Crack IIT JEE Exam Tips 2010:

IITJEE is an exam that is totally based on problem solving. Whether it is physics or chemistry or mathematics, hardly any theoretical questions are asked. Mostly it is numerical based questions. Because of this nature of IITJEE, students preparing for IITJEE exam should spend most of their time in solving more and more problems.

There are many students who are spending lot of time on problem solving but even though they are not able to score in exam. This is because they don’t remember ideas/tricks of manyquestions in exam which they should have solved. This happens because while doing problem solving, they learn things but they do nothing to retain them in their memory i.e. they solve problems but don’t revise them. To repeat, they need to retain. To retain, they should learn/memorize the ideas/tricks of thequestions, To learn/memorize, they need to put efforts and time as well as they should follow the correct approach.

To retain and repeat, I recommend a “Four Phases Approach (FPA)” to you for doing problem solving. This is little difficult to follow as it requires you to be little systematic in your studies which most students found difficult to be. But once “Four Phases Approach” followed properly, it will definitely help you in many dimensions like improving your speed, accuracy, problem solving ability and confidence in the topic.

Here are 4 phases of the approach.

Phase 1 - Learning Phase

In this phase, you should

(a) Attempt the problem. Don’t jump to the solution immediately. Try at least 5-20 minutes. 5 minutes, if you don’t understand question properly and 20 minutes if you are getting ideas or almost solve it. So average time spent on each question should be around 10-15 minutes. If you have solutions, refer them otherwise mark them and refer solutions later.

(b) Mark levels. After you have gone through the solutions, you need to decide the level of the question and mark it with each question. There can be 4 levels.

Easy : Problem is easy if you are able to solve (without even looking at the solution) it in less than 5 minutes.

Average : Problem is average if you are able to solve it by just glancing the solution. You look at the solution for less than 1 minute and get the idea. Or you could do it yourself by trying hard and spend more time to solve it.

Difficult : Problem is difficult if you are not able to do it yourself (after spending lot of time) and to understand the solution you have to spend more time on each step and finding little hard to understand the steps. But finally able to understand solution very well.

Very-Difficult : Mark a problem a very-difficult if either you are not able to understand the question or question is clear but finding almost impossible to understand the solution or you find either question is wrong or solution is wrong. Don’t waste time on such questions. May be you can tackle them later when you get time. But at this stage they are useless and pull your confidence down.

Once leveling is done, this phase is over. This is a Learning phase as you are learning ideas/tricks to solve question which you cannot do yourself.

Phase 2 : Retaining Phase

In this phase you have to appear for a test. The questions of the test would be the average and difficult questions you marked in phase - 1. Just count how many questions you marked average or difficult. If supposed they are x, then time for the test should be 60x/25 minutes. If time is more than 210 minutes, then you can dividequestions in two parts equally and take 2 tests.

You have to take test very seriously. It should be like the tests you appear at the center. Taking these tests will improve your following abilities.

Speed : As you know ideas of most of the questions, try to be little fast in solving these questions, specially the one you know who to solve. This will improve your speed to write fast.

Accuracy/perfection : Try to be accurate as much as possible. No room for calculate mistakes. If you realize that you are doing mistakes in more than 5% of thequestions , focus on it and before you sit for the test, give a strong suggestion “NO MISTAKES !!”. If you make it a target that you have to be perfect, after few tests you will start seeing the results.

Concentration :There is a difference of concentration when you normally study or when you appear for a test. While doing a test, you level of concentration is much higher. So these tests will help you in improving your concentration on a regular basis. So when you are doing these tests, make an environment that should resemble the environment you face at test center (I know it is possible up to a limit, but try to do as much as you can). Don’t answer phone, don’t respond to door bell, don’t get up for water, don’t give your ears to what others are talking in house, no music and no day-dreaming (living in your thoughts) :).

Sitting habit : In today’s world everybody is so restless. You know why? Lots of happenings around us. So it is very difficult to be just on one thing for a long time like sitting on a table and chair and study for hours. If you practice FPA, it will help you in improving your potential to sit and study for long hours.

Phase 3 : Strengthening Phase

After finishing phase 2 where you appeared for a test based on the selected questions, you need to review your performance. If you could not solve more than 85%-90% of the questions, you need to repeat what you did in Phase 2 to strengthen your preparation. This is phase 3, where you take the test again. Do it after a gap of 4-5 days. You can even change some ratings before you take the test like you can re-mark some averagequestions as easy or difficult questions as average or average as difficult. This phase will further improve your preparation and grip on the topic.

