IIT Entrance. Review on Successful Preparation for IIT JEE

Before I pour all out, I want to state that I consider IITs, as widely known, to be the best engineering and a landmark Institute to be doing your engineering from. I consider if you got into IIT you are envied for the prestigious place you made it to, and your hard work has paid off. It is not a place for anyone and anyhow. It requires rigorous preparation and planning with your inner as well as your environment (coaching classes) working for you.

Having said that let me put forward my background for me to be understandable - the platform or the base I have to write on this. As a science student IITs were an attraction for its benefits like good job after that, a secured career and future. But I failed miserably to accommodate the daily school life – fun, frolic and games, the 12th standard exam and the final ritual the IITs. In between, not being able to steady your life beset with problems added fuel to the fire. I, as others, joined coaching institutes and tried hard. Finally passed 12th meagerly, not got any of the prestigious institutes but made it to an engineering college in my native place.

When I look back now, when things are reshaping and there is a talk of entrances, my efforts are to give suggestions to make it better for students who succeed, who hope to succeed and those who don’t. I feel following points should be kept in mind:

It is good to have 70% marks apportioned from 12th for IITs. This will make IIT hungry students to perform in 12th. There are many who just lose emphasis on school and 12th and find themselves in no mans land when they don’t succeed in getting IITs. At least a good 12th score will help them get a good college for B.Com, B.Sc etc. Also including aptitude as a part of the Test will contribute to increase in language proficiency etc. This is good, considering, as heard, there are many IITians who have found to be lacking in their language skills etc. With this, exceptional efforts towards IITs is reduced to performing in 12th with some good preparation in aptitude tests which would help them in future entrances as well.

There must be a good statistical data and data to arrive at a pattern of students succeeding and failing in these tests. A good study of these students should help in deciding what to accommodate and what to stop.

There should be specialized tests in Physics, Chemistry and Mathematics of IIT standards as a second stage of selection. And the first stage of 70% of 12th and aptitude should be the prequalification.

There should a limit on the no. of attempts with the first stage to be attempted at the time of completing 12th only. And the second stage to be attempted only restricted to 2-3 times.

If the second stage is conducted, then it should be kept after one year of passing out of the students so that students can complete their 12th with emphasis on other activities as well. As it is they have to secure their 12th. Add to it should they not join the basketball team or other activities. This will give them for some. After all it is the most important turning point out of all. Students are suiciding, Coaching classes are making money, and there is an exhilarating experience with tension running at home and with relatives coming to the house. Why not give them time? Let’s not hurry them they are barely 18 years old. And why must they during these years live such a strained life, when in the future - lets say 10 years onwards - they decide how stressful they want to be.

Authorities should think also of the agonies the students who succeed go through and if the number of students appearing in one year is less, lesser should be the difficulty level of the tests.

Note : This has been put under punjab colleges by mistake. I am from the south of india and I did my engineering from my native kerala. Thanks for reading.