JEE Advanced AIR 393 reveals how to prepare for a tricky question paper

Saksham Saldhi from Apeejay School, Pitampura, has made his alma mater proud by achieving an All India Rank (AIR) of 393 in JEE Advanced. He also scored 99.98 percentile in JEE Main Session I. The young achiever is now eagerly looking forward to studying at IIT Delhi or IIT Kharagpur. In an interview, he shares the key things to keep in mind while preparing for JEE Advanced. Edited excerpts:

Congratulations on cracking JEE Advanced! How are you feeling?

I am happy and really satisfied with my result. My parents are proud. I also spoke to my class teacher who congratulated me. I am excited to start my academic journey ahead.

Have you decided which college you want to secure admission to?

Either Computer Science at IIT Kharagpur or Mathematics and Computing at IIT Delhi. The Choice Filling has already started.

Also Read: Smart thinking and regular practice: The mantra for cracking JEE Advanced

How did you decide on the two options?

I spoke to some seniors in IIT Delhi and IIT Kharagpur, who gave me more information about the courses. They gave me good feedback.

I studied Computer Science in classes 11 and 12 and Mathematics and Computing is also similar to it. The latter has subjects from both Applied Mathematics and Computer Science with a lot of scope of research in machine learning and artificial intelligence, which is an upcoming field.

Take me through your preparation process. How different was your strategy this time?

The questions asked in JEE Advanced are comprehensive. Every question is designed to test your aptitude and how well you can apply your mind. No question is straightforward. So, I prepared accordingly.

In this exam, the question pattern is not fixed. The pattern is different every year, so you have to accommodate that in your preparation. I practised a lot of different types of paper patterns—from previous year questions as well as samples–so I was able to handle the question paper we were given.

What books did you refer to?

Solving previous year question papers is the most important. I referred to books by HC Verma for Physics, MS Chauhan for Organic Chemistry, Narendra Avasthi for Inorganic Chemistry, and only coaching material for Physical Chemistry. For Mathematics, I referred to Vikas Gupta and Sameer Bansal.

How did you plan out your day during your preparation?

On the days when there was no school or coaching, I studied for 10-12 hours. Most importantly, I made sure to revise my topics after class. I also practised question papers throughout.

How important is consistency in the preparation process?

Consistency without a doubt is the key because it builds your aptitude skills that can only develop gradually. Mere last-minute preparation would not help. I joined JEE coaching in class 9. Although I started my preparation in class 11, I had already been solving Olympiad and mathematical reasoning papers in classes 9 and 10. I also cleared the National Talent Search Exam (NTSE) Stage 1 in class 10.