Attempt theoretical questions first for a high score in JEE

GET SET An analytical approach and well-planned strategy will help you crack it

The Joint Entrance Examination JEE (Main) will be very competitive this year with approximately 13 lakh students expected to appear in offline and online modes. The offline exam will be held on April 3, 2016 and the online exam on April 9 and 10, 2016. JEE (Main) scores are taken into account for admission to undergraduate engineering and architecture programmes at National Institutes of Technology (NITs), Indian Institutes of Information Technology (IIITs), other Centrally-funded technical institutions, and institutions funded by participating state governments. PATTERN OF JEE (MAIN) BE/BTech (Paper 1) entrance exam is of three hours and will consist of objective questions from physics, chemistry and mathematics with equal weightage given to each subject. Each question will have four options. There is negative marking for incorrect answers.

BArch/BPlanning (Paper 2) entrance exam will be of three hours comprising mathematics, aptitude test and drawing test. While mathematics and aptitude test will have objective questions, drawing test will have questions to check the drawing aptitude of a student.

Clearing JEE (Main) is not a difficult task. JEE (Main) consists of CBSE syllabus from physics, chemistry and mathematics and some common topics from Class 11 and Class 12 state boards. The cut-off for JEE (Main) is around 60%-70% for NITs and IIITs. ATTEMPTING JEE (MAIN) ONLINE Remember that in the computerbased test, the correct options are submitted in a single click. It is important that questions are attempted in a sequence so that you remember the order of answering the questions. Taking several mock test papers in online mode will help. You must scroll over the screen to check if all questions are appearing on the screen before starting to attempt the paper. As all pages can be viewed through a tab on the top right side of the screen, select the subject you wish to take up first and ensure you click on the right option and save the option immediately. Remember to submit the paper only after all the questions in physics, chemistry and mathematics have been answered. ATTEMPTING JEE (MAIN) OFFLINE Check that you have got the entire question paper and no page is missing in between because of any printing error. Do not allot fixed time for a subject. Attempt questions in the order you are comfortable with, where comfort depends on both the ability to solve a question and time taken to solve it. SOLVING THE PAPER You must be quick enough to adapt to the level of the paper and act promptly. For a three-hour paper with three subjects, generally students tend to devote one hour each. It is advisable that you devote 40-45 minutes for attempt- ing questions from any one subject you feel confident about and move on to second subject and then to the third. WHAT YOU CAN EXPECT Selective study is not advisable for any of the subjects. Given the weightage, in mathematics you can expect more questions from calculus and algebra. In physics, you can expect more questions from mechanics and electromagnetism. In chemistry, there can be more questions from physical and organic chemistry. TIPS FOR THE EXAM DAY Say to yourself, ‘I am excited about JEE (Main) and I can crack it easily.’ Try to attempt theoretical questions first and then questions which require calculation. Avoid lengthy numerical questions in the first 10 or 15 minutes.