JEE Main vs JEE Advanced: Decoding Preparation Strategies
JEE Main and JEE Advanced are two steps of IIT entrance exam but there are some significant differences between the two. It means that if you have scored well in your JEE Main exams, it does not guarantee your success in JEE Advanced exam too. In fact, there is no correlation between your JEE Main performance and JEE Advanced performance as the format and preparation strategies for the two exams differ considerably.
Here are some of the main differences between the two engineering entrance exams that you must understand:
Exam Format & Difficulty level of QuestionsÂÂ
JEE Main: Number of questions vary from 30-40 per subject. Questions are comparatively easier and are often repeated from previous year AIEEE or JEE Main question papers. Questions have single correct answer. Be careful with few time-consuming and tricky questions that are thrown in to surprise engineering aspirants.
JEE Advanced: There is a mix of 6-8 single choice questions, Multiple Choice Questions (MCQs) with more than one correct answer, integer type questions and matrix match questions in the JEE Advanced paper. If you overlook a single point, you may end up choosing incorrect option and lose marks. There are 2-3 very difficult questions in the paper too. Leave them for the last.
Preparation Strategy
JEE Main: Speed is an important factor here. Hence, when you solve a question, try to time yourself. You can start with attempting 25-30 questions in an hour and gradually move on to attempt 33-35 questions in an hour. Since the questions here are comparatively easier, try to finish the entire JEE Main sample paper or previous year question paper in lesser time.
JEE Advanced: Focus on accuracy first as negative marking can lynch your existing scores. Start with solving 25 questions in an hour. Analyze your performance and look closely into questions that you did not solve correctly. Find how to solve them. Increase number of questions to solve per hour onlys when you achieve good scores consistently in at least 2-3 previous year IIT JEE question papers or JEE Advanced sample papers.
Timing of the Exam
JEE Main: Scheduled about 1 week after board exams finish, JEE Maun syllabus is based on CBSE board syllabus or topics covered in NCERT text books. Hence, it does not require much revision. Focus on solving papers in a time-based manner and increasing your speed during this week.
JEE Advanced: There is a gap of 1.5 months before JEE Main and JEE Advanced which can be a game changer for IIT aspirants. You should already have revision notes and formulae sheets ready. Go through the papers you have solved earlier, understand concepts clearly and focus on avoiding mistakes you made in those papers.
Just because JEE Advanced is an extension of JEE Main exam, do not feel overconfident or under-confident because of your JEE Main scores. If you have made it to the list of Top 1.5 lakh students eligible to sit for JEE Advanced, give it your best shot.
All the best!