Tips & tricks to ace IIT JEE without coaching Class IX onwards

Vijay Garg

Candidates aspiring to pursue engineering from the prestigious IITs must start their preparations from Class IX onwards. This is considered the best time for starting the preparation as students are introduced to physics and chemistry for the first time. Thus, they will focus on the basic concepts with the JEE preparation mindset.

JEE or Joint Entrance Examination is conducted for IIT admissions.

The exam is conducted in two phases — Main and Advanced. JEE Main is for admission into NITs, IIITs and other GFTIs, while JEE Advanced is for IITs admission. However, only the top 2.50 lakh JEE Main qualifiers are eligible for appearing in the JEE Advanced. Thus, for getting admission into IITs, candidates need to qualify for both JEE Main and Advanced. Now, that you know the admission procedure, let's move on to how you can prepare for the exam without coaching.

As you are starting your preparation from Class IX onwards, do not take it lightly thinking that you have ample time.

Make a friend circle who share the same goal. Discuss your problems related to various topics.

Stay focused and dedicated, but not pressurised.

Take out time for your school studies, physical activities and other hobbies.

As you are starting the JEE preparation from Class IX, you can easily go for self-study and save on the coaching fee. Students who start their preparation in Class XI have a lot of syllabus to cover in less time. Therefore, they have more pressure. But, with the amount of time you have, it is possible to get through the exam without coaching. Just stay focused and dedicated to your goal.

Exam day tips: JEE Main exam is conducted by the National Testing Agency (NTA) since 2019. The exam is now held in two sessions in - January and April. The best of the two scores is considered for merit list preparation. Thus, you have an additional chance to score better.

Let’s cover preparation tips class-wise

Class IX, X

Some common points to keep in mind while preparing irrespective of when you start are time management, focusing on the important topics, continuous revision and solving previous years question papers.

Go through the JEE syllabus: Begin by analysing the syllabus and mark the topics that are in your syllabus. The subject-wise topics which are common in JEE Main and Class IX and X syllabus are —

Physics — Atoms and Nuclei, Properties of Solids and Liquids, Motion, Work, Energy, and Power, Sound, Force and Newton's Laws, Electric Current, Magnetic Effects of Current, Gravitation, Optics.

Chemistry — States of Matter, Matter and its Nature, Chemical Bonding and Molecular Structure, Atomic Structure, Environmental Chemistry.

Mathematics — Quadratic Equations, Probability, Trigonometry, Co-ordinate Geometry.

Make notes: Study each topic deeply and clear your doubts with teachers. You can also refer to books other than those in your curriculum for more details. While studying any topic, make notes of the important points. Solve the questions at the end of each topic. If you want to buy a preparation book, you can get one. Try to cover all the topics in Class IX only as in Class X, you also have to focus on the Board preparation.

Mock tests/ previous years question papers: You will find various mock tests online for JEE Main which are designed especially for Class IX students. Try and appear in such mock tests. Also, you can go through the previous years' questions papers and solve those.

Class XI

Preparation books: If you haven't bought a preparation book yet, buy it now. Get these books for each subject for detailed information. If you don't want to buy these, get them from your school library. The set of sample papers and previous years' questions papers are also available.

Time table: Make a time table for JEE Main preparation. Check out the previous years' data for topic-wise weightage. Assign more time for important topics. However, don't ignore the other topics. Do include a 15-minute break in between your study sessions.

Online crash courses: There are online crash courses for JEE Main preparation. You can join these for revision of important topics.

Class XII

In Class XII, you need to focus on your Boards as well as JEE preparation. This is the most crucial year. You need to work on your time-management skills. Because time is the only factor that will give you an edge over other competitors. Here is what you need to do.

Balanced time table: Prepare a balanced time table keeping in mind your Class XII Board and JEE Main preparation. Take out time for physical activities and some entertainment to refresh your mind.

Revision: You must have completed the JEE Main exam syllabus till now. If there are any new topics, you can cover them. Keep your focus on revising all the topics. Take out your revision notes. If there is any confusion, read the topic again.

Previous years question papers: Solve as many sample papers and previous years' question papers as you can. This will help in gaining confidence, attaining time-management skills, etc. While appearing for the mock tests, you must decide your approach towards solving the paper i.e. which section to solve first.

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