Inspired by Kalam and Kohli, JEE achiever aims at research breakthroughs for India

For Abhinandan Mohanty, a determined 18-year-old youth, securing 99.16 percentile in JEE Mains and 96.4% in Class 12 Boards was not a cake-walk. His road to success was marked by gradual but strategic milestones. In an interview, Mohanty describes how he was guided by goal-clarity and perseverance.   

What was your schedule and preparation strategy?

I began my JEE Mains preparation in class 11 itself and covered most of my syllabus at a coaching institute close to my home. After my virtual classes at school ended at 2 pm, I would attend my coaching classes till evening. At the end of each day, I would revise everything I had learnt.

As self-study is of prime importance in all competitive examinations, I had recorded and planned all strategic points for each subject and ways to ace them. For Chemistry, I mostly focused on NCERT textbooks. For Mathematics, I practiced at least three hours a day, and for Physics, I moved from easy to difficult problems to test my ability.

My basic strategy that was common to all subjects was to manage time efficiently and give equal attention to each. More importantly, I would not pick a subject just because it was my favourite amongst others since all these need rigorous practice.

How did you manage prepping for JEE exams and Class 12 Boards?

I had balanced my preparation. It takes a lot of discipline and one needs to be patient. The syllabus is the same for both examinations but the methodology for preparation is different. A student must have objective and subjective knowledge for JEE Exams and Class 12 Boards, respectively. The school helped me a lot for the subjective part such as providing suggestions to write better and how I could effectively present my ideas in the examination. For the objective part, the focus was on ramping up the efficiency to solve problems quickly. Balancing both the exams can be a task, but discipline is one thing that got me going.

What is your ambition?

I am aiming to pursue my Bachelors in Technology, specialising in Mathematics and Computing. I am aiming for the Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs) and after that, I am planning to pursue research in the field of Mathematics. My focus is on Applied Mathematics and I want to contribute to research for my country. I am inspired by the work of Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam. In one of his speeches, he pointed out that research in India lags behind other countries. I am also inspired by cricketer Virat Kohli though he is in a completely different field. I admire the dedication he displays towards the game, and how he is persistent to follow his passion. The same motivates me to pursue mine.

Your tips for students appearing for JEE?

Work hard and be patient. Sometimes, there may be ups and downs, but my advice is to look into the past and connect the dots so as to where you are going wrong. Believe that you will be able to perform according to your capability and have a clear mindset. At the end of the day, practice makes a person perfect.

“Preparing for the exam online during the pandemic was tough. It just did not feel right to not have your teachers and friends around. I missed them.”

-Abhinandan Mohanty, student, Apeejay School, Kharghar