Toppers’ Tips: How Arudeep Kumar bagged a CSE seat at IIT Kharagpur

‘Nothing is impossible’

What motivated me the most on tough days was a statement from my teacher, who said that nothing is impossible for those who can earn a rank under 500 out of 10 lakh students. He told us that JEE is one of the toughest entrance exams, and this thought motivated me to score a good rank.

Apart from this, constant motivation and support from my parents helped me boost my morale on days when I didn’t feel like studying.

‘Online classes eliminate distraction’

As I started preparing for JEE during the Covid pandemic, online classes were the only option. I, unlike many others, found online classes to be distraction-free. Virtual classes were beneficial as they helped me stay away from distractions present in a physical class with our friends being around us. Online classes also saved my travel time and taking care of daily needs, so all I had to do was study.

I also ensured that I didn’t have access to a phone during these predatory years, and instead used my mother’s phone for communication purpose. I attended classes on my laptop.

Early to bed, early to rise

I am a believer of starting my day early, as studying at night never proved to be beneficial for me. I would wake up at 6 am and study for an hour, after which my classes would begin at 7 am. The duration of our classes would be 4-5 hours, and there were subject-specific class tests every day. I studied for nearly 10-12 hours every day.

Small daily targets, revision

My daily goal was to finish a specific number of topics and problems by the end of the day, rather than trying to crack the JEE exam. I ensured that no questions remained unanswered when I went to bed. I also made sure that I complete homework on time. One thing that helped me a lot was the daily ritual of analysing and revising everything covered in classes on the same day.

My revision was divided in three stages for Physics, Chemistry, and Mathematics. In the first stage, I revised only theory, solving problems given in ourrom the study material was the second stage, and in the third stage, which was one month before the examination, I solved previous years’ questions.

One piece of advice that I followed and would like to pass it onto others is to retain the important formulas in the Math section because the majority of the questions in the final exam have these formulas as the base. Since these questions are long, learning these formulae saves time. Although some people suggest you should not learn Maths, I would say it is a good practice to learn these formulae.

Books I referred

For Physics, I referred to HC Verma and Irodov (for only JEE-related topics).

For Mathematics, I referred to SL Loney, specifically for trigonometry and coordinate geometry topics. For other chapters, I relied on the material provided by my coaching institute.

For Chemistry, aspirants should always rely on the NCERT material as majority of the questions are from those books. However, the salt analysis chapter is not available in NCERT, so it should be studied from NCERT lab manual. In addition to this, I referred to JD Lee in Class 11 for chemical bonding and coordination.

‘A little fun time never hurts’

While we are usually taught that we need to focus and be determined, aspirants should also remember that it is important to get out of your room and relax by participating in some fun activities. For instance, I used to play cricket and badminton with my younger brother. I also enjoy playing piano to get some mental peace and take a break from the hectic study sessions.

Advice for students preparing for JEE

Study sessions can become long and tiring and can take a toll on your physical and mental health, so ensure that you take regular breaks of 15-20 minutes and engage in some physical activities.

Along with mental health, physical health is also important because the JEE exam is six-hour long, which means that students have to ensure that they do not get tired physically or mentally. It is important to ensure that even during preparatory days, students do not fall ill, as it will only lead to loss of your crucial time.

(With inputs from Reeya Soni)