JEE Mains 2020: How to prepare now that only one month is left? Here is a subject-wise guide alongwith a timetable

There is no need to reiterate what you haven’t heard a thousand times before, yet for those of you who’ve been buried under books for the past few months, here’s a quick refresher. While this year hasn't been the best, we have to focus on the more important stuff- your JEE Mains, which is scheduled to be held from 18th to 23rd July of this year.

Since only slightly more than a month is left now, the time for starting from scratch is over, unfortunately. But I’m sure you all have been preparing night and day. As someone who cracked JEE Mains, I know how it feels being under so much heat. And because of the dumb virus, everyone prepping for the exam has been under heat for so much longer than they should have.

Plus, you have had it cancelled twice now, and you are asking to postpone it again. Still, study like JEE Mains will happen.

I’m not going to give you a magic spell or a cheating pen (would be handy, obviously), but some methods as to how best utilize the next month and some change. I’ll talk subject by subject because there’s almost everyone who dreads one of the three horsemen of non-medical (there are some absolute gods and goddesses who fear none, but we’re mere humans and we’ll carry on as such). Do take notes, and remember, it is not life and death. It is what it is – an exam.

PHYSICS

Starting with the first of the (un)Holy Trinity, we have Physics, a subject many fear and dread. But I love it and I know people who do. But you may not, so eat the frogs. Not literally, it means to take the hardest subject first.

First, there is always offline courses. My suggestions would be to go through NCERT Physics 11th and 12th and HC Verma’s Concepts of Physics. The first one because of the incredibly challenging questions it has, and the latter because of its incredible capacity to build someone’s concepts from the ground up.

Remember to buy a questions bank. It is essential that you practice all the types of questions there are in every concept there is. It is a tough call, but prioritize. Get something you like, attempt a ton of questions and a couple of sample papers to the boot.

Next, go for online courses. Now there are a lot of apps, from Vedantu to BYJUs, but I believe that these apps are a personal preference. You can choose any, and all are equally good. But I’ll suggest some YouTube channels.

One of the channels that I found intriguing was the Physics Galaxy. Operated by the eminent Ashish Arora, who can be counted among the best in his field, the channel offers a rich experience and detailed explanations of all things Physics. Remember to also check out BM Sharma while you’re at it, and various other channels putting out excellent content.

CHEMISTRY

Well, to be fair, Chemistry is the least problematic of all three subjects here – I scored 90 out of a possible 120 in Chemistry section of JEE Mains. The offline courses here are a little unsurprising as my suggestions are still NCERT Chemistry for 11th and 12th and RC Mukherjee.

Also, in Chemistry, it’s easy to lose your head between similar-looking organic reactions or forget which reagent goes in what reaction, so better make a table. The online courses are based on the same criteria as above. For the apps, there are many, choose whichever suits you best. For YouTube, IITan Explains is by far the best YouTube channel for Chemistry. Apart from that, Unacademy JEE has some insightful lessons too. All in all, Chemistry is the subject you probably are going to have the least problems in.

MATH

The scourge of so many aspirants, Math is probably the most polarizing subject there is. This is because you know you hate it, and there are plenty of people who love it as well, so it varies from person to person. I didn’t do well in Math, but since then, there are a lot more options available for you all.

The offline course for Math is pretty straightforward - RD Sharma’s Objective Mathematics is everything you need and much more. However, for the ones who are a bit sceptical, go try NCERT. For the more faithful in Dr Sharma’s genius, carry on. The online courses for JEE Mains ate so much more important here than any other subject because of the amount of knowledge you can absorb. I know that statement is true for all of the subjects, but Math is something different, something better.

Therefore, it requires more time to be absorbed in the minds of aspirants. I’ll suggest Mohit Tyagi and again Unacademy JEE for the YouTube channels, as I found them both good. Although, again, it is entirely your call as to what channel you truly like.

THE STUDY PLAN FOR JEE MAINS

Next up, I need to stress the importance of planning. You don’t know the future, so better plan and exert some control over it rather than going haphazardly and being in the dark. The former plan can bring you peace of mind, a good idea of what you’re doing and where you’re going and what you need to do and where you need to go. So, needless to say, planning is essential. Now, you probably know what a basic study plan is, but still, I’ll digress and chart out something basic. Say you wake up at 9. Wake at 6, then. Watch some videos on how to do that. Here we go:

• 0600-0700 = Wake up, work out a little.

• 0700-0800 = Breakfast and whatever else you need to do.

• 0800-0945 = Study (One subject out of 3, with 5-minute breaks after every 30, probably Physics)

• 0945-1100 = Rest, play a game, watch a video, get a snack, hydrate.

• 1100-1345 = Study (subject 2, probably Math)

• 1345-1500 = Break time, do whatever you want.

• 1500-1745 = Study (subject 3, Chem, obviously)

• 1745-1900 = Break time again

• 1900-2200 = Mock test

• 2200-0600 = Sleep, all of it.

That’s it. It includes a healthy amount of work-rest ratio so you won’t be too fussed. And no, you can’t leave the mock test. You haven’t got any choice if you want to clear the Jee Mains. There are many mock tests available on the National Abhyas Test App.

FINAL THOUGHTS

I want to say that although JEE Main is one of the most important exams of your life; you can’t lose your head. You must keep track of what you feel as well. Keep a journal if you want to, you need to practice mindfulness. Also, just when you feel like it is all getting a little too much, get up and take a break.

Motivation is an important factor in everything humans do. You don't have to watch motivational videos for it, just remind yourself what you’re doing this for. That should be enough.

That’s it for this one, kids. Stay safe, stay sharp, and remember, you are invincible. Act like it.

(Disclaimer: This is an authored article and only suggests ways you can improve your position to secure a decent rank in JEE Mains. The views expressed are the author are personal and does not necessarily reflect the official policy of CIOL.)