not, reach out to your teacher and clarify doubts.

PractiCe

Once the doubts are cleared, you should start practicing questions from the chapter that you just finished revising (from Board exam and JEE Main perspective). Make sure that you practice 5 or 6 marks questions of Board exams. Also solve JEE Main type questions. Try to solve problems by yourself in the first attempt. If you are unable to solve, then refer to the solution. If you had faced any difficulty while solving any specific type of question in last one year, make sure that you practice it now.

Question Paper for Boards: It is a good way to mentally prepare yourself and be exam ready. The more you practice and solve question papers the more confident you become.

Computer Based Test (CBT) for JEE Main: Acclimatisation is the key. Since JEE Main has become CBT from this year, getting familiar with the testing environment is crucial so that the accuracy and speed doesn't drop.

• Solving mock tests is the most important part of preparation. It is advisable to write at least one mock test each for Board & JEE Main, every week. It will help to assess your preparation, figure out the weak areas, build exam temperament, learn to effectively manage time during exam, improve upon speed and accuracy. For JEE Main it is important to subscribe to an All India Level Test Series in CBT format so as to get a national benchmarking or at least join an online Test Series for practice.
• It’sextremely crucial to spot and analyse mistakes if you do not want to repeat it in the actual exam.
• Solve previous years questions papers for Board and JEE Main within fixed time limit.
• Read the Question Paper thoroughly to begin with. The instructions carry lot of important insight about the paper. Scan the question paper to spot questions that you can answer and prioritise accordingly.
• In Board exam: While answering, mention the property or formula used. Final answers must be highlighted. Marks will be deducted for missing steps. Do not skip steps. Attempt the entire question paper. When you skip a question you lose an opportunity to score.
• In JEE Main, data shows that the cut-off generally averages around 30%. You need not attempt all questions. Attempt only those that you are completely sure of.
• If you get stuck while solving a question, move on to the next. You can revisit the question later with a fresh mind and save time.
• Keep your stress level under check: The exam environment can add to stress. Try to stay away from it. If you get stressed, have some water & take some deep breaths.
• Give time for revision: If you manage to finish the exam early, do not submit the paper. Go through the paper to rectify errors, if any.

The writer is Centre Head, FIITJEE, Punjabi Bagh