Class XII score to add 'weight' to IIT -JEE

The government set up a committee to suggest reforms in the IIT entrance examination .Committee was set up under IIT Kharagpur Director Prof. Damodar Acharya to study the existing JEE structure and suggest improvement in it. The committee will submit its report in three months. It is expected to suggest on how to consider the Class XII marks of students while preparing the cut-off for the admission into these 15 elite institutes.The committee will look into the issue of factoring in Class XII examination result in the cut-off for admission into IITs. Currently, 60% is the requirement for appearing for IIT-JEE. Then a cut-off is decided every year for IIT-JEE. Class XII results are being factored to break the stranglehold of coaching centres. In the last meeting of the IIT Council, there was consensus that more weightage be given to the school-leaving examination. Consideration of Class XII marks in the cut-off would ensure that meritorious students get into the IIT stream. The institutes will also suggest how to expand their infrastructure incrementally. A committee under Prof. Anand Krishnan was set up to study this issue and give recommendations. Suggestions were also made to have a structured credit transfer system in the IITs to enable students of IITs to migrate to other institutes. Government asked the IITs to explore setting up a secretariat for their marketing. The government also set up a separate committee under IIT Guwahati Director Prof. Gautam Baruah to suggest improvement in the governance in the IITs.This committee will study the relationship of the IITs with the government and suggest how to have better correlation. Government asked the IITs how they could increase their linkages to school children and with technical institutions and universities. government is planning to set up a Higher Education Funding Corporation, which would provide assistance to poor students. The proposal on fee hike would be discussed after the corporation is set up. IIT Kanpur had prepared a detailed proposal on hiking the tuition fee. At present, B.Tech students are paying Rs 50,000 per year as fee. The proposal suggested increasing the fee to Rs 4 lakh per annum over a period of ten years. At the last meeting of IIT Council, the apex body to decision on IIT issues, discussions were held on giving more weightage to marks obtained in school-leaving examinations while selecting students.

