What are your expectations from the NEET or JEE exam? To crack the exam, enroll in the best institute, and be a doctor or engineer. Right? Most of the aspirants dream so. Exams cause a huge amount of pressure. They let you feel like this is your only chance to prove yourself and fulfill your dreams. And indeed it is! After all, a good institute means good placement. But even after so much struggle and hard work, some might fail to score in the exam.
Have you ever wondered why it happens? What were your mistakes that brought your score down? No? It’s not new. Nobody focuses on their mistakes. They ignore their negligence and never learn from them. It is alright to make a mistake unless you are not repeating them.
This article discusses five common mistakes that bring your score down in the NEET or JEE exam. Have a look.
Lack of Preparation or Planning
Do not lie to yourself. Better than others, you know yourself up to what level you have done your preparations for the NEET or JEE or any other competitive exams. These exams are not just like your school’s internal exams or board exams. They comprise a vast syllabus and a moderate to difficult level of exam pattern.
Without proper strategy and planning, you cannot prepare for these PAN India-level exams. Why? Do you think you have a photogenic memory? Can you gulp everything in a short duration, like 1-2 days? Do you think it’s possible to study the whole syllabus of Class-11 and Class-12 in this duration?
The most common mistake that aspirants make is not strategizing or planning their preparation schedule. As a result, it leads to bringing their score down. If you want to succeed in the NEET or JEE exam, having a proper preparation strategy, timetable, and short-term and long-term goals is necessary for cracking the national-level entrance exams.
Going Through Multiple Study Materials
Today, you can get unlimited sources for preparation for the NEET or JEE exams. Aakash Institute also provides all the study material required to crack NEET or JEE exams.
Too much accessible information on a single topic can be both a boon and bane for aspirants. Every friend, blog, subject-matter expert, article, peer, and coaching institute recommends a different book for competitive exam preparation. When you study from multiple books, all the concepts get mixed. And as a result, you will learn about them without understanding their roots and causes.
It creates confusion in the minds of the NEET or JEE aspirants. Hence, it leads to poor exam accomplishment and lowers your score. So, it is always advocated to focus on only one or two sets of books for competitive exam preparation.
Always finish one book and then go through with the other. In this way, it will help you clear your concepts. Do not refer to numerous books for learning the same concept.
Neglecting Fundamental Concepts and Making Silly Mistakes
One thing that every aspirant is aware of is there are no direct questions asked in any competitive exams. All the questions depend on how clear you are with the related concepts. Fundamental knowledge is like the building blocks of competitive exams preparation. You will make silly mistakes if you only have a slight idea of your basic concepts. And these silly mistakes result in bringing down your scores.
Hence, it is always recommended to focus on strengthening your fundamental concepts of the topics as the NEET or JEE exam preparations. Always start your preparations with the NCERT or books containing basic concepts, and then move toward other options. It will help you comprehend your concepts.
Do not get confused between solving several questions and studying from multiple books. Don’t go through numerous books to learn the same concept. It will only increase your silly mistakes.
What you can do is amend the concept regularly. Do not skip strengthening your basic concepts and rushing toward solving questions. Concepts are the foundations for cracking any competitive exams. Always remember that you can solve any question with clear concepts and knowledge.
Not Preparing and Practicing Enough
Experts always advise and emphasis the importance of mock tests, previous years’ papers, and question banks. Such series are crucial to analyzing your confidence and your progress. It gives you a little idea about the questions that are likely to be asked in the NEET or JEE exam.
The students became so busy preparing and revising that they didn’t practice these test series. And some believe it is better to re-revise the syllabus than to waste time on the test series. But this is not true!
You need to understand that mock test papers and other practice materials help track your progress, let you realise your strong points and weaknesses, and give you a clear vision for your future preparations. So, it is better to become wise and never avoid the practice test series. The more you practice, the better you become. After all, ‘Practice makes a man perfect.‘
Failing to Plan Your Time
The question paper of the NEET or JEE exam is always challenging for candidates. It is not only because of their vast exam syllabus but also because of not planning the time to handle the questions.
Before you start writing, some points you need to remember forever. Check the number of questions and how much time you have to solve them. It will give you a rough estimation of how much time you can spend on each question.
Try to lay out no more than that long time on each question. You can, in any case, go back later if you have time left over. But it is better to go through at least all questions initially.
For instance, in a three-hour exam, if you have to solve 180 questions, you should plan to spend 1 minute on each. As you reach around 55 minutes, move toward the unattempted questions in that part. And then start your next one. Do the same after another 55 minutes. Try to be clear of the time and the number of questions completed, and ensure you are remaining with enough time to complete the paper.
