JEE is an exam that requires constant hard work, dedication, and sincere efforts to succeed. In an exam that is taken by around 12 lakh students every year, it is not easy to secure a handsome rank. You need to do something more than just finishing the syllabus so as to excel in an exam of such a huge scale.
It is always easier to do something that you have already done before, than doing it for the first time. It is even easier if you have practiced doing it a lot. This applies in all domains -- sports, public speaking, etc. Taking exams is no exception.
If you have practiced taking tests a lot, you will get to know yourself better -- your exam temperament, your speed, your accuracy, your performance under pressure, the order of subjects that suits you the most, and many more such things. The more you know yourself, the better it is. You will realize your strengths and weaknesses, both. You can then work on your weaknesses so as to improve your performance and score high in the exam. Taking mock tests helps you to practice taking exams, and hence, it is always better to solve them during your JEE preparation phase, rather than going to take the JEE without any prior practice of solving mock tests.
This generation is very competitive. Hence, a neck-to-neck competition in JEE is not unexpected. After all, IITs are the most premier institutes of the country, and can potentially give a great head-start to the careers of their students. Hence, it is not surprising that almost all the engineering aspirants want to study in an IIT. Serious JEE aspirants, hence, leave no stone unturned in their JEE preparation. They know that solving mock tests gives an edge during the actual exam. Hence, if you want to be equal, or outshine, your competitors (the serious JEE aspirants), you also need to practice solving mock tests. You just cannot expect to outshine others if you do not work up to your full potential, whereas your competitors are leaving no stone unturned to excel.
In this article, we will talk about the importance of taking mock tests regularly, the importance of analyzing your performance in the mock tests, and the manner in which you should attempt the mock tests so as to obtain the maximum benefit.
Mock tests actually test your JEE preparation under exam-like conditions. The more you take the mock tests, the more comfortable you become in taking exams since you have practiced doing the same through mock tests. Taking mock tests regularly keeps your practice level up-to-date, and hence you are ready for taking a test almost anytime.
Another very important benefit of taking mock tests regularly is the constant revision that happens when you take them regularly. If you are a serious JEE aspirant, it is expected that you would want to score high in all the tests that you take. Revision is an important aspect of JEE preparation because it helps in retention of all that is learnt. Before taking a mock test, try to revise the concepts that you will encounter in the test. Doing this will make sure that you don't forget any concept that you learnt earlier, and definitely, your score in the mock test will improve. Trust me, constant revision does wonders for your JEE preparation.
In the last month of your JEE preparation, you should take at least 3 mock tests per week. For the two months before that, taking 1-2 mock tests per week is fine. For the JEE preparation period before that, taking 1 mock test per month should be targeted.
Just taking mock tests is not sufficient. Analyzing your performance in the mock tests is what makes the real difference. If you don't analyze your performance in the mock tests, you will not be able to recognize your weak areas, which will eliminate the possibility of you working on them and converting them into your strength.
After taking every mock test, match your answers with the answer key of the mock test. Check the solutions of the questions that you had given incorrect answers of. This will help you in recognizing the concepts that you might have misunderstood. You may have committed a silly mistake, that's a different issue. But if that is not the case, you will be able to recognize the topic that you had misunderstood and then you can study the topic again. After that, you should look at the solutions to the questions that you did not attempt. This will help you in recognizing the topics that you don't understand well. Once you are done with this, look at the solutions to the questions that you had correctly attempted. You may find a different approach to solving a problem, which would be good to know.
Once you are done with the above-mentioned analysis, study the topics that you are not comfortable with, again. Trust me, once you do so, you will have a much deeper understanding of those topics. Also, experiment with the different order of subjects while solving the mock tests. This would help you find the most suitable order of subjects for you.
No doubt, taking mock tests and analyzing them is important for scoring as per your full potential in JEE, but practicing solving mock tests in the right way will definitely boost your JEE performance many folds. Before solving a mock test, make sure to make the conditions similar to that of an actual exam.
Importance of taking mock tests regularly, in the right way, and analyzing your performance in them is immense. Make sure you go the extra mile, which would certainly affect your JEE rank for the better. All the best!
Harshita Srivastava
IIT Kanpur
13 September 2019