JEE Main 2024: Time management, balancing old and new topics; here’s a complete guide for preparation

JEE is considered one of the toughest exams in the world. The students get the gateway to some of the country’s top engineering colleges, including the Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs). While nearly 11 lakh aspirants prepare for this exam, only a few can get into these esteemed colleges. These selected students have some common skills and strengths. One of the most common and important skills is their ability to manage their time well before and during exams.

JEE is like a marathon with a vast syllabus, and if you don’t know when and where to manage the time, you will be left behind in this competitive exam.

Importance of time management

Increase in productivity: Time management allows students to maximise their study hours. They can cover the entire syllabus systematically by allocating time to specific topics and tasks. This ensures that no important or high-priority topic is left unattended.

For example, Organic chemistry can only be understood when we have worked well on General Organic Chemistry (GOC) and Reaction Mechanism. Sometimes, students provide equal time to all organic chapters without focussing more on the basics of organic. If your basics are not strong, you must provide at least double the effort required for understanding organic. In Inorganic chemistry, students generally study a particular topic and leave it untouched for about one or two months. After that interval, the memory of that particular topic almost vanished, and they have to start from the beginning again. So, for that, in Inorganic Chemistry, students should use the method of “spaced repetition”. This is a very efficient and scientifically proven method of memorising things.

Reducing stress: Effective time management minimises the stress and anxiety associated with JEE preparation. Students with a well-structured study plan are less likely to feel stressed by the material they must cover. This ultimately helps them to feel more relaxed and stress-free.

Balancing new and old topics: JEE preparation involves studying new concepts and revising previously learned material. Time management helps allocate adequate time for both, ensuring students have a strong base before moving on to more advanced topics. Also, students can revise their old topics with the help of the current topics. In physics, there are some topics in Class 12 where the mechanics concepts are applied. Similarly, in chemistry, Electrochemistry uses the concepts of Equilibrium and Thermodynamics.

Building temperament and confidence: Regular and consistent study habits, providing at least 3-4 hours daily apart from their school and coaching hours, facilitated by time management, leads to increased confidence. Now, the question arises about what to study in those 3-4 hours. Students should divide their time into two parts, one for theory and one for practice.

Aspirants should provide at least 70-80 per cent of this time for question practice. If you don’t practice many questions for JEE, you will not feel confident in any topic. Second, this practice increases your speed, which is crucial for the JEE exam. When students see their progress while doing these things, it boosts their self-assurance, motivation and confidence. The six-hour exam of JEE Advanced not only checks your hard work and preparation but also your temperament and confidence.

JEE 2024: Some tips for mastering time management

Make a study schedule: Divide your study time into dedicated slots for each subject: physics, chemistry, and mathematics. Allocate more time to subjects or topics you find challenging. For example, if somebody is feeling weak/not confident in Chemistry, they can provide half an hour to an hour extra (daily) for practising Chemistry questions. Include short breaks between study sessions to refresh your mind. During those breaks, you can take a walk, listen to music or do any other activity which calms your mind.

Select high-priority topics: Identify the most important and high-priority topics based on past exam trends and weightage. Analyse the past five years’ JEE papers to get an idea of the exam. It also helps you understand the questions asked in the exam. For example, for JEE Main, some of the high-priority topics have been listed below:

Mathematics- Vectors and 3D, Matrices and Determinants

Physics– Current Electricity, Modern Physics, Semiconductors, Mechanics

Chemistry– Alcohol, Phenol and Ethers, Aldehyde, Ketone and Carboxylic Acids and p-block

Focus on mastering these high-priority topics before delving into less important ones.

Make achievable goals: Set achievable daily, weekly, and monthly goals for your study sessions. Don’t make unrealistic goals, or it will soon lead to discontinuation of following the plans. Target for any specific small topic for a day; don’t push yourself for a lengthy chapter or topic in a day. For example, Thermodynamics is a big topic; you can divide it into 3 to 4 parts and revise or practice it accordingly.

Keep track of your progress and adjust your goals as needed. You can track your progress with the help of error analysis after each exam. Look for the mistakes you have made in an exam, work on them and watch if you are making similar errors in the next exam.

Practice regularly: Solve previous years’ JEE question papers and practice problems regularly to improve problem-solving skills. The more questions you practice at home, the more you gain confidence in exams and the better you manage your time during the exams.

One important thing is to practice last year’s question on a priority basis. For example, solve all 24 papers of JEE Main 2023 first and then 2022 and 2021. Allocate time for mock tests to simulate exam conditions and assess your readiness.

Be disciplined: Identify your distractions and take steps to minimise them during study hours. Avoid TV, music and other activities while studying or solving questions, as it will just decrease your problem-solving speed and waste your time.

Try to complete the task on the planned day unless something urgent arises.

Talk to mentors and teachers: Don’t hesitate to ask teachers or mentors to clarify complex concepts. They will help to understand a difficult concept in a short and quick method.

Join study groups or discussion forums to share knowledge and resolve doubts. Get the best use of your peer group for memory-based topics. For example, Inorganic chemistry can be best memorised by discussing with the peer groups. Make mnemonics with the help of your peer group and discuss it with them while you are moving or going somewhere with them.

Take care of your health: Maintain a balanced diet and get enough sleep to stay physically and mentally fit. A fit and healthy mind has higher retention power, which avoids repeated revision of topics. Regular exercise and relaxation techniques can help reduce stress. Devote some time to these physical activities, but don’t overdo it; it will again exhaust you and disrupt your study schedule. You can try meditation, swimming, play carrom, Table Tennis or any other game to relax your mind.

(The writer is the National Academic Director, Engineering at Aakash Educational Services Limited)