JEE Preparation

Hardik Agrawal Batch 2020-2021 Topic: JEE Preperation – My journey to IIT Kanpur I joined Deens Academy in first grade, and before I could notice, I passed 12th grade and now I am studying Computer Science and Engineering at IIT-K. Let me take you on a roller coaster ride of my journey from Deens to IIT-K. I spent twelve years at Deens, and it was a matter of time before it became a second home for me. The several years I spent in this school truly shaped my thought process and developed me from a shy boy to a confident and deeply motivated teenager. I received a very open and healthy environment which helped me bloom. Shanti ma’am was always approachable to the students, and she gave me the best guidance and support to achieve new heights. In fact, all my teachers in the school always gave me the proper guidance, love, and affection throughout the years. After going through the entire preparation for clearing JEE Advanced, I decided to share my story with my juniors and give some tips to help them make their dreams come true. Till 10th grade, I had not attended any formal coaching and entirely relied on the school. I had never prepared with marks in my mind, and my main focus was always to have conceptual clarity. This clarity was achieved not by spending any extra time but by having rapt attention in class and troubling my teachers with all the doubts I possibly had. With just a week of preparation, I cleared NTSE in 10th, and it was possible because of the conceptual clarity I had gained in the classroom. Then I wrote the board examinations intending to score decent marks. After the result came out, I was surprised to know that I had topped in Deens. I chose engineering for my career as I have always been passionate about physics and mathematics. I joined FIITJEE coaching in class 11th and began my preparation, keeping JEE in mind. This was a notable change for me, and it took me some time to adapt to a new learning system. During this stage of learning, the time management skills of a student are put to a complete stress test as the student has to manage both school and college entrance examinations. Many students believe that they need something different to prepare for these exams, but that is not true. On the contrary, things are still the same. You need to gain conceptual clarity in a class by maintaining child-like curiosity and doing daily practice through a good question set. Developing an interest in the subjects is very crucial, as this interest would automatically guide the student towards a deeper understanding. Many students have a myth that school and NCERT are unnecessary. No doubt, NCERT alone might not be sufficient for in-depth knowledge of the topic, but school and NCERT are essential. They are the stepping stones for our preparation and give us a basic understanding of the topic. Such exams check the sincerity of the student and the student’s confidence in the subject. With this strategy, I was able to clear BITSAT (CSE), KVPY, NSEP, JEE Mains (AIR 560) and JEE Adv (AIR 166). So friends, this was a milestone achieved by a student just like you. You may be an average student or a genius but what matters is your persistent hard work and dedication to achieve your goal. With the proper guidance and ideal strategy, even you can make it to IIT. Good Luck to all my aspiring juniors! P.S. If anybody else needs more help from me, you can contact me personally. I would love to help you in any possible way. Hardik Agrawal (Batch of 2020-21) Ph no.: +91 96671 20817 Email ID: Hardik.agrwl03@gmail.com