Preparing For IIT-JEE, NEET, Other Entrance Exams: Here’s How Class 11,12 Students Can Get A Good Start

The admission in senior secondary classes marks a new stage in students’ lives. Not just in terms of entering an age that brings a lot of challenges in itself, but the pressure of studies and career increases multi-fold. To tackle this, students as well as their parents need to start from a fool-proof plan, that will balance the child’s entrance exam preparation, board marks as well as overall well being.

Most of the students must have already enrolled in a coaching class or might be looking for one. Students and parents both should remember that going to school and then coaching will take up a lot of time for the student. The student will spend rest of the time in studies as well as his/her hobbies. In this situation, the child needs support of the whole household.

A good step is to maintain a house schedule with good habits, like sleeping and waking up at a fixed-time, maintaining boundaries with visitors so that they don’t disturb the child, planning family vacations once in a while to relieve the child of stress, no late-night partying and TV watching etc. If the whole house maintains a discipline, it becomes easier for the child to maintain discipline in his/her own schedule.

One key thing for parents to remember is that the child goes through a challenging time at this stage because the burden of studies increases suddenly, and teenage is a difficult developmental time. In this case, the child needs a lot of support and encouragement. Parents should try to find opportunities to encourage and praise their kid. They should tell him that in life, success doesn’t come quick and easy, and it is okay to fail a few times before succeeding.

At this stage, the beginning of school session, the students waste months thinking they will catch up later on. It is important to build a time table from the start which is realistic and provides opportunities for leisure activities also. In the beginning, the students should try to finish whatever is taught in the class daily. At this stage, it is important to try and finish the NCERTs as they are designed to ease you into the topic.

Solving NCERTs at this stage will enhance students’ confidence and prepare him to take up next-level problems. It will also provide a solace that board level preparation is going well.

While solving competition-level problems, students should remember that getting good marks here is a long process, it will not happen quickly. Therefore, patience and consistency is the key. Two things need to be kept in mind. First, as a predictor of success, grit is far more important than IQ, research has shown. Therefore, students shouldn’t get discouraged by a feeling that they are not as intelligent as others. Secondly, the S-curve of success: the road to your goal is S shaped. Initially, it will take a lot of time to do even moderately good, later on, you will make quick progress in lesser time. Again, consistency is the key.

Many students also feel at this stage that their coaching/ class teachings are not working out for them, and they start missing classes and diverting away from them. This should be strictly avoided. This can create a lot of unease, if you prepare your own time-table in contradiction to school/coaching time-table. Self-study is important, but one should make his/her time-table in harmony with classes. This will ensure thorough preparation.