FAQs
1. What strategies should I follow to avoid careless mistakes in the NEET exam?
NEET is the most aspiring exam for students who want to become a doctor. Every year lakhs of students attempt it and try to crack it. But, in the end, only a few thousands of aspirants get the chance to enrol in the best medical institutes and achieve their dream.
The common reason that candidates lack to get success is performing with some careless mistakes. Some strategies that you can follow to avoid these mistakes are
1. Be aware of the time you have for the test and finish it within this duration.
2. Subvocalize your answer letter before filling in the OMR sheet.
3. Read the options slowly with full concentration.
4. Create an outline before filling in the final answers.
5. Solve sample papers and NEET mock papers to know your preparation level.
6. Do not let stress and anxiety around you.
7. Keep yourself calm and cool.
8. Lacking fundamental concepts is also a major issue.
2. What to avoid during JEE preparations?
JEE exam preparation requires hard work, discipline, concentration, and determination. You require to be more committed and focused. You have to avoid all those interference and little distractions that stop you from achieving your targets.
Some steps to avoid while JEE exam preparation are
1. Skipping classes.
2. Do not focus on a chapter for too long a period.
3. Using your phone while studying.
4. Doing multiple jobs at a time.
5. Not following the timetable.
6. Select the option of accuracy rather than speed.
7. Not completing long-term and short-term goals.
8. Do not understand time management skills.
9. Solving questions while listening to music.
10. Trying to mug up your answers.
11. Do not neglect your health and hobbies.
12. Extending your break time.
3. What should I do to improve my time management skills?
Most candidates fail to crack the competitive exams because of not knowing how to manage time and solve all the questions in a limited period. Suppose you are stuck with any exam question and not stubbornly moving forward to another question. In that case, it is called wasting your time. Poor time management skills always result in the downfall of scores.
Some ways to improve time management skills are
1. Determine your priority. Work on those sections or questions first that are your strengths.
2. Focus on the question which you are solving at hand. Do not think about other concepts or questions unrelated to the question you are solving.
3. Do not let yourself be diverted by anything. While preparing for NEET, JEE, or any competitive exam, select a place where no one disturbs you and keep distracting devices like mobile, TV, etc., away from yourself.
4. Practice sample papers and mock papers in the given duration and timely manner.
5. Take small breaks in between your preparations. Long hours of study also break the concentration and provide you fruitful results.
4. How can I keep away from making silly mistakes in the NEET exam?
Sometimes, you know the concept and the question but end up with some calculative error, grammatical error, misreading, or other similar errors. These result in the wrong answer and deduce your marks in the NEET exam.
Most of the time, these errors make you frustrated. You start to think it is better to select the wrong option than make such mistakes. All this will bring down your hard work and push you toward negativity.
Some ways to avoid silly mistakes are
1. Read the question carefully.
2. Question yourself what type of query is this, and what concepts are used in it?
3. Always be careful while solving positive and negative numbers.
4. Check your calculation twice.
5. Skip those questions which are under your doubts.
6. Do not rush. Take your time, think, and solve the question.
7. Attempt those questions that are easy for you to solve.
8. Spare some time in the end to re-check your answers.
9. Believe in yourself. But don't be overconfident.
10. Solve mock tests or other practice papers in the given time.
11. Do not compromise your health. Physical health and mental health is equally important as exam preparation.
5. I always get stressed out in the examination hall. What should I do to conquer this issue in the JEE exam?
A little stress can be good during exam times. It works as a motivational pushover and leads to working out more. As a result, the aspirant achieves the desired result.
However, sometimes, dealing with stress can be a difficult thing. Some candidates find themselves unable to cope with exam stress, resulting in big mistakes. Although JEE preparation is very demanding and stressful, to desire success, you need to avoid over-thinking, worrying, anticipating things, and ignoring health.
Some ways to cope with exam stress are
1. Eat, sleep, and exercise well. Do not compromise with these three things.
2. Set some realistic goals.
3. Ask for aid if you are lingering with any problems.
4. Trust yourself and remind yourself that you can face any new challenges.
5. Do not panic. Pace with it.
6. Ask for social support from your family, peers, or teachers. It will let you feel confident and autonomous.
7. When you find yourself surrounded by stress, take deep breaths.
Conclusion
To conclude, it can say that most of these errors come from either incorrect or insufficient preparation or getting unable to cope with exam stress and pressure.
There is no replacement for ample revision. Correspondingly, if you have done enough revision, there is no need to get stressed in an exam. Maintaining a calm and relaxed mood during your preparations and exam time lets you answer the questions better and more positively.
