Many students find JEE-Advanced too intimidating and they give up in the initial stages. But often they are victim to a number of myths. Do you also believe in any of these?

1: IIT JEE is too hard to crack

The basic line that we all have heard once in a while but keep this in mind - to achieve anything big in life, one has to apply the necessary effort. And when we are talking about one of the toughest exams, it surely needs time and serious efforts to crack.

But calling it “too hard” or “impossible” is a limitation of the mind. If you go through proper planning, time management, managing the course and topics properly, you have as good a chance as anyone else.

A proper guidance which is now available very easily in the form of coaching institutes and proper study plan will be more than enough to get you to IIT campus.

Every student, whether it is you, your friend, people who cracked JEE in the past or anyone else, has the same 24 hours in a day and it all matters how efficiently you utilize your time. Remember:

          “THE BILLIONAIRE AND THE BEGGAR BOTH HAVE 24 HOURS IN A DAY”.

It just depends on how they utilize it.

2: Reaching JEE Advanced is rocket science

People believe that only toppers or aliens can crack competitive exams like JEE. In addition, students get intimidated by the thought of reaching JEE advanced after JEE mains. This is one of the biggest myths surrounding competitive exams. Your dedication is all that matters when preparing for such exams. A student whose performance is average can also crack these exams if he/she works hard and stays motivated.

The cutoff to qualify for JEE Advanced is anyway less (normally 100 to 150 out of 360). If you focus on basic concepts, you can score well in mains, and if your analytical skills are good, you can crack JEE Advanced.

3: Studying in an expensive coaching centre can help crack the exam

Students pay lakhs for expensive coaching institutes due to this myth. As of now, Education in India is a $110 Bn industry. While going to a good coaching institute is important (remember point 1), self-study also matters a lot. Even if your coaching institute is not the most expensive one but you take time to study and work hard on your preparation and schedules, nothing can stop you from cracking competitive exams.

In fact in one research by MHRD of the JEE Advanced 2014-15 qualified candidates, the share of students who relied completely on self-study was more than those who opted for coaching mode.

4: The more number of hours you study means better preparation

“Work Smart, Not Hard”

Every student has different ways to study and prepare. Some students can study for just 2-3 hours and clear tough exams while some might study all day for the same. The number of hours does not count when you’re preparing for competitive exams. As long as you stay 100% focussed while you study, cracking competitive exams won’t require long study schedules.

So, study hours depend on you. It’s not the hours you sit in front of the book, it’s the hours that you actually study.

5: Studying from as many books as possible increases your chances of clearing the exam

So, in my experience, I have seen people going crazy over Irodov in physics first (that dreadful red book). Then they find out it’s too tough, so they pick HC Verma. And then again before completing that they pick up mock tests from different sources. Finally, they get exhausted in the end.

This is not at all a nice way to go for your prep. Study from fewer books, but practice more. You should study from the main books like NCERT/coaching material and use just one or two books for reference, or use the modules that your coaching offers. Then, you should focus on solving sample papers and mock tests as they give you a better understanding of the question paper and changing exam pattern.

6: Studying during the few last months is enough

There is no gain without pain! It’s not going to be easy at all, so it’s never too early to start. Remember, you know yourself better than anyone else. When you give yourself the proper amount of time to study and grab concepts, it yields better results.

You may read an interview about some toppers who mention that they are very cool and they play cricket for 5 hours every day and study for just 2 hours. Maybe they are brilliant or maybe they are just efficient. But ultimately they are not you, so don't follow their routine blindly. Make your own unique routine.

What I have normally experienced is that people who usually studied for 8-9 hours initially, increase their efforts in the last 2-3 months up to 12-13 hours.

7: Board exams are not worth preparing for if you’re doing well at competitive exams.

This is a common belief that JEE is for the meritorious students who deal in concepts, analysis and applications whereas board exams deal with theory and textual content, not on concepts and applications.

Basically, the two are completely different. On one hand, JEE is an objective type test and Board examinations are purely subjective. But the course is more or less same. Often JEE aspirants are seen ignoring the board preparation thinking that it’s for the students who are good at mugging up the theory. It’s not completely true. So, focus on both exams equally!

Since 2013-14, JEE has changed a lot, and you never know when the emphasis on Board exams increases. It’s always good to be prepared for the worst.

8: Life will be smooth after cracking IIT-JEE

Are you also among those students who think once you get into some IIT life would be awesome? Do you think that you will have the best opportunities waiting for you after you graduate? After 4 years, companies would be desperate to hire you?

Yes, IIT gives you an edge over others but only to a certain extent. Not all IITians do the best and not all who do the best are IITians. It’s your efforts, hard work and constant intention to improve, learn and grow which gets you the best opportunities. The tag of IIT will give you an advantage in terms of better learning opportunities, better laboratories, better peer group, good faculty and a reputation in the external world. But it will add real value only when you put your efforts during your 4 years there. There is no substitute for hard work. This is not to demotivate you but to give you a clear picture that whatever you aspire to achieve, you need to put in best efforts. And for the moment, the target is to