The eGurucool Approach to Tackling the IIT-JEE
We believe that there certainly is an ideal way of preparing for the IIT-JEE, although what is best for one person need not be so for another. Clearing the JEE is a project and as such needs to be planned for and managed properly.

It is said that a battle is not won in the field as much as while planning and strategising for it. The same is true in the case of the JEE.One is not likely to make any significant heading if one goes head long into the exams without having a coherent plan for its preparation. One needs to make a sound strategy for clearing the JEE. While some of the elements of such a strategy are common and equally applicable to all the aspirants, there are others entirely dependent on the individual.

Let us have a closer look at these elements.

The 10 Commandments

Believe in yourself.
The first step in the process of preparing for the JEE is to start with the right frame of mind. A positive attitude will prove to be very handy. You must remember that preparing for the JEE may be a long drawn process. It will require sustenance of tempo, not during a week or a month, but for months together. During this time, there may be a lot of distractions, a lot to depress you. At times you may feel like quitting. What is going to finally sustain you and win you the race is the belief that you can do it!

To get into this 'positive frame of mind', you may have to open your mind and discard a lot of conventional wisdom as nonsense. Human beings are often slaves of mindset. You will often hear people telling you all kinds of things - 'you need to put in a minimum of 10 hours everyday if you even hope to pass the JEE,' or 'clearing the JEE is not so easy, even so and so could not do it, although he was so intelligent,' or 'you have only 65% marks in your Xth board exam? Forget about JEE,' and many such unqualified comments.

Our advice to you would be - 'Please break away from any such mindset or influence as soon as you can'. There is absolutely no truth in these so-called theories. We have known people, for example, who have secured very good ranks in the JEE and had studied not more than four hours a day. We have known students studying at the IITs who continue to be frugal in the time they put in for studies and yet do very well in the internal exams. We have known people who have scored average marks in their board exams, 'ordinary' students in school, but have done exceptionally well in the JEE.

The one thing you must understand is that doing well in the IIT-JEE is a different 'battle' in itself and therefore bears no correlation with your performance in conventional exams. Also, the word 'intelligent', the way it is commonly understood, may not mean the same in the context of the JEE. Starting with a clean slate and open mind is your best bet. You must believe that you will qualify for the JEE, and that it is only a matter of time and a lot of work before you actually do it.

Know your strengths and weaknesses.
We do not think that this point can be over-emphasized. While you must believe that you can do it, you must also have a very clear idea of where you stand, to begin with. You must know your strengths and weaknesses. These could be anything that has a bearing on your preparation. Some of you, for example, may cover a lot of ground in one sitting, while for some, sustained concentration for more than a specified period might prove to be counterproductive. Some of you may have a natural strength in Mathematics, while some may have an aptitude for Chemistry or Physics. Even within a subject, you may be strong in certain areas or chapters as compared to others. What is important is to know these nuances of your strengths and weaknesses. The reason is really simple. To plan and work on a winning strategy, you must know which of your strengths need to be further honed, which of your weaknesses you can live with, and which of the weaknesses you need to work upon so that they do not become a handicap.

Strengths need to be fed and weaknesses starved.