The Joint Entrance Examination (JEE) is the entrance test to get admission into various engineering colleges across India. JEE consists of two levels. The first is JEE Main and the second level is JEE Advanced.
JEE Mains is undoubtedly one of the toughest exams out there and can be quite difficult to crack. Students usually start preparing for this exam quite early and only then are they able to ace it. However, no matter when you start your preparation, if you are diligent with your study schedule, and highly motivated, you can always crack this exam. JEE Mains is held at 2 levels. Paper 1 is conducted for admissions to programmes like B.Tech/B.E which are UG courses at NITs, IIITs, and other various institutions. JEE advance which is the next level to get admission in IITs also requires JEE mains.
NTA conducts JEE mains in 4 sessions that are of February, March, April and May for admissions for the new academic year. It gives a benefit to students as they can make a number of attempts to improve their scores without wasting the whole academic year. If you do not qualify in the first exam, you can take it as a practice, learn time management, understand your problem areas and improve them in the next attempt. However, to crack this exam, one needs to be prepared to start from the beginning, and one of the best ways to do that is by making notes.
Students preparing for this exam usually have bundles of notes piled up in their rooms. After all, notes help in retaining things much better and even come in handy at the time of revision. By making notes, you summarize all the important points while scraping the rest. Making your own notes instead of using the internet will help you in getting a better grasp of things. As such, keep the following points in mind while making notes-
- Start your preparation by making revision notes, and in the language that you’re comfortable in. It is always advisable to make notes in a language you are comfortable in. The notes you are making are for yourself and not for anyone else so make them as you like. If you are not comfortable writing in pure English, try the famous Hinglish which is a combination of Hindi and English and is also fun to make.
- If you are making notes from Textbook, do not copy the selected lines. It will unnecessarily elaborate your notes, and would take away their purpose. Instead, read the text, understand it and then write the shortened version in your own language. Use phrases and keywords to get a gist when you reread the notes.
- Some students are in the habit of writing notes in the margins of a book. It may seem convenient but will make the space less and would make things messy and difficult to understand. Instead, you must make a separate notes register to add your own comments whenever required in the ample space. These are Memory Maps that are a very useful technique if you are a visual learner. Memory maps will help you retain and recall whenever required. Make them short and crisp.
- There is no compulsion in making the notes in a particular way instead devising your unique style. Most students use a linear format consisting of bullets or numbering or making short pointers with key words but limiting yourself to these only is not a compulsion. Try your hand in adding pictures, diagrams, flow charts, and even caricatures to your revision notes. Not only will it make your topics understandable but will make study a fun thing.
Have you tried out the Mnemonics for remembering things? If not, it is time that you try out this fantastic method of retaining important things. Mnemonics or Mind Tricks are shortcuts to learning. They will help you in remembering things by associating it with something for easy recall.
E.g. BODMAS, a shortcut trick to remember the order of mathematical operations i.e. Brackets of Division, Multiplication, Addition and Subtraction. You can also use these to learn various terms, charts, periodic for JEE
- If you are not in the habit of writing notes in a notebook, switch to digital mode. Students prefer writing the pointers on their laptop or mobile instead of on a separate notebook. It gives control to oneself to use a wide range of fonts, bold, italics and underline options along wide color choices. The amazing templates make the task of making revision notes a cakewalk.
Some other tips for cracking IIT Mains exam:
1. Start your preparation early. This exam is not an easy one. As such, it is important that you start preparing for it with your senior secondary classes. Take out some time every day to go through the course and cover some topics.
- Practice ample question papers, and sample papers before appearing for the final exam. You can look up JEE Main 2019 PYQP with Answer Key, and other such papers and do them regularly to get a proper understanding of the exam, its pattern, marking system, and more.
- Do not stress out. Take things easily, and avoid burnout. Make sure you take ample breaks to relax. Also, if you are unable to cop, try talking it out and taking advice.
JEE Mains is a relatively tough exam that can only be conquered with consistency and the will to get admission to the most prestigious engineering colleges in the country. Preparing for this exam is not an overnight thing- it requires intense gruelling, and burning the midnight’s oil. There’s ample study material available outside, that can be referred to for scoring good in this exam. However, following an individual approach will help you in achieving success. All the best!
