Confidence + hard work

What students in II PU can do to ensure a ticket to the IITs

March 23, 2014 08:55 pm | Updated May 19, 2016 10:54 am IST - Bangalore

IIT Madras

IIT Madras

The Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs), which open an ocean of opportunities and produce well-trained engineers, are considered to be among the top engineering colleges in the world. They are credited with producing world-class engineers through a curriculum which is rigorous.

Declared as “institutions of national importance” by the Institutes of Technology Act, 1961 the IITs are the dream of every aspiring Indian engineer and scientist. There are 16 IITs spread out across the country.

The reasons for the IIT dream vary. “It opens unimaginable doors of opportunities, be it admissions in globally reputed B-schools and research organisations, or attractive company offers,” says Akash Bhat of IIT, Delhi. IITs go a long way in helping the students join their dream companies, research labs and universities to do their projects. The IITs have a good track record of placements. The world’s best and largest companies such as Microsoft, Intel, Mckinsey, Citigroup, and Sun Microsystems and most of the Fortune 500 companies go after an IITian.

Taking IIT-JEE

With just a year left for the examination (2015), students studying in the second PU should take stock of their strength and weaknesses on writing IIT-JEE (the Joint Entrance Examination). They must remember that only about one per cent of the exam-takers on an average get into the IITs. Hence, the IIT-JEE is considered to be one of world’s toughest exams.

In order to get admission into any one of the IITs in India you have to clear the IIT-JEE. The IIT-JEE Main consists of objective-type questions from Mathematics, Chemistry and Physics (total 360 marks) and the test is of three-hour duration. The eligibility to write the JEE-Advanced exam will be based on the performance in the JEE-Main examination.

More than 14 lakh students appeared for the Main examination in 2013. Only 1.5 lakh qualified to write the advanced test. While the CBSE conducts the Main examination in April, the IITs conduct the advanced test in June. Around 9,000 seats are available for admission in IITs. As a part of the preparation, students have to be 100 per cent thorough in 120 chapters of PCM, say experts

Anil Kumar, faculty of FIITJEE, Bangalore, said getting admission in IIT “is a big dream.” And big dreams are built on strong fundamentals.

With several coaching institutes have mushroomed across the country, students and parents should give serious thought while selecting a coaching institute. “Pressure handling, self-belief and commitment are important factors to do well in exams,” he says.

Transorms life

“IIT transforms life,” says H.N. Subramanaya, professor of BASE coaching institute of Bangalore. The biggest takeaway from the IIT is the ecosystem that nurtures confidence, problem-solving and team building skills. “What we learnt outside the classroom was as important as what we learnt inside the classroom,” the professor said.

Mr. Kumar says the preparation for the JEE is rigorous and one has to get into the skin of the JEE syllabus to get through. Consistent preparation is the key to succeeding in the JEE.

Avoiding watching TV and talking over the cellphone would save a lot of time, experts say. “The competition, the peer pressure, and the way you think, everything changes when you start preparing,” says Gaurav, who has joined the integrated (IIT-PU) course. “I was not serious initially, but the fever grips you eventually,” he says.

Believe in yourself. First, have a strong belief that you have got the ability to reach the IITs. Second, work hard. Someone has rightly said where there is a will there is a way. A good and experienced teacher or coaching institute will generally be of help. They are familiar with the pattern of the examination, and the kind of effort that a student needs to put in.

Revise

Revise whatever is being taught to you in college or in a tuition-based learning environment, once you’re back home. This will help you to keep in touch with all topics, since a lot needs to be covered in a short time. “You will have to work hard everyday till you reach your destination. The journey is not that easy but if you have strong determination you can do it with ease. Manage your time very efficiently, as the IIT-JEE requires a vast syllabus over a limited time period,” say BASE teachers.

Continuous practice, regular tests (both online and offline) and hard work and parents’ support are basic pre-requisites, professors say. Tutorial experts say “the student is not expected to conquer the question paper, but rather show his competence in a stipulated time.” Students are expected to solve a question in two-three minutes each. “The key is to abandon the question if it is taking more time,” say experts.

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