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Tips for IIT JEE Success #2 – Study Hard & Smart

admin — Mon, 27 Dec 2010 08:40:30 +0000

You should have a well thought out methodology for your IIT JEE preparation.

Setup a Routine: The 1st step of smart and successful studying is to build a routine. A lot of our time and energy gets lost in deciding about the time and place of work. It is easy to procrastinate (postpone work) in absence of a routine.

Place: Find a quiet place, away from distractions, with ample room to work. It could be a desk in your room, the dining table, or the local library.
Time: Figure out what time of day you can concentrate best, and what works into your schedule. Use that time every day to study.
Every day: Make a time table to study at the same place at the same time, every day.

Posture: Sit in an alert posture

We can’t study effectively if we are not alert. If you are sprawled on the bed or sitting in a reclining posture, your body gets the message that it is time to rest. The mind stops working or becomes slow. Typically, the effectiveness becomes less than 25%. 1 hour of such study is equal to 15 minutes of study in an alert posture on your table and chair.

Do not fool yourself by counting such time as study. It is similar to us not being able to sleep while standing. When we are standing, the body gets a message that this is not the time to sleep.

Stay healthy : Achieving and maintaining high levels of performance (critical for success in IIT JEE) are difficult if an individual is in poor physical or mental health. It is important that one gets adequate rest, exercise, and nutrition.

Good mental performance can be achieved only with good physical health. Spending some time regularly in outdoor, physical activity like sports, running walking etc. is absolutely essential. Relaxation and concentration techniques of Yoga are very useful.

Organize study material: Keep all your homework material in one place, ready to be used. Keep it organized, and you won’t need to waste your time searching for it when you get down to studying.

Decide upon the material that you are planning to study during your preparations. Most of us don’t have enough time to complete even one set of IIT JEE course material. Collecting more than one set is a wastage of time. It also ends up confusing the student. Most of the coaching have very similar course material. A little better material does not make much of the difference. As a matter of habit, do the following in your study of the material*

Complete the reading of the text books
Writing and compile your notes
Read and understand solved examples
Attempt numerical problems
Mark unsolved problems for 2nd attempt
Take tests
Revise

*Set yourself a deadline for completing each component and make sure you stick to it.

Distractions: Cell-phones, friends, SMS, TV, Video games, surfing, chatting are some of the biggest time drains. Most of the students lose maximum amount of time in these activities. These activities do not require much effort (unlike sports) and they can go on for a long time. There is nothing wrong in indulging in such activities for entertainment. However, it is important to watch the time that gets consumed.

Some methods of dealing with distractions are:

Turn the cell-phone ringer and SMS alert tome to ‘Silent’. Respond to your friends but only as per your schedule. This will send the message that you are serious about not being disturbed.
Schedule a fix amount of time for TV, Video games, Internet combined. Typically, the time spent should not exceed 45 minutes. You can check your mail in 15 minutes. Watch your favorite TV program in 30 minutes.
Fix just one day in a week for video games. Don’t try to mix any of these activities with studies. This will spoil the fun in both.

Avoid ‘Marathon’ sessions: Marathon study sessions (longer than 1 hour) are the least productive way to study. Typically, most of us have attention spans ranging from 30 minutes to 60 minutes. The mind starts getting distracted after this attention span. It is good idea to unwind and take 10-15 minute breaks after every study session.

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Tips for IIT JEE Success #3 – Develop a System- The Ultimate Weapon

admin — Mon, 27 Dec 2010 08:11:34 +0000

Develop a System- The Ultimate Weapon to Win the IIT JEE Battle

Compile the study material

Some questions that come to our mind are:

How much material?
What IIT JEE courses material should I use?
Should I study from the school textbook or the one recommended by the tuition teacher?

There is little time to complete one set of textbooks. It is next to impossible to complete two different sets. Keep just one set of text books for studying the theory (concepts, definitions) and basic problems.

The new pattern of IITJEE has brought it much closer to the school syllabus. So, ideally, it should be the textbook recommended as part of your school syllabus. There is very little difference in the theory presented from one textbook to another. After one set of textbooks is completed, students can look at other books as reference.

Similarly, keep just one set of IITJEE course material.

Note: Collecting too much material is a recipe for disaster

After you have chosen the material that is best for you, how do you put it to the best use? There are as many different ways to study, as there are different people. The trick is to find the study style that works best for you.

Read

This is one of the most useful activity. It takes minimum effort and brings maximum result. Students, who are used to studying from coaching notes, tend to avoid reading. This is the single biggest reason for their failure. No coaching notes can replace reading of textbooks. The information you gain from reading is important. If you just “do it” without learning something, it is a waste of time. Train your mind to learn!

