‘Scored full marks, didn’t study half as much’: JEE toppers respond to the viral tweet

Mrinal Garg secured All India Rank 19 in JEE Advanced 2022 and is pursuing Computer Science Engineering from IIT-Bombay. He recalls that while the stress was high, he never compromised on sleep. “I devoted daily 10-12 hours to JEE preparation. During the last few days before the exam, I made sure not to stretch myself much and took seven to eight hours of sleep a day,” he said.

However, he added, all the efforts that one makes in getting admission to a top engineering college are worth it.

This tweet that went viral was posted on March 21. Since then, it has gained 3.8 million views. The post also has over 25,000 likes and the numbers are still increasing. Many people took to the comments section of the post to share their reactions. One of them is Kalpit Veerwal, who scored a perfect 360/360 mark in JEE Main 2017 and bagged AIR 1. He said he did not study half as much. Veerwal took to his social media handle, X to react on the aspirant’s strict schedule.

He said: “I literally scored full marks in JEE Main 2017 (AIR 1) and didn’t study half as much. Students who study this much usually end up burnt out, skill issue.”

I literally scored full marks in JEE Main 2017 (AIR 1) and didn’t study half as much.

Students who study this much usually end up burnt out, skill issue https://t.co/esOdG692vh

— Kalpit Veerwal (@kalpitveerwal) March 21, 2024

Another JEE topper from the previous year Ashmit Nangia, now in IIT Delhi, said that he never followed such a strict routine. “If you put constant effort throughout the preparation, which in my case was two years (Class 11 and Class 12), you will achieve success,” he said adding that he did not burden himself during the last phase of preparation.

“Even though I was studying almost 7 to 8 hours a day right from my preparation days, I was not delving into new topics but revising what I had already learnt and taking mocks,” Nangia added.

However, he further added: “I would not want to discredit people who work hard in the last leg of preparation, right before the exam. I have friends here in IIT Delhi and other institutes who perform better only under pressure. The method of studying and how well they can grasp everything differs from person to person. As long as the pressure is not harming the student mentally and physically, one should be fine with it. The strategy should be tailor-made as per the level of preparation and the requirement of the candidate.”

An IIT Bombay student, Aryank Banoth who is now in his fourth year said that although he did have a hectic study schedule from Class 8 to Class 10, the pace was quite friendly and easy to follow. Recalling how he started his preparation for IIT-JEE in Class 8 without missing out on his childhood, he said: “I did enjoy my time in school a lot. It was fun, along with being a good place to study.”

“However, in Class 11 and Class 12, it became hectic. I had to spend most of my time in school cum coaching from 8 am to 9 pm. It comprised of classes and breaks mostly with exams on weekends until 5 pm then 1.5 hour break followed by study hours and doubt clarification till 9 pm,” he added. He tried to get about six hours of sleep and dinner time with family.

Responding to the viral tweet, psychologist Manjuri Bharali Saikia said: “When one is sleep deprived, reaction time slows down, judgement capacity falls and concentration drops. Emotions also increase leading to irritations, anger issues and anxiety among students. With no time for self and less rest, the immune system also gets suppressed leading to illnesses which start from weight gain and obesity in young adults.”

Sleep, the psychologist and arts-based therapy practitioner said, plays an important role in the maintenance of our mental health. “Sleep is directly proportional to our mental and physical functioning. In today’s scenario, we see most adolescents are sleep-deprived due to their hectic routine and academic demands. As a mental health professional, I always believe that eight hours of sleep is required for the brain to absorb and retrieve all information one takes in throughout the day.”

For example, the psychologist added: “Take our brain just like a sponge and information like water. If we don’t squeeze out water from the sponge in regular intervals, there will be a time when the sponge will not be able to soak anymore water. Most young adults are now therefore in conditions like stress, anxiety brain fog and poor judgement capacity. It is important to have an overall development and have time for self. We must encourage our children to have a balance.”