You can even skip this phase if either topic is not important or you are short of time.

Phase 4 : Finishing Phase

Finishing Phase is very important phase as it does the last act. This is the fourth and last phase where you revise all questions orally. This phase should come after 4-8 days of the strengthening phase.

Suppose there are 50 marked questions (average and difficult) that you want to revise them. Keep 30 second for each question. So for 50 questions, you can take 25 minutes. Go through each question and try to recall the trick/steps/concepts you applied to solve that question. If you are not able to recall in 15 seconds, mark the question and go to next question. You don’t need to use pen in this phase. Just recalling tricks/concepts from your mind orally. Repeat this for all the questions. After all the questions are finished, refer solutions to see the marked questions and try to learn their ideas.

You should be able to recall ideas of 90% of the problems. If it is less, you need to repeat this phase after few days.

This phase is very important as it helps you in building your confidence in the topic. While doing this phase, your attitude matters a lot. After successfully recalling ideas needed to solve thequestion from your mind, feel like you are a master/expert of the topic. Feel it after every question done successfully. Do it with interest and full concentration, the way you watch movie or match. You can do this phase anytime anywhere like while traveling in car or bus or during your evening walk or in your school etc.

Final Note:

It is not easy to follow FPA. You need to be regular and systematic to follow it. Even result will start coming after you would have followed it for at least 1 month. You also need a time table to plan these phases. Without schedule, it is impossible to remember phases of various topics and subjects.

I am sure you can take benefit of FPA (if followed seriously) as it helps in proving the knowledge of the topic as well as it prepares you for exams by improving your examination skills like speed, accuracy, concentration, knowledge.

Study Tips for IIT JEE Exam Preparation:

1. Concentrate on the basic concepts.Strengthen your fundamentals.Master the basic of each chapter.Do many times so that you know the concept by heart.NCERT books are good for the concept.So first should be to study the NCERT books and familarize all the concepts.HC verma is also good for concept

2. Once you are through with the concepts,you need to develop problem solving skills.Pick one good physics and start solving the questions.Initially problems of low level should be tried and only when you have mastered them,you should go on to solving intricate JEE type problems.ALways give full attempt the question before seeing the solutions.Try to recall all the formula,concepts and try the solve the problems.Dont take too many Physics books .One or two should be sufficent.

3.JEE paper consists of questions from various units.Some units are easiar to solve.So Students should try the following order for mastering the units

Thermodynamics:It is quite simple to master this topics.JEE paper always have few question from it.So easy to score those.

Hydrostatics and Bernoulli's Principle:This is also simple.

Waves in Elastic Media:THis too is simple to master.JEE always have one or two question from it.

Interference Beats and Doppler's Effect:Similarly for this.

Electrostatics :Coloumbs law,Potential,electric question are simple to attempt.

Electromagnetic Induction

Lorentz' Forces:Simple question from it.

Circuits with Capacitors:Easier to attempt with some practice and method to solve the circuits

Modern Physics (full):Always have some question from it.Easiar to master

Collisions:JEE paper have difficult question from this but easiar then below topics.It should attempted in the last

Rotational Motion:bit tough.It should attempted in the last

Gravitation, Elasticity, S.H.M. :bit tough.It should attempted in the last

4 Once you are through with the course.You should start taking Mock test.This will give you the feel of the examination.Try to give as many as possible.Judge your speed and accuracy.You wont feel tensed and stressed on the examination day this way.

5.Make shorts notes for last revision before examination.Those should contains all the important formule which will help you in solving the problems fast.

6. Develop an habbit of judgeing the question .You should be able to judge the question whether you should go for it or not.This is very important thing.There will always few question in JEE paper which will be very tough.If you put your head in those question,you will waste your time and you will not any thing.SO it is important to judge the question.You should never attempt any question which you dont know head and tail of it.

7.Before starting doing the IITJEE paper

Step 1: Take a quick glance of the paper so that you are aware what all type of question and what all topics are given.It should be done in first three minutes

Step 2:Search for questions of topics which is strong to you.Read the questions of the topics and if you have done similar type of question and you are confident about it.Attempt that question.Do this for all the topics u are strong in

You will always find few questions in this catogory

Step 3:Now try to find the questions in your strong topics which looks easy and solvable to you

Step 4: Try to find easy and solvable question to u in the topics you are not very strong

Especially for those students who r in class in 11th..

