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.