Choosing a career is one of perhaps the most important decisions one will make. Some people are drawn to score high in Board exams while others aspire to excel in Board as well as crack competitive exams like for example, IIT-JEE. How to do that?

For clearing the JEE Advanced exam, one should start preparation from class XI. For students who have a dream of becoming an IITian in the future, it is very important to plan ahead. One should have a high level of dedication and effort, right from class 10. To join IITs and NITs, students should be either within the top 20 percentile or they should secure 75% marks in the class 12 (or equivalent) board examination.

Let’s see the steps class X students should follow for a combined preparation for both Board exams and IIT-JEE.

1.The student should start the preparation from class 10

From class 11 onwards, it is a two-way preparation for students. On one hand, students have to complete the board syllabus and at the same time, they have to put double effort into JEE preparation.

There has been a propensity of students to take class 11 not seriously. One should never commit this mistake. Always remember, “Class 11 is very important for clearing IIT-JEE. “ One should focus on all the chapters and understand the concepts clearly because there are some topics in Std. 11 that are repeated in class 12.

2.Combined Board and IIT-JEE Preparation from class 11

Students should utilize their school hours in the best possible manner. They should understand everything taught in the class. Once they reach home they should go through things they missed out on in the class.

It is very important to solve the problems given by the teacher in the class. The aspirant should go through the examples present in the NCERT books. They are of utmost importance when it comes to both board and JEE preparation. One may also join coaching classes.

3.Advantages of joining a coaching center

The biggest benefits of joining a coaching institute are the exposure to competitive exams. What a student scores in Board exams displays his or her intelligence. However, to score high in IIT-JEE things are different. As the main objective of coaching is to polish the ability of students to face competitive exams, students learn tips and tricks to enhance speed and accuracy.

4.Studying for one will not affect others m but preparation strategies should be kept in mind.

Everyone has his or her own strengths and weaknesses. Group studies could prove effective if different students can help in enhancing each other’s knowledge in various topics. Also, if a student feels shy to ask doubts in class, they can discuss it with their friends. However, it should be kept in mind that the only purpose of group studies; is just studies!

5.Accuracy and speed are the keys

Students are expected to not only understand a given idea but also to apply it to difficult questions. Entrance exams like IIT-JEE gauges a student’s aptitude and also the ability to work on various concepts.

Accuracy plays an important role as each incorrect answer has a negative marking which brings the score down. One rank can create a huge difference in one’s JEE rank.

Therefore, it is highly advisable to test your skills in a timed manner. This is one of the main reasons why thousands of students from all over Karnataka have written dSAT. Deeksha Scholastic aptitude test (dSAT) is a test for class 10 students. Writing this exam gives them an idea about their aptitude in different competitive exams. The scores of the exam help one identify which competitive exam they can crack and start preparing.

So, if you plan to crack IIT-JEE in the future, first find out whether you have that skill in you or not. Let it be the first step towards clearing the entrance exam.