10. Study regularly and in a planned manner
This is one piece of advice you’ll get from everywhere. Even if you don’t study for long periods at a stretch, try to be as regular as you can. If you wish, study for only three hours a day, but do that everyday. Don’t study haphazardly. Make a schedule, and stick to it broadly. Yet, don’t spend too much time on planning or making schedules. These are secondary activities - the primary thing is studying. Don’t compromise on that.

9. Join a good training program
Its difficult, though not impossible, to get a very good rank without any coaching at all. In a training program, they teach you techniques using which you can solve questions much faster than normal methods. There are other advantages too - you get a peer group where you can judge your relative level, and you also get to know the intricacies of the latest pattern. You can get help whenever you are stuck.

8. Choose your books and study material carefully
Don’t underestimate the importance of studying from only the best sources. You can find lots of books for JEE, but choose only the best ones, and don’t follow too many books. Decide that if you are following book X, you will stick to it until you finish it completely. Also, get good JEE study material and try doing as much questions from there as you can. Don’t fall for the trap that you have to finish each and every book and material.

7. Make a good support group
Do you have a friend circle where you can discuss your academic problems like questions and doubts? Do you have access to teachers who can resolve your queries when you are stuck? A good support group helps a lot, and students who have one are at an advantage compared to those who don’t.

6. Practice as much as you can
You may be really good at concepts and theoretical discussions, but that is not necessary to ensure that you will clear the JEE. You need to be really comfortable in applying the concepts you know. And that comfort level can come only if you practice a lot. But there’s another thing to remember: practice should be done only when you think you understand all the concepts well enough.

5. Do as much self study as possible
It is not enough to attend all your classes and do all your assignments. You must do a detailed self-study of whatever you have learnt in class. This is very important - you must give the subject matter time to sink in. That won’t happen just by attending classes. You have to spend time with the subject, read it on your own, do all the solved and unsolved problems on your own etc.

4. Try to resolve your doubts on your own
One very important thing that students forget is that you should be perseverant when you are doing problems. Students give up too easily. One try and they will go to their teachers or friends to solve it. You should try a problem at least 4 or  5 times before asking for help. Because when you have put in effort to solve it and you can’t, you will be able to appreciate the solution much better.

3. Focus on all the three subjects
JEE aspirants tend to be subject experts. Someone would be an expert in Physics, someone else would be a Mathematics guru. If you ask the JEE top rankers, all of them are invariably good in all the three subjects. This is something that should be very obvious but students often overlook it. Being strong in one subject can’t get you a top rank. Mostly, its Chemistry which is neglected. Focus on all the three subjects equally. In fact, focus more on your weaker subjects.

2. Don’t stop at the JEE level
This is real useful advice. There will be many students who will be good in all the three subjects, but just “good” won’t do. You have to be exceptionally good. So, don’t stop at the JEE level when your prepare. Go further. The best way is to do Olympiad problems.

1. Build your nerves
This is the most important of all. If you are nervous during tests, everything else will be useless. Experience test-like conditions as much as you can. Find out how you can build an examination temperament by talking to your friends and teachers.

The writer of this article was AIR 4 in JEE 2003

                                                                                                              Rajasekhar Josyula