I had prepared for IIT-JEE more than 10 years ago - but those anxious, tiring, depressing and exciting days are still fresh in my mind. I can confidently say that I did many right things about my JEE preparation, but today I also know what I did wrong.
IIT-JEE is all about depth rather than breadth. The syllabus itself actually doesn’t extend anything beyond +2 levels. But what the JEE testers want the student to have is a complete feel for the subjects and some amount of Mathematical ingenuity.
Let me start with the coaching part. This is where I was really wrong. I was of the opinion that coaching is not required at all - it wasn’t really over-confidence on my part, but basically I did not like the way that coaching institutes operate (atleast during those days).
Coaching is essential - you may have a lot of talent and great grasping power, but direction and guidance from someone who understands the challenge is a must. Coaching centres typically have lectures everyday which repeat the same stuff that that is taught in school - this is what I don’t think is required if you are studying your +2 in a decent school/college. I believe a good JEE coaching institution serves the following purposes:
Giving direction - making sure the student is learning the right stuff with the required depth.
Clarifying doubts - Since the required understanding is deeper, the kind of questions that will arise are different from what would at school.
Giving assignments and other material - to help the student in his understanding.
Conducting model tests periodically so that the student gets a good feedback on his/her progress.
Having daily classes is not required - 3 sessions a week (one per subject) and one round of tests every 2-3 months is good enough.
Books:
They are going to be a very important part of your personal preparation. Choose good ones - not the ones that intend to prepare you for any examination. The ones I used 10 years back were:
Physics:
The 2 volumes by Resnick and Halliday,
CBSE text books for XI and XII classes,
I.E. Irodov’s problems in physics.
Chemistry:
O P Agarwal’s Organic Chemistry,
CBSE text books for XI and XII classes,
Sarin and Sarin for problems in Chemistry,
Mathematics:
M.L Khanna’s IIT Mathematics.
Personal preparation:
This is going to be the most critical part. JEE preparation basically consists of putting every effort to understand the concepts - while attending classes at school, while attending your coaching sessions, while solving exercises and while reading your books.
Start your preparation early - atleast 18 months before the D-day. Chew the fundas slowly, giving them ample time to digest. Solve plenty of problems to re-inforce your understanding. Revise frequently. Take a day off every week. Apart from your coaching sessions, an average of 4 hours effort a day (for your reading and problem solving) should be sufficient.
The final 3 months are best left for revision, practice exams and relaxing.
JEE preparation shouldn’t be focussed just on the exam. Instead treat it like a genuine learning experience.