IIT entrance exam topper mantra to success
MUSCAT: Suraj Sanjay Jog is an inspiration for students aspiring to be engineers. He scored the 24 rank in IIT JJE All India Rank, 13 in KVPY All India Rank, 24 in AIEE All India Rank, 96 per cent in CBSE grade XII, 2400/2400 SAT 2 score.
Getting the 24th rank in the prestigious IIT-JEE (Indian Institutes of Technology Joint Entrance Examination) is a huge achievement since entrance examination attracts more than 500,000 Indian students every year. Besides, this former Indian School Ghubra student, has also secured the 24th rank in the All India Engineering Entrance Examination (AIEEE). Suraj who is doing his IIT Mumbai (electrical engineering) has worked hard to achieve what he has.
“My mother, Sucheta and I moved to Kota in Rajasthan in April 2010 after my 10th grade and joined coaching classes. Because of my eleventh grade performance I was given a scholarship of Rs22,500 per month and was taught in a small group of top seven performing kids without any tuition fees,” says Suraj who scored 96 per cent in grade XII.
Talking about his preparation, Suraj says, “Initially it was quite tough. Having gone from the Gulf where there is not much competition the focus was not so much on the studies due to various factors. Also most of the top rankers start their IIT preparation from grade VIII. Besides they finish their eleventh grade studies before they start eleventh and start preparing for twelfth grade. The challenge was any doubt asked in the class was considered as that of a low performer. Against all these odds it was my drive for success and the moral support provided by my mother by staying with me in Kota and sacrificing all comforts that made my resolve stronger. I never stopped clearing doubts till my basics ware clear. I also put extra efforts at home to reach to the other kid’s level. The Hindi medium teaching was also one of the issue which I took some time to get adjusted to,” Suraj says.
Advice for students who aspire to get into an IIT, he says, “What students really need to do is think out of the box. Not confine their studies to their text books. When I first went to Kota the reason I found it so hard because I did not have enough exposure compared to what the students in India have. I used to study around 15 to 16 hours a day in the beginning. If possible go to India.”
About studying in Kota he says, “Kota is an amazing city from education point of view as the entire city economy revolves around the education system. There is provision for paying guests, hostel and mess facilities for the students which sees an inflow of almost 100,000 kids every year for various coachings like IIT JEE, AIPMT, AIMS and various CET’s. The beauty of the city is everyone is well aware of all these exams, be it a rickshaw driver or a tea shop owner. The entire city is filled with hoarding of teachers, institutes and rank holding students. One thing is sure, whether you get to achieve your goals or not, what you learn in the two years in Kota will help you in life and will make you successful wherever you go and whatever you do in your career.”