How to Manage School and JEE Preparation Together?

“If you are not willing to risk the usual, you will have to settle for the ordinary.” – Jim Rohn

Preparing for competitive exams like IIT-JEE is a tough row to hoe in itself, but preparing for it with class 12th board exams presents another set of challenges for JEE aspirants. The constant juggling to Manage School and JEE Preparation often puts overwhelming pressure on students, directly affecting their exam performance and results. Since board exams have been conducted in March and JEE in April, it may feel like there’s not enough preparation time for both, and as a result, most students focus on one and mess up the other. As both exams hold utmost importance for your chosen career path, you must manage boards & JEE together meticulously to strike success in both.

Though there’s no potential data available from reliable sources, it is believed that 60% of the JEE aspirants qualify the exam in their first attempt only. It implies that with smart planning, you can effectively balance school and JEE preparation to crack both exams with flying colours. To help you with that, here we present some expert advice and tips to help you manage school and JEE preparation together in the best way.

Tips for managing Manage School and JEE Preparation together:

1. Make a timetable:

Effective time management is the key to success. Start by preparing a realistic and productive study timetable. While drafting your time table keep these tips in mind…

• Allocate defined hours to each subject/topic
• Study all three subjects a day
• Take regular and refreshing study breaks
• Dedicate specific hours to school work while allocating a significant chunk of your time for JEE preparation
• Schedule more time for complex topics/subjects
• Set daily targets and make sure you achieve them before calling it a day.
• Make time to study/revise the 11th class syllabus as well
• Spare time for essential activities like sleeping, eating, bathing and exercising, etc.
• Stick to your study timetable. 

2. Understand the exam pattern and syllabus:

To balance school and JEE preparation effectively, you must understand the exam pattern, syllabus, marking scheme, difficulty level, topic wise-weightage, etc., concisely for both examinations. There is a crystal clear difference between the board exam and JEE, which we have mentioned below:

Keeping the difference in mind, strategise your preparation and approach accordingly. Focus on theory for board exams, but for JEE, understand the concept and practice its application with numerical questions.

3. Clear your basics:

Although the exam pattern for both examinations is different, the syllabus is still the same. Therefore, it is vital to clear your basics with an in-depth understanding of the fundamentals and concepts. Prepare your theoretical part extremely well; doing this will help you ace your board exams and lay a solid foundation to solve twisted numerical problems of the JEE exam. Also, don’t forget NCERT books; since NTA loves NCERT, your JEE exam paper will be based entirely on it.

4. Study complete syllabus:

It is a smart study approach to finish the higher-weightage topic/chapters first. Experts recommend that you should study your complete syllabus without leaving anything. A glance at the previous year’s question papers indicates that both JEE and board exams cover the entire syllabus, and since to qualify for JEE, students need a minimum board exam percentage; you cannot afford to miss anything. Start your preparation early and prepare every syllabus topic regardless of your interest. If something is complicated for you, ask for help from your teachers or mentors.

5. Practice previous year’s papers:

There’s a single formula to manage boards & JEE together – Practice. Practice as many questions as you can for both boards and JEE exam. Solve previous years’ papers and take mock tests to familiarise yourself with the exam pattern better, marking scheme, questions asked, and solving approach. Practising previous years’ papers will help you identify the gaps in your preparation and rectify them. Also, it will boost your confidence and helps in strategising your time-management approach for the main exam. Solve previous year’s papers in actual exam-like conditions, evaluate your performance, and work on your weak areas to improve your exam preparation.

6. Make time for revision:

Revision is a significant factor that could make or break your exam preparation and results. You cannot afford to neglect revision if you want to succeed in boards and JEE together. It is advisable to start your preparation early, complete your syllabus on time, and spare enough time to revise the entire syllabus thoroughly. Utilise smart revision techniques like mind maps, flowcharts, flashcards, diagrams, videos, etc., to boost your concept retention ability.

7. Take mock tests:

Regular tests will help evaluate your preparation, understand your weak points, and augment your study approach accordingly. It provides a clear picture of where you are lacking and what can be done for improvement. If you are looking for a robust JEE preparation plan, ALLEN Overseas’ expert academic support is exactly what you need. Our meticulously prepared test papers, study material, unique pedagogy, question banks, topic-wise tests, and major/minor test series will help you to nail your preparation for the best possible outcomes.

Implement these tips in your daily study schedule to balance school and JEE preparation. Above all, remember to stay healthy. Take adequate sleep (7-9 hours), eat three nutritious meals daily, drink plenty of water, and exercise to maintain your health.