JEE Main 2023: How does one prepare for Board exams and JEE Main together? Students, experts share strategies 

As per the Bombay High Court's decision on January 10, the dates for JEE Main 2023 will remain unchanged  
Picture for representational purpose only | (Pic: Express)
Picture for representational purpose only | (Pic: Express)

The first session of the Joint Entrance Exam (JEE) Main is set to begin on January 25 despite demands of postponement and a petition filed by advocate Anubha Shrivastava. The National Testing Agency (NTA) announced the exam dates on December 15, just 40 days before the exam date. The candidates were in an uproar due to the short notice and hence, numerous demands for postponement poured in. "The board was in a rush to regularise the exam dates, and in that process, they sabotaged our future," says Shubho Majhi, an aspirant from Asansol, West Bengal. 

In a hurry to regularise the dates?
The JEE Main date this year has been set as per the pre-pandemic dates. However, in contrast to previous years, this year, the dates weren't announced four months before the test. Additionally, the counselling for JEE 2022 concluded only in November last year. Students complained that the news came out of the blue for them. 

JEE coach Ashwin G, speaks on the issue of regularising the dates, and says, "If they wanted to return to the pre-pandemic calendar, they should have announced the dates well in advance. Their announcement was at least a month late. Now, schools will also have to work out the dates and schedule their practical exams, which depends on several factors such as the availability of external examiners. However, these are still the best dates that the NTA could have found."

Droppers vs freshers — how are things different?
Those who must concurrently prepare for both the Boards and the JEE examinations may find it more challenging. "The decision to not postpone might bring about more problems for the freshers than for the droppers. It is not an elaborate judgement," says Ashwin G. 

Manav Gupta, a Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) student, says that he has planned his schedule in a way that he can juggle the two exams. "I will focus on JEE Main right now, and once that is over, I will concentrate on my Boards," he says, adding, "Since the pattern is different, but the syllabus is essentially the same. I am optimistic that I will be able to make switches as and when required." 

Among the droppers, Shubho Majhi says his main focus will be the second session which will be held in April since he does not have enough time to revise or complete his syllabus for the January session. "My main focus is the April session, and I will be prepared according to that. I do not have much hope for the January session," he says. Another candidate, Sudhanshu Sardul, laments as he says, "I will focus on my mock tests since I see no point in expecting anything. I am just praying for the best."

From 75% to the top 20 percentile
Sudhanshu is from the Bihar board, where meeting the 75% eligibility criteria becomes difficult. He welcomes the Ministry of Education's (MoE) decision of the top 20 percentile in each board and says, "This makes things much easier for me. I am happy with the decision." On January 11, the MoE had announced the relaxation of the 75% requirement criteria for the top 20 percentile of each education board for admission into the Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs) and the National Institutes of Technology (NITs).  

"The decision is welcome. There might be students from a few boards who are not able to meet the 75% eligibility criteria and who might still be in the top 20 percentile. The top 20 percentile is also a ranking in itself. It is a boost for the students from rural areas who cannot afford coaching," says Ashwin G, who blames the lack of coordination between the boards as one of the main reasons for this chaos. 

Tips and suggestions on preparation for JEE Main 2023
D-Day for aspirants is only days away. On that note, coach Ashwin G shares his thoughts. For students who have both the Board exam and JEE together, Ashwin says, "Students must focus on JEE Main right now. They will have about a month's time after that to prepare for their Board exams. They have to be clear that they need an aggregate of 75% in their five or six board subjects (depending on the board), including English and their other electives." 

When asked for tips for the candidates, he lists the following things to keep in mind in the next 10-15 days: 

1. Students should have already created formulas or quick concept notes. They need to revise that.

2. The NTA Abhyas app has about 200 mock test papers. Students need to ensure that they take at least two mock tests per day. They must ensure that they conduct an analysis immediately after taking the exam. Check what questions they have got right or wrong and how much time they have spent on each question.

3. Practice the previous years' question papers compulsorily. Chapter-wise or topic-wise studying should be completely avoided. Overall, learning is the need of the hour.

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