The countdown to one of the biggest exams in India has started and if last year’s numbers are any benchmark, more than one million students will be appearing for the AIEEE-2011. The numbers are truly amazing- more than one million appeared last year, at over 1600 centres in nearly 100 cities. AIEEE is the ‘Holy Grail’ for all the aspirants desiring to make their career in Engineering and Architecture. The date of the exam has been rescheduled from 24th April 2011 to 05th May 2011 due to Easter holiday. The news is likely to evoke mixed reactions from the student community. The students who have been studying consistently and building up the momentum to peak at the right moment might feel cheated and some also might feel that the stress will also build up further.
On the other hand, the students who have been unable to get their preparations up to their satisfaction would be welcoming the additional time as an opportunity to pitch in with some last minute extra hard work.

Whatever the reaction at the announcement, the most important thing for the students is to get the basics right. The first and the foremost is to ensure that the admit card reaches them. On the aieee.nic website, it is clearly mentioned that if any student does not get the admit card by 06th April, he/ she should contact the administrators.

The exam will have two papers- the first paper will have equal questions from physics, maths and chemistry with equal weightage for all the subjects for B.E. and B. Tech exams. The second paper will have Maths, aptitude test and drawing for architecture and planning candidates.

Some of the important tips that subject experts at TCYonline.com have come up with are:

1: Get the basics right: Remember, to play in the V, it is very important to know how to play with a straight bat!
For clearing any competitive exam which has been designed to weed out the rote learners and students with weak grasp on fundamentals, it is very important to get the foundations right. If there is one key to clearing AIEEE, it is in the fundamentals. If students have any doubts, they should meet up with their teachers/ subject expert and get the basics right.
2: Memorise the important formulae: It is extremely important to include this step in your preparation. A remembered formulae bank, and the way to apply them in practice is just like the ability to play the short ball on fast, bouncy pitches! Ignore this at your own peril. Also, agility in mental calculations can also spell the difference between also played and ‘man of the match’!

3: Revise, revise, revise: Every shot played in a match has to be rehearsed time and time again in the nets!
It is imperative that once the concepts are clear, they should be set in concrete. The best way to do so is to revise exhaustively. Students should get hold of previous years question papers and attempt them over and over again. Also, try to time yourself so that the time limits of the exam, and the accompanying stress, are not an unknown entity for you when the actual exam starts.

4: Identify your strengths: The toe- crusher Yorker wasn’t perfected in a day. Once a fast bowler knows he can do it, he needs to keep at it till he can produce it at will. Same is the case with your strengths. Once you know what they are, keep at them till the time you know that you can produce your most scintillating performances when you need them.

5: Work upon your weaknesses: Any team will be more strengthened by a bowler who can hit a few past the ropes even if it is not his strength area.
Work upon your weaknesses. You should be very sure that you will be able to clear the sectional cut-offs in your weakest subject even if it happens to be the toughest part of the exam. Once you have that kind of preparation in place, it will be huge leap towards success.

6: Be consistent with your study schedule: Anytime Rahul Dravid walks in to bat, the nation knows that he will probably bat the entire day and then some more!
Consistency is the hallmark of genius. Flash in the pan performances can be produced once, but can’t be replicated. Consistency in performance demands consistency in performance. It is the principle of ‘every action has an equal reaction’ at play. The harder you work, the luckier you will get. Set aside a fixed time every day for study. As the exam date approaches, keep adding to it while making sure that you take enough of a break to rejuvenate yourself.

7: Believe in yourself: When you walk out, you should feel like Sachin- the exam should be afraid of you!

You have done the basics right, worked on fundamentals till you know them by heart. You have attempted previous exams, burnt a lot of midnight oil- what is there to worry about now?
Go for it with the supreme belief that preparation alone can instill in you. Go for it!

All the Best!!

1. Revise concepts using formulae

Take for example, the kinematic equation S= ut+1/2 at^2 (square)
Here the student has to really analyse the formula by asking herself/himself questions like:

Is this a vector or a scalar equation?
What is the actual meaning of each symbol in the formula. For example, S is not merely the displacement, but one has to think what the reference point is and that displacement is connected with time by what relation.

2. Don’t go in for questions that involve too much of algebra or calculus
Most of the questions in IITs now are not calculation-intensive, but demand conceptual clarity on the part of the student.

Last minute practice can be done by reviewing the exercises of books like ‘University Physics’ by Young or ‘Fundamentals of Physics’ by Resnick and Halliday.

3. Imagine different aspects of a problem
For example, when you are reviewing the image formation of a concave mirror, you may ask yourself and answer questions like:

In what direction does the image move when the object moves towards the image?

How can we calculate their relative speeds?

How can we calculate the rate of growth of image as the object moves towards the mirror?

Try to ask questions at every step of the questions and find a way to reach the answers. This would be the ideal way to prepare for an exam of the calibre of IIT JEE.

Tips for effective time management during the exam

Read the instructions regarding different sections and marking scheme carefully While attempting questions:

Start by attempting questions that you find easy and the ones that carry maximum marks. This will give you the confidence that you have started off well.

Pay special attention while attempting multiple correct answer type and matrix match type questions. Some answers might have more than one correct answer and you need to check all the answer choices before finally marking the answer.

Use elimination method/ substitution method

Before  starting to solve a question, check the anwers choices first. In some questions, you may arrive at the solution simply by eliminating the options that are clearly wrong. Sometimes simply substituting the values in the given answers can provide the solution.