JEE Preparation: What’s the Right Time to Start?

“There’s no better time to start working towards your dreams than right now.” – Unknown

IIT-JEE is the entry barrier that engineering aspirants need to cross to get admission into the country’s top engineering programs. Every year, the exam is held in 2 parts – JEE Mains & JEE Advanced. The score of the latter will decide your qualification for one seat from the available 40,000+ seats of all IITs, NITs, IIITs, and GFTIs of the country.

With the humongous exam syllabus, cut-throat competition, challenging question papers, and unrealistic cut-off marks, aspirants are forced to pull out all the stops to get accepted into their dream college. As cracking the JEE exam is a gruesome process that takes years of sheer determination, hard work, and persistence, aspirants, often prefer to start their JEE preparation early. But, now the question arises, how early? What’s the right time?  When to start preparing for JEE? Here in this article, we will answer all your questions and resolve all your doubts.

When to start preparing for JEE?

JEE preparation right time – 9th Standard:

Though different aspirants possess different aptitudes and skills, starting your preparation early will give you a competitive edge over other candidates. When we say that you should begin your JEE preparation from the 9th standard doesn’t mean that you must study JEE topics and concepts in class 9th. Instead, it means that you should start building the necessary discipline, time management, and critical and analytical thinking skills that lay the foundation for better conceptual understanding.

Advantages of starting JEE preparation from 9th standard…

• Develop discipline, routine, and time management which are essential to achieve your career goals.
• Acquire critical thinking and analytical skills to gain a competitive edge over other counterparts.
• Brush up your fundamental knowledge for better learning at an early age.
• Prepare your mind for a better understanding of concepts and their applications.
• Gain fruitful insights about strategizing your exam approach by participating in various Olympiads.
• You develop the necessary focus, concentration, and confidence for competitive exams.

Keeping that in mind, it is better to start your JEE preparation from class 9th. Also, preparing and appearing for national competitive exams like Olympiads, NTSE, ISO, etc., is recommended to acquaint yourself with the pattern and temperament of the national-level exams. It will help you strengthen your basics for JEE exam.

Can students start JEE preparation from class 11th?

Yes, students can start their JEE preparation in class 11th. But it’ll take extra effort to qualify for the exam because there has been a significant change in the syllabus. The class 11th topics are also covered in JEE exams.

However, it has been found that most of the JEE toppers have started their preparation from 11th grade only, and logically when you begin from 11th standard, you will get enough time to ace your JEE exam. Here’s how:

For JEE exam, you need to prepare for three subjects – Physics, Chemistry, and Math. The combined syllabus is approximately 90 chapters (30 for each subject), and you’ll have a year and a half for your preparation, which is 18 months or around 540 days. That means you’ll get six days to complete one chapter with question practice and revision, which is sufficient. But the point here is your preparation should be more rigorous, focused, consistent, and goal-oriented. And since class 12 brings even bigger perils with board exams, practicals, assignments, etc., starting your JEE preparation early is best.

Is it too late to start JEE preparation from the 12th standard?

It’s never too late to start working towards your dreams; if you have what it takes, everything is achievable. The answer to the above question depends on how well you studied in the 11th class. If you’ve learned the concepts and understand their applications well, you can start your JEE preparation from the 12th class and score success. However, you must put in extra effort and exhibit a tenacious approach to your studies.

On the other hand, if you haven’t prepared your 11th syllabus well, you may need to work extra-extra hard to complete the entire JEE syllabus on time. Also, you’ll have an extra burden of board exams and practicals that holds good weightage in deciding your JEE rank. In that scenario, handling everything can result in too much pressure and thus affects your exam performance.

Is joining a coaching institute necessary for cracking competitive exams like IIT-JEE?

In addition to JEE preparation right time, aspirants often wonder if they could qualify the competitive exams like IIT-JEE on their own, without any coaching. The answer – of course, you can, but the probability is extremely low. So why take the risk? When you enroll yourself in a reputed coaching institute like ALLEN Overseas, you get a chance to strategize your preparation according to the JEE standards. Though plenty of information is available online, scoring good marks and decent AIRs in competitive exams requires personalized mentorship and guidance from experts that you’ll only receive in reputed coaching institutes like ALLEN Overseas. With our ideal teaching methodology and competitive learning environment, you can better prepare yourself to excel in your JEE exams.

Remember, the competition for JEE is getting fiercer every year; you’ll need an extra edge to bag one seat in your dream IIT institute, which you’ll acquire only when you start your preparation early. Whenever you decide to join the race for IIT, 9th standard, 10th standard, 11th standard, or even 12th standard, we provide comprehensive learning with a best-in-class faculty pool and success guidance that’ll help you emerge as a winner with your dream score and rank. The sooner you join us, the closer you get to your goals. If you have any queries, comments, or suggestions, feel free to contact us. We will gladly assist you.

Frequently Asked Questions:

Q: Are 2 years enough for JEE preparation?

A: Yes, with consistent hard work and dedication, you can crack JEE with 2-year preparation.

Q: What is the daily routine of JEE Toppers?

A: Students follow different routines as per their convenience however, there are a few habits and behavior JEE toppers have exhibited. To know about them click here.

Q: Can a dropper crack JEE?

A: Yes, droppers or repeaters can ace JEE provided that they have prepared well with consistent hard work and practice.

Q: How many seats are there in IIT?

A: There are more than 16000+ seats available for UG programs in IITs across the country.

Q: Is NCERT enough for JEE Main?

A: Yes, NCERT books are enough for JEE Maim. However, since most of the questions asked in the examination are conceptual and twisted, it is recommended for students to read additional books along with NCERT to better grasp the concepts. To help aspirants, ALLEN Overseas provides comprehensive study material, question banks, practice papers, and previous year question papers.