JAM is an all India joint admission test conducted by all 12 IITs (Indian Institute of Technology) and the IISC (Indian Institute of Science), Bangalore. The JAM examination qualifies a candidate for admission to a joint Ph.D. dual degree, M.Sc. Program and many other post- B.Sc. Programs at various IITs.
This highly competitive examination has thousands of students seeking admission in the IISC at Bangalore, and prestigious IITs all over India. The limitation on the number of seats and high number of aspirants makes the competition really tougher. Begin preparations at least 1 year ahead of the exams.
Here are some tips that can help you prepare for the JAM examinations
Know Your Syllabus – Obtain a copy of the latest syllabus before you draw up a schedule for studies. Prepare all the selected subjects and be sure to cover the syllabus exhaustively as mastering core concepts alone is the key to clearing the exam easily. Each paper will test the candidate’s in depth knowledge on the subject.
Plan a Schedule - Prepare a proper schedule, allotting time to each topic in the syllabus. Strict adherence to the study routine, along with a disciplined and focused approach is essential to clear this prestigious examination. Follow the pre-decided schedule without any deviations to ensure that you cover your syllabus as planned.
Practice Time Management: Practice and solve typical questions, including sample papers, mock tests and previous year questions. Towards the last few weeks, take minimum 5 mock tests a day to improve accuracy, speed and time management. Solving previous year question papers will help you familiarize yourself with the style of questions, and thus help you become confident.
The exam is a series of 7 papers, of 60 multiple choice questions of 1 and 2 marks each. Each paper is divided into 3 sections and carries 100 marks each. Section 1 has 30 questions, Section 2 has 10 and Section 3 consists of 20 Numerical type questions. Practice diligently so as to ensure that your hard work bears results.
Joining a Coaching Class: Join a reputed coaching institute with expert faculty. Practice regularly and solve the questions in real time. Make preparatory notes and constantly revise formulae, fact and figures. Constant revision and practice are essential for candidates appearing for JAM examinations.
Negative Marking: Avoid guesswork as incorrect answers can lead to negative marking. Leave out questions that you are unsure of.
Remain Stress-free: If you are feeling stressed when preparing for JAM, then learn some ways of reducing stress factors during examinations. Try meditation or listening to soothing music. Remain calm and confident and avoid getting nervous. Being nervous will result in loss of focus and ruin all your careful preparation and hard work.
Last Minute Revisions: Make short memory cards to help with last minute revisions. Do not start topics at the minute and instead revise the topics already covered. Spend more time revising topics with more weightage according to the syllabus and previous year questions. Mathematical formulae and theorem are important concepts that the candidate needs to be very through in. Keep revising these constantly.