IIT-JEE 2010

The founder of Patna-based 'Super 30' coaching institute, which offers free coaching along with food and accommodation to 30 students from economically backward classes to help them crack the IIT-JEE, met Prime Minister in New Delhi and requested him to come up with schemes under which coachings can be provided on the lines of Super 30 to shape the career of poor students.The Super 30 was started by Kumar along with Bihar's Additional Director-General of Police Abhayanand in 2002 in Patna. But two years ago Abhayanand dissociated himself from the institute. He said that the ministry of human resources development should lay emphasis on two different syllabi, keeping in view different sets of students- one for ordinary students and other for gifted students. The syllabus for bright students should provide non routine challenging problems, so that they could develop deep insight into the subjects at an early stage. He requested him to allow poor students three chances to appear in the IIT JEE test instead of two keeping in view the vast disparity in the quality of education in cities and villages. Kumar also suggested a number of changes in the IIT entrance system as rural students face difficulty to solve Olympiad level problems in IIT JEE entrances despite sound subject knowledge of class 12 level. Kumar demanded that along with the IIT-JEE results, the extended merit list (EML) of around 50,000 students is also published. This will becomes a tool in the hands of coaching institutes to take gullible students from rural areas for a ride. They showcase EML results as IIT-JEE results. Therefore, IIT should release EML results after a few days of IIT-JEE results.Therefore, the problems asked in IIT JEE should be conceptual/analytical and of 12th standard,' IIT-JEE is the cherished dream of scores of Class 12 students across India. With less than four months to go for IIT-JEE 2010, preparations for the examination are sure to be turning frenetic.The best way to deal with the pressure and the high expectations is through proper planning. Divide available time between the three subjects. Make a time schedule, chapter-wise and topic-wise. Make summary notes/ points to remember of all concepts topic/chapter-wise and flag the questions which are tricky or call for analytical skills.This will help in quick revision a couple of days before or even on the eve of examination.Students, who have to simultaneously prepare for the Class 12 board exams and IIT-JEE, should start concentrating on Class 12 portions and the corresponding IIT-JEE chapters about 21 days before the board examination. However, the flame should be kept burning even for Class 11 chapters by way of revision till the start of the board exams.After the board examinations, focused and concentrated revision of both Class 11 and Class 12 portions should be undertaken.The right approach for those attempting the examination for the first time is to be loyal to one source. Don’t hope to read all the books/study material flooding the market. Study packages, IIT-JEE archives, review packages, workbooks, AITS/AIITS series offered by FIITJEE are good starting points.Take a short break of 5-10 minutes after every hour of serious study. Complete relaxation during the break will recharge your batteries for another intensive spell of serious study.Pay attention to specificsIn Physics, Chemistry & Mathematics, students are advised to avoid selective study. The number of questions being large and the question papers being objective, all topics are likely to be covered by the examiners. The JEE syllabus is almost completely based on Class 11 and Class 12 portions. The complete syllabus with all chapters and topics is available on the website http://www.iitjee. org.The JEE syllabus of Class 11 and Class 12 contributes about 45 per cent and 55 per cent of the IIT-JEE question papers, respectively.While preparing for Physics, Chemistry and Mathematics, take time to study the following.Mathematics: Quadratic Equations & Expressions, Complex Numbers, Probability, Vectors, Matrices in Algebra; Circle, Parabola, Hyperbola in Coordinate Geometry; Functions, Limits, Continuity and Differentiability, Application of Derivatives, Definite Integral in Calculus.Physics: Mechanics, Fluids, Heat and Thermodynamics, Waves and Sound, Capacitors and Electrostatics, Magnetics, Electromagnetic Induction, Optics and Modern Physics.Chemistry: Qualitative Analysis, Coordination Chemistry and Chemical Bonding in Inorganic Chemistry, Electrochemistry, Thermodynamics, Chemical Equilibrium in Physical Chemistry and Organic Chemistry.Need for speedDuring practice sessions, develop speed in working out the problems.The strategy of solving questions, starting from the fundamentals, will spark thinking processes which are essential to enhance and master analytical skills with conceptual understanding. Aim for 100 per cent hit rate. This will give you a competitive edge. Speed and accuracy will also allow you to finish the IIT-JEE papers ahead of time, leaving you with time for revision.Stay calm & focusedExercise and meditation every day will help you to develop inner calm, confidence and the power of concentration needed for success in an examination like IIT-JEE. This will be of immense help on the day of the examination. Students have a tendency to overwork just prior to the examination, thereby wearing out themselves. A minimum of 5-6 hours of sleep every night is necessary to stay physically fit and mentally alert. The strategy in the examination hall is to keep cool and have faith. It is advisable to reach the examination centre at least 20 minutes before the commencement of the exam.Take a few deep breaths in the hall to keep nervousness at bay. Instructions given on the question paper should be read and followed very carefully. Do not spend more than 45 minutes on any of the subjects. Prioritise after a concentrated and quick reading of the paper and start answering the questions you are confident about; move progressively to ones in ascending order of difficulty.Questions with no negative marks must be attempted first. The 45-minute cycle should be repeated for the other two subjects. Thereafter, return to the three sections and attempt previously omitted questions. Even if some segment/section appears to be tough, keep cool since it is your relative performance which matters. The IIT-JEE examination tests your understanding in application of concepts and analytical skills vis-à-vis mechanical or blind application of formulae and theory. Temporary setbacks or poor performance during practice in quiz sessions or mock test papers should not discourage you. Your success in the examination is proportional to the number of problems you’ve solved independently and, preferably, using more than one method.

Madhukar Daftary

Madhukar Daftary, a sexagenarian from Vadodara, is a leader in his own right. The retired chemical engineer spends four hours every day solving maths and physics problems posted online by people who usually want 'urgent homework help'. After having meticulously tackled over 8,296 questions in two years, the silver-haired answer guru is India's 'top contributor' in the mathematics section of 'Yahoo Answers', the community-driven Q & A website.