Last minute tips to prepare for the JEE
The Joint Entrance Examination (Advanced) is among one of the toughest entrance exams in the world and, every year, lakhs of students put in countless hours of hard work and effort in a bid to enter into the haloed gates of the prestigious Indian Institutes of Technology. While most students start their preparations from the 10th standard, some even begin as early as the 8th, in a bid to crack them. With the JEE Mains offline exam scheduled for 3 April, 2016 and the online exam on April 9 and 10, 2016, very little time is left for the actual exams. While cracking the exam is definitely not a cakewalk, hard work and determination can go a long way in helping score well.
Here are some last minute tips that can help when you write your entrance:
Time Management: Time is of the essence when it comes to cracking the JEE. By regularly practicing and timing your mock tests, you can work on your speed so that you do not end up leaving out on questions that you know, just because you didn’t get the time. By being well versed with the format, you will also be able to determine how much time you need for each section.
Post important exam dates: The last you would want is to miss out on dates, because you were too busy preparing for them. Post important dates in your room, where you can easily see it.
Be clear on offline/online: Since JEE gives the option for both online and offline tests make sure that you are prepared if you decide to give the test online. Check your system for any technical problems, so that no time is wasted trying to fix glitches.
Revise what you know well: Practice the topics that you know well, instead of trying to cram in new ones at the last minute. This will leave you flustered and you will end up wasting your time.
Make cue cards: Making cue cards containing important formulas and subject pointers can help you revise in the final days.
Strong basics: Your basics and understanding of various concepts should be strong, so that you can answer aptitude based questions and the lengthier calculation ones.
Take each question one at a time: And start with the easier ones that you are sure of. Try to attempt as many as you can, but do not attempt an answer that you are sure will be wrong – negative marks are given for answers, and this can change the whole scenario.
Practice on mock tests and from exam banks: Do as many mock tests and practice from as many exam question banks as you can. There is never such a thing as too much of practice. This will help you with your speed and give you an idea of the kind of questions to expect.
Read the questions thoroughly before you start: Take time to read and understand the questions before you start to work on them. This will make sure that you do not answer wrongly because you have read the question wrong. Precision is of key while cracking the JEE.
Tips to stay healthy during the exams:
Apart from the actual preparations, it is also extremely important to concentrate on your health so that you do not end up getting stressed and fall ill on the exam day.
Take a walk: Research shows that walking and exercise help boost brain power and concentration. Hence, go for a thirty minute walk or work out, whenever you can.
Listen to music: Listening to soothing classical music, or any other genre that you like, will help you relax. Take some time out each day to just sit and listen to some music. If you are the kind who can study with the music on, some soft background music will also help you concentrate. While any music would do, classical music has been found to help improve memory power
Sleep well: One of the main things that we compromise the most during exams is sleep. However, proper sleep ensures that your brain functions well during the exams. Hence, by ensuring that you don’t keep everything for the last minute, you will have enough time to sleep and rest your body and brain.
Eat healthy: Diet is an important factor in ensuring that you stay healthy and active during exams. Eat plenty of fruits and vegetables, and steer clear of fried stuff, fast food and too much sugar. Avoid drinking too much coffee and tea, and stick to water or lemon juice, as that will help keep you hydrated and more alert. Most children have a habit of skipping breakfast – this can be extremely unhealthy. Eat smaller, more frequent meals, as this will give you more energy, and help your body digest better.
