JEE Main Session I Toppers 2025: ‘Maintaining a balanced preparation is key to success’

The Joint Entrance Examination (JEE) is ballyhooed as a highly competitive entrance exam in India that is divided into two sessions – Mains and Advanced. It serves as a gateway to prestigious institutes for aspiring engineers. Two students from Apeejay School, Nerul have cracked the JEE exam recently and have made the whole school community instantly proud.

Meet Akshat Mehta and Shlok Sanju of class XII who scored 98.96 and 97.97 respectively in the coveted exam.

Explaining his preparation strategy, Akshat said, “I started preparing for JEE two years back. Reading NCERT helped me a lot, not only in my Board preparation but also in my JEE journey as I could relate to a few questions asked from it in the exam. I got exposure to a variety of questions and concepts asked in JEE via different routes. I divided my whole day into study sessions of two hours each with 15–20-minute breaks. During these breaks, I listened to songs or talked with my family members, and friends which was refreshing.”

Similarly, Shlok expressed, “The preparation for Board exams and JEE are deeply intertwined, with the primary difference being the level of depth and detail required for JEE topics. Therefore, allocating an hour daily to Board preparation is essential and a strategy which I have personally employed to balance both JEE and Board exam preparations.”

Commenting on the difficulty level of the exam, Akshat said, “The exam was of moderate level. For Chemistry, I first understood the concept and read NCERT thoroughly, each line, and each table given in it and practised questions from my coaching modules. For Physics and Math, I solved my different modules after completing NCERT for better clarity. During the last two months, I did not learn any new chapters or topics and just focused on revising the syllabus and notes and giving as many mock tests as possible. Not just giving tests is important but analysing it, knowing where you made a mistake and not repeating it is very crucial.”

While Shlok said, “My shift was moderately tough as it posed significant challenges with tricky questions in every section. However, the key to success in the JEE exam is to believe in oneself and persevere until the very end. It’s essential to remember that if the paper seems difficult, it’s likely to be tough for everyone else. Ultimately, staying calm and composed is vital to cracking the JEE exam.”

So are they content with the results achieved or have different plans?

“I will reappear for the exam because I believe I can improve upon my score. I have identified areas where I have gone wrong and I’m determined to learn from my mistakes. My teachers at Apeejay School have been an encouraging factor for me to try again. Their support and guidance have given me the confidence to work on my weaknesses and aim for a better result. Yes, I will appear for JEE Advanced Session II and try to improve my score and percentile.” added Shlok and Akshat unanimously.