Read the following:

1. Title
2. Core text and examples
3. Introduction and Summary
4. Heading and subheading
5. Graphics – charts, maps, diagrams, etc. are there to make a point – don’t miss them.
6. Reading aids – italics, bold face print, chapter objective, end-of -chapter questions

Understand

You must understand thoroughly the major ideas and concepts presented. Without such a conceptual framework, you will find yourself faced with the impossible task of trying to cram hundreds of isolated facts into your memory.

* Locate and note down the new terms, which are introduced in the chapter.
* Note down statements, definitions, formulas, etc. which you must remember completely and precisely.
* If you are not able to figure out the meaning, then look it up in the glossary or dictionary.
* Study charts and figures. They usually summarize in graphic form the major ideas and facts of the chapter.

Note: It is a good idea to keep a glossary of your own in the front page of the book. Record the terms and their definition or the page number where the definition is located. This is an excellent aid to refer to when you are reviewing for an examination, as it provides a convenient outline of the course.

Ask question
Ask questions and keep trying to answer them as you read the chapters. The more the questions, the better your comprehension is likely to be. You may always add further questions as you proceed. When your mind is actively searching for answers to questions it becomes engaged in learning.

* Write down the key takeaways (learning) from every topic (make notes)
* Write down the questions that you cannot answer?
* Mark sections for clarification wherever necessary
* Review the key takeaways (notes) after completion

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Different subjects, different skills – how to study Math, Physics and Chemistry

admin — Mon, 20 Dec 2010 14:18:52 +0000

Math

Math is the study of quantity, structure, space, and change. It is a tool we use to solve real-life problems. So, proficiency in math is measured by our ability to use it to solve difficult problems.

Students who are weak in math, typically, study without writing and practicing with pen and paper. They may be spending a lot of time in reading, remembering or trying to understand the problems.

Mathematics requires us to practice solving problems with pen and paper. Only by attempting problems in various ways do we become proficient in applying the quickest method in the shortest time. So, students who like to study by practising with pen and paper, automatically tend to excel in mathematics.

Physics

Physics is the study of matter and its motion through space-time and all that derives from these, such as energy and force. Physics requires thorough understanding of concepts.

Proficiency in physics is measured by our ability to reconstruct or model the physical world through the various laws it follows, and predict the outcome of a given situation. Application of formula to solve problems requires modeling the problem into solvable mathematical equations. Typically, the mathematics involved in solving the problems is very simple. Most students get stuck in the modeling of the problem. They don’t know the method of applying the formula to arrive at a mathematical model to solve the equation. If one does not understand the problem and application of the formulae, no amount of practice will help. Even if one has a perfect memory of the formula and quantities involved, it would not be possible to solve the problem. Just knowing and remembering the concepts as written in the books may not be enough.

Students who are weak in Physics, do not spend time in reading and understanding the concepts. They may be spending a lot of time in reading, remembering and practicing the problems.

Physics requires reading, thinking, visualizing, integrating and understanding. Students who spend time in reading and understanding concepts, do well in physics.

Chemistry

Chemistry is the science concerned with the composition, behavior, structure, and properties of matter, as well as the changes it undergoes during chemical reactions. It is the study of various atoms, molecules, crystals and other aggregates of matter whether in isolation or combination, which incorporates the concepts of energy and entropy.

Physical chemistry requires thorough understanding of concepts to solve problems. Inorganic chemistry requires knowledge of properties and reactions. Organic chemistry requires understanding as well as knowledge of the compounds and their reactions. All in all, we find that there is a lot more to learn in chemistry than physics and maths combined.

Students who are weak in chemistry do not read and remember. They may be spending time in trying to understand the system or practicing the problems.

Chemistry requires reading, integrating, learning and revising. Students who spend time in reading and learning naturally do well in chemistry.

Proficiency in physics is measured by our ability to reconstruct or model the physical world through the various laws it follows, and predict the outcome of a given situation.

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3 key skills – Remembering, Understanding and Practice

admin — Mon, 20 Dec 2010 14:01:09 +0000

We have different styles of study. Some like to read and remember, some others like to read and understand the phenomenon and still others like to practice by writing and solving. If we want to do well in IIT JEE, we should have skills in all three areas:

Reading and remembering
Conceptual understanding
Practice

Every subject requires all three skills.

Reading and memorizing

Whatever we read gets retained in the head as memory. We can recall from our memory when we are needed to do so. It has been observed that we tend to remember better if we have written something ourselves. We are required to reproduce these things at will while solving problems.

We have to learn the formulae. One can understand their source by going through the derivations, wherever possible. However, eventually, what matters is that we know the formula. We can learn/remember all formulae by reading, writing, and revising them again and again. It helps to have a compendium of all formulae.

For example, if we don’t understand the derivation of formulae in mathematics, we won’t be able to apply formulae effectively. However, while solving problems, one does not have the luxury of time to derive it. So, it must be pulled out of our memory instantaneously.