1.Stick to good books (which have already been discussed a lot here). But the more important part is that you study them thoroughly. Donot ignore NCERTs. They are very good at clearing concepts

2. Make a proper plan of your syllabus. Divide it among parts. Layout weekly tasks rather than daily ones. Give time to revision as well.

3. While studying at home, do a question time-bound. This will increase your speed. But remember if you are not able to do it in that time, dont give up by looking at the answer, try again. Even after giving it a good time you are not able to solve you may refer solution or may ask your teahcer or here tiself.

4. Make yourself comprehensive notes and small skecthes. (make them attractive)

5. Dont worry about board exams. The syllabus is not very different and can be managed easily. By studying NCERT you are automatically preparing for them

6. Be up to date. Periodic revision is must.

7. Regularly solve model papers and keep checking the time. This enhance confidence and shows the pros and cons of ur studies.

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The Fist thing one should develop is Confidence.There are nearly 7000 people cracking the exam every year then why not you?

People say that only students who score above 90% in their 10th can really plan to attempt JEE.Many people including my parents suggested me to take the EAMCET coaching (for Andhra Pradesh) ,because according to them IIT would not be easy for me as I got only 85% in my 10th exam.If I dint have the confidence to take up this challenge I would have probably ended up being in some local college today.Thus confidence matters a lot. But here I want to add that Overconfidence is highly dangerous.You should be confident but you should do the hard work to the same extent.

Joining Coaching Classes Helps?

Definitely, Being in IIT Madras for 3years I never met any IIT student who hasn't attended the coaching classes.If you are wondering what makes coaching classes so different from Schools, then here's the answer: There is no difference in the teaching, the only difference comes in the exams they conduct weekly.Having regular exams at such small intervals makes you study the subject as and when it is taught and it also helps in removing any exam fear you have.Additionally, coaching centers have Study hours which are to revise that day's portion and clarify any doubts with the lecturers.

After joining the coaching center, attend the classes every day, write every exam seriously (copying in exam doesn't help you).Respect your lecturers and maintain proper r elationship with them. if you get a doubt ask immediately,do not fear if your doubt is a very minor one.Our Basic aim is to get a grip over the basics which can be fulfilled only if you clear your doubts regularly. Remember lecturers will teach you only things that they have prepared ,they may miss some minor details,its your duty to know them.

Books to follow:

IITJEE paper

Concepts in Physics (Vol I and II ) by HC Verma : A must read book.Read the concepts and do the problems for your own benefit.

Arihant Series : The best books to strengthen your concepts especially for Electricity and Magnetism.

After reading concepts go for books like Resinick and Halliday ,Irodov and do some subjective questions in each topic. This will help you memorize your concepts .

Then go for books with objective questions for IIT( preferably Arihant)

Maths:

For Trigonometry and Coordinate Geometry follow S L Loney without any second thought .Its the best.

For Calculus follow Piskanov( I doubt the spelling ) for the rest I think coaching class material should be enough.

Then do the Objective problems( Arihant has a good collection)

Chemistry:

Basic books are NCERT 11th and 12th textbooks.

Then you can go for Morrison and Boyd for Organic,J D Lee for Inorganic ,I dont remember books for Physical chemistry but your lecturers will tell you.

Very Important Tip: You read books, you get some knowledge and you pass the weekly exams, but how long do you think you can remember the data.You would forget it in a year however strong your memory is.The solution for this is: You maintain three books,one for Maths, one for Chemistry and one for physics.Allot some 3-5 pages(not more than that) for each topic, for example 3-5 pages for Calculus in the Maths book .When ever you study a topic note down the important points in that book, in as small and as legible handwriting as possible. When you are doing some problems you may come across an objective trick,just note down in the allotted pages.This ensures that whatever you read in the two years you have it in some 200 pages i.e you are just writing the summary of dozens of books in some 30 - 40 pages.So when you think you forgot something you need not refer the dozen books and waste time,everything will be in those 30-40 pages.One more advantage is that during exam these books will be like your super power.You can refer these books in just 30min and you have all the knowledge you gained in two years right in your memory.

All India Mock test: When your in 12th join a Mock test series(1year program) , preferable by FIITJEE,as it has great standards.Mock test help you get away with unnecessary Exam tension. After every mock test analyze your results. Observe which are your weak area and what are the silly mistakes you are doing.For the next mock test, work more on your weaker areas and avoid repeating the same mistakes again.Do this rectification throughout the series and You will definitely crack the JEE with the best rank possible.