JEE Main 2023: From teachers’ support to community apps, toppers reveal how they stayed focused

Self-motivation, although much needed, is not always easy to achieve. Especially when you have to keep all distractions at bay and study for long hours every day. “Once the JEE exam dates were announced, I started studying for 10-12 hours a day. In the beginning, it was difficult to stay focused for so long,” says Apeejay Pitampura student Rishabh Anand.

The class XII student and his friends came up with a plan. “We began using an app called Discord. We would log in through a voice channel, mute it and then study from morning to night till the time we logged out. It gave us a sense of community support — it wasn’t just me but also my friends who were putting in as much effort as I did. That is what kept me motivated.” The plan definitely worked and helped him secure a whopping 99.8 percentile in JEE Main 2023 session I exam.

Also Read: Math Made Easy: 6 last-minute tips for JEE Main 2023

Another student at the school, Vidit Aggarwal credits his teachers for keeping him motivated. “The support that they showed me was by far the biggest motivator. My deep interest in science also helps,” the school topper with 99.9 percentile shares.

Talking about the teachers at Apeejay Pitampura, Adamya Rangi, who scored 99.3 percentile, adds, “My teachers have always been very helpful and steered me in the right direction. They have guided me through my practicals, class submissions, and so on.”

How to crack JEE Mains and Advanced

All three achievers agree that the best way to prepare for JEE is by reading NCERT books thoroughly. “You get direct questions from NCERT, especially in Chemistry and Physics. So, I concentrated on learning NCERT by heart apart from solving previous year question papers (PYQs) to be well-versed with the pattern and strategise accordingly,” Vidit says.

An aspirant must focus on Block Chemistry. Solving previous year question papers is a must. For Physics, focus more on the class XII syllabus since it has more weightage in the exam as compared to the class XI syllabus, Rishabh advises. He was in class VIII when he enrolled in a coaching centre for JEE. “Initially, I would invest three-four hours, which was enough to complete the syllabus on time.”

For Mathematics, there is no substitute for extensive practice. “In Mathematics, you may need to refer to books other than NCERT. Nowadays, students also refer to explainer videos on YouTube and other online resources, which are insightful,” Adamya suggests.

All three students are now focusing on cracking JEE Advanced with a good rank. As part of the prep, Vidit says he will focus more on concept clarity by solving a lot of question papers. Adamya, on the other hand, aims to focus more on improving his strength in Mathematics.

“No matter how well you prepare, there is a difference between solving papers at home and sitting at the exam centre,” Rishabh stresses. “It is normal to panic which could cause you to make silly mistakes. A candidate should be mentally prepared and consciously avoid silly mistakes. You should not be distracted at any point.”