Conceptual understanding

It is critical to understand the conceptual framework of a subject. It is important to understand the flow of the logic in the argument being put by the narrator. The examples and illustrations used should fit well into our understanding. We observe various phenomena around us in everyday life. Physics and chemistry attempt to explain the reason behind these phenomena through various concepts, laws, deductions etc. We should gain a thorough understanding of the system / concept being explained, before attempting to learn any formulae or solve any problems. This can be done, with the help of examples. Apply the concept to different real life situations and predict the outcome. If the understanding is correct, the outcomes predicted will be right. Conceptual, theoretical questions are a great way to check ones learning of concepts.

Practice

After writing down the formulae required and applying the concepts, we still have to solve the mathematical equations. Solving problems is a skill. If there is no limit to the time available, a lot of students may end up solving all the problems in a test. However, the key is to solve maximum number of problems in a given amount of time, which is the duration of the test. The best performer manages to solve maximum number of problems in the given time. This needs practice. In a competition, we don’t want to lose time in experimenting, deriving etc. If we have practiced enough, we would know the exact manner in which a problem can be solved. This saves time in solving a problem and gives s extra time to solve others. Therefore, to score high in a competition, practice is a must.

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Is coaching essential?

Prtyagi — Mon, 13 Dec 2010 18:40:11 +0000

In my opinion, coaching has its own uses and disadvantages.

If we talk about the classes I to VIII, there really is not such a big need for a separate trainer to coach the student. We must understand that a coach or a trainer is required to prepare the student for some major examination. So when we talk about our school system, the major examinations begin only from class IX. Coaching institutes definitely do a great job at making the student run. They try to make sure the result shows up. Thats their only job.

The school studies are quite sufficient in terms of their content and number of periods allotted for preparation for the examination at hand. Most of the teachers in schools also have sufficient knowledge to train the student for the exams. So it is not really the lack in value addition from the school system that is to be blamed for growth in the number of coaching setups these days.
It is something else.

The student has been trained to go to school as part of a regular routine. He has to go to school whether he makes use of that time or not. And, as far as preparation for examination is concerned, there is coaching or tuition in the evening. So the student makes this a routine… to go to school unprepared, come back empty headed as if nothing really happened there with some homework to be done, and then tries to get real value from the coaching. Even the student is not to be blamed here.

In fact, there is no place where ‘what is the right way to prepare for your life and examinations?’ is taught. The school and coaching are only aids to prepare the child for the exam, and both do their duties quite satisfactorily, but thats not all. The student in the early years has to be taught HOW to study, WHEN to study, HOW MUCH to study, how to MANAGE TIME and WHY to study at all. What he should expect from the school and what from coaching. This training, everyone thinks is not useful and time wasting. But I surely feel that if I was given this training in my childhood, I would have saved a lot of my own time and would have been more happy and stress free.

As I said, school does bring in its own value. So the student must focus hard on whatever is being taught in school (for school studies), and then put all focus in the evening in coaching (for competitive examinations). Arts, science, commerce, it does not matter. There are competition exams in every stream now-a-days.

For choosing the right institute, one should only look at how near the coaching is to ones house and how much time is he going to spend there (because self study is the most important thing). Cost should never be the criteria. Time is everything, once lost, never comes back. Money lost, comes back.

While going to school, the student must prepare well for the class thats going to be held in school in advance. So much so, that the student must do a thorough reading of the chapter thats going to be taught in school and take his doubts (whatever was not clear) to the school to ask the teacher. If this is done by the student regularly, performance of the student will improve drastically.

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“I do not feel like studying… please tell me how i can concentrate” – II

Prtyagi — Sun, 03 Oct 2010 18:37:30 +0000

(b). The spiritual help: This is the mother of all solutions to problems in life. Here I just tell students to ‘Stop thinking’ altogether. The very fact that the mind is the one which gives pain in your life, that makes you restless, gives anxiety in your life, makes you very happy at one time and extremely sad at some other time.

We are taught a lot of things in our school, college, work place and home. But we have never been told about the mind. What it is and how we can use it to our advantage, and when it becomes a evil. I will try to explain as clearly as I can. (Many have tried to explain this same thing and died painful deaths trying to help compulsive thinkers)

The brain has connections to the rest of the body through the spinal chord. Every part of your body is connected to your brain. So you cannot afford to mess around with your brain, can you?? If the wrong signals are sent, you do not know where those signals will eventually land up, and what they might convey to that part of your body. But what does the brain produce?? Nothing but ‘Thoughts’. Just like the bone marrows produces Red Blood Cells. Its just keeps producing thoughts. Thats its job. But now just wait a moment and analyze the difference between the bone marrow and your brain. Both were given to you as part of a self-driven programmed mechanism called ’save this guy… help him live’. The machinery of both was programmed in the DNA of every cell in your body. So thats what they keep doing.

