Sitting at the study table, I kept reading the same tough Rotational chapter again and again to ace the next test. And kept feeling demotivated because no matter how hard I tried, Rotational just screwed up my Physics every time. Often, in such moments, I felt maybe IIT is not my cup of tea. For you, the reasons may be different, but you must have felt that small bit of doubt or demotivation. It’s a tough journey, so I’m sharing the ways in which I kept myself motivated.

1) Positive self-affirmation

Unable to solve that problem even after racking your brain for half an hour? This is not the time to drop the subject, but to remind yourself that thousands of students are going through the same problem. Their struggle is the same as yours.

Normally what I used to do in that situation is simple. Just get up and take a half hour break.  Then, come back and pick up from where you left off.

You know why this is a powerful exercise? Because it helps stop the negative cycle in your mind (after failing the solve the problem a few times). You are always stronger and smarter than you think you are. You just need to keep repeating that to yourself. Or stop the negative cycles when they happen.

2) Company matters!

Success in JEE depends on your company.

Although we are not generalizing here, it is usually seen that the outcome will be good if you join a group of smart chaps and vice versa if you are in bad company. Hence, try to stay away from the negative company and stay focused towards your goal.

I spent my preparation days in Kota. I have seen people spending hours and hours in the internet cafe playing games or watching movies before JEE. But to my surprise, they were very good students when they came to Kota. On the contrary, some of the serious ones who landed in Kota with a dream to crack IIT then got introduced to these internet cafes by some friend and landed upon a different path altogether. You can’t predict outcomes, but try to surround yourself with positive, inspiring people as much as possible.

3) Reward Yourself

It is one of the best ways to encourage yourself to study. Set your daily goal and once you achieve that goal, reward yourself. The goal for the day can be a studying a specific topic or solving a particular set of questions. As a reward, you can go for a walk, have your favourite dish, listen to your favourite songs, watch motivational videos etc.

I usually took an entire day off in a month. No study, revision, nothing. And this worked for me very well. Similarly, you can find your own way of rewarding yourself.  This little reward will rejuvenate your mood and will encourage you to start again the next day.

4) Think about the end result

Normally we are advised to not think about the result and focus on just the work. But I will suggest that you imagine for a second – It’s finally the exam day, and you’re walking out of that exam hall knowing that you’ve made it. A whole new world of opportunities and experiences, and even bigger dreams to chase.

Isn’t the effort you put in now worth that? Would you rather live life with a ‘What if?’ hanging over you? ‘What if I had worked harder’ or ‘What if I had attended classes regularly’. Think about your final goal, and ask yourself whether what you did today brought you closer to your goal.

5) Be aware of your progress

This clock quote is one of my fav’s.

Sometimes you just have to take a pause and look back to see how far you have come. Planning is essential, but so is tracking your progress. It will tell you that you are on the right track!

Think of it as a map to a treasure hunt- Where you started, where you are now, and where you want to go. You might think that you haven’t improved at all, but you are improving every day! You upgrade yourself with the new things you have learned. Did you solve a difficult question? Then you’ve reached level 1! Finished the entire topic? Level 2!

6) Give Mock Tests

It is suggested to spare 3 hours to give JEE mock tests every alternate day after you have covered a considerable amount of syllabus. These tests will help you understand where you stand and quality analysis of these tests will keep you on the right track of prep.

Mock Tests will let you know which topics you suck at, and which ones you crack. So use them to figure which hemisphere of your preparation you need to work on more. I have learnt more through 3 hours tests than a 9-hour daily lecture.

7) Just. Keep. Going.

The journey to top engineering colleges in India is a difficult one. During this journey, there will be many instances when you feel exhausted and feel like giving up this entire thing. In such times, your willpower and strength to get over this mental block will play an important role. How badly do you want that BTech degree and everything else that comes along with it?

Whenever you feel like giving up the Joint Entrance Exam preparation, tell yourself to Just Keep Going. One more step. And then another, and then one more...

All the best for JEE!