But haven’t you ever noticed that you definitely have some ‘CONTROL’ over your thoughts. But you do not seem to have any control whatsoever on your bone marrow. That control is the ‘YOU’. You are not your hands, legs, brain, body. The ‘YOU’ is that control ’sometimes’ exercised. This control sometimes even appears in the form of ‘ATTENTION’ while reading a book, watching television, listening to someone speak. It can even be the ‘CONCENTRATION’ thats needed often while studying. You are simply this attention, this control, this knowing, this observer. Once you have got this, then only you will understand the next para.

Now that you have got your ‘ATTENTION’, whenever you have a thought like ‘I do not feel like’, or “I feel sleepy’, or ‘I am a loser’, or ‘I cannot…’, then just start to observe your thoughts. Simply observe without any prejudice or judgment. JUST WATCH your thoughts… if you do this the right way, your thoughts will not survive your attention. They will die/vanish.

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No complaint about online counselling for admission to IITs

Prtyagi — Tue, 06 Jul 2010 16:59:44 +0000

The IIT JEE Board today rejected suggestions that online counseling for admission to IITs is non-secure and prone to misuse, saying that not a single complaint has been received in this regard so far.

“Overall, 11555 out of 12676 students exercised their choices online and not a single complaint of misuse has been received,” said Director of IIT Madras Prof M S Ananth.

The online counselling is being held for the first time this year for IITs, BHU and Indian School of Mines, Dhanbad and concerns have been expressed by some sections of the IIT faculty over its possible misuse.

Every step of the counselling process has been made completely secure, he said adding, even the acceptance letter containing allotment of seats can be generated only once.

He said wrong entries or falsely generated acceptance letters can be rectified by verification by one of the IIT-JEE offices.

During the counselling process, the successful student enters name, registration number, date of birth, all India rank and a random number which is printed only on his or her admit card. After this five-parameter authentication, a login ID is created for each student and the student enters the password, Ananth said.

This can be used for multiple logins. Most of the general category candidates who qualified for counselling through JEE used this secure authenticated online facility to submit his or her course and institute choices, Ananth said. This step has been successfully completed and not a single complaint has been received of misuse, he said.

The Joint Implementation Committee then allocates the course and institute for each candidate based on the choices filled. The results of this exercise were published through JEE websites on June 28, 2010, he said.

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Panel suggests 70% weight for Class 12 marks in IIT entry

Prtyagi — Fri, 25 Jun 2010 05:27:44 +0000

In what may mark a major shift away from the current scheme of admission to the country’s bluechip engineering institutions, an HRD ministry panel has recommended 70% weightage to class XII marks and 30% for performance in an aptitude test to be conducted more than once a year, for the IIT-Joint Entrance Examination.

A cut-off list on the basis of the class XII result and the aptitude test will be prepared in the month of June every year and the top 40,000 will have to take the additional test for IITs. Right now, more than four lakh students appear for IIT-JEE in a single test.

The panel headed by Damodar Acharya, director of IIT Kharagpur, that gave its report to HRD minister Kapil Sibal on Wednesday, has also suggested that the aptitude test be an ongoing affair which students can take more than once.

However, the best score in the aptitude test — which will have questions on reasoning, numerical ability and communication skills — should be taken into account. It is only the add-on test for the top students that will have questions on physics, mathematics and chemistry. However, the panel has put a restriction on the number of times the add-on test can be taken.

Also, unlike the present system, right at the beginning, students will have to give their choice of IIT or other institutes — like Indian Institute of Science Education & Research — whose admission test is conducted through JEE. Students will also have to spell out their choice of branch of engineering or stream of pure science.

HRD sources said the ministry’s first task would be to bring all state boards as well as CBSE on par with each other by developing a comprehensive weighted performance index so that there is no gross inequality among them and students do not suffer. Already, a core science and mathematics syllabus has been mooted by the HRD ministry and approved by the Council of Board of Secondary Education. “The move will ensure that students from small towns and even those who cannot afford expensive coaching can aim to be in IITs,” a source said.

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Tips from IIT Toppers

admin — Wed, 02 Sep 2009 19:39:13 +0000

Achin Bansal (IITJEE 2007 topper)
Work very hard. There is no substitute for hardwork. When you inch close to the exam remain relaxed. Stress can sometimes hamper results. Work Hard and leave the rest to god

Shailedra Thakur (IITJEE 1995)
My advice to students is that never lose the battle of the mind.

Srikanth Jagabathula (IIT Bombay gold medalist)
Don’t get bogged down by pressure, work is duty. You have to really slog it out to get through the test. You should be motivated throughout and Never ever in you dreams give up.

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