Education blog by Pearson India

The CBSE Board Examination and JEE can safely be called two of the most life-changing examinations an engineering aspirant has to take. While the board examination tests a student’s grasp of fundamental concepts, JEE is known to test a whole set of different skillsets. Since both of these examinations are conducted at almost the same time, the catch is to strike a balance between the two. Here we talk about a few tips that will help a student perform well in both these exams. 

Prepare A Schedule:- This is one tip that can’t be stressed enough. The good thing about planning and organising is that it puts you in the right frame of mind and helps you in identifying your weaknesses and strengths. Having a schedule allows you to manage your time effectively and lets you set realistic deadlines for yourself. Now, the only thing that’s left for you to do is to stay true to these deadlines.

Prepare For JEE First:- This obviously doesn’t mean that you completely ignore your boards’ syllabus and focus wholly on JEE, but preparing for JEE can cover a majority of topics that will be a part of your boards as well. It has been established that the level of difficulty of JEE is slightly higher than the CBSE board examinations and if you have studied a particular topic for JEE, chances are that you would be able to brush it up better whilst preparing for your boards. 

Don’t Ignore Mock Tests And Previous Year Papers:- It has been commonly observed that these papers prove to be incredibly beneficial for students. Not only do these papers help students in understanding the pattern and difficulty level of the examination, but they also let them build the required speed to complete the paper in time. This is why it is always a good idea to revise your concepts with the help of mock tests and previous year papers. 

Read The Words, Write The Numbers:- It has been said before that writing helps learn faster. However, it is also true that writing down everything that you need to learn can be a time-consuming task. This is why it is a good idea to practice numerical problems by writing them down and understand textual concepts by reading and understanding. Try to stay away from rote learning as much as possible.

Keep Checking The Prescribed Syllabus:- Revisiting your syllabus does two things. One, it helps you avoid missing out on an important section and two, it keeps you motivated by reminding you how much you’ve accomplished so far. Keeping track of what has been done and what needs to be done is an excellent way to prevent a shortage of time at the last moment.

Stay Confident And Collect Your Thoughts:- The last and final tip would be to stay confident and keep your thoughts collected. Students often panic as the exam date comes closer and they attempt to do everything at once. This can be a problem as it can lead you to lose your confidence. Instead, it is advisable to leave very little for the last moment and stay calm and confident.

While it is true that these examinations play a crucial part in deciding your career path, unnecessary pressure and panic can make the situation more difficult. The advisable thing to do is to do the best in your capacity and attempt the paper with a calm mind.

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As only a few days left for the board’s examinations, students are under tremendous pressure to perform their level best in the examinations. Every student is struggling to achieve good scores as it will help them to get admissions in their dream universities and colleges. In this article, we have discussed some tips and tricks so that you can score well in your exams.

The below-mentioned tips will help you to utilize your study time and efforts in the best possible manner and score good marks in the exams:

• Stick to your NCERT Books: It has been witnessed that many students run behind tempting and heavyweight reference books to strengthen their preparation. They tend to underestimate their syllabus books like NCERT in the case of CBSE board, but they should never forget that syllabus books are best to practice with. If you want to study from guides or reference books too, first focus on finishing your syllabus. This will help you to score more percentage. Reference books are good to study but only for those who want to be a part of competitive exams after 12th class.
• Analyze your Strong & Weak Points: It is quintessential to know your strong and weak points while preparing for the board exams. For this, start debugging the mistakes you made in your previous test papers, prepare a list of those mistakes, and work hard to correct them. Working hard on your weak points will not only put you on the right track but also help you to score a great percentage.
  
• Stress on Time Management: Time management is one of the biggest factors responsible for excellent marks. You can devote more time to the complex and logical subjects like Maths, Physics, Accounts, etc. Instead of joining coaching classes at the last minute, utilize that time in self-study. Allot equal time of study to your main subjects and don’t your underestimate supporting subjects like English & Hindi as they can be a real percentage booster for you.
  
• Practice Sample & Previous Year Papers: Don’t let the power of fancy guides and reference books overpower the value of old assets. Although students leave no stone unturned to score best in the exams, it has been observed that they don’t even consider previous year papers. The last 10 years papers are enough to boost up the preparation. You will understand the level of difficulty, figure out the repeating sequence of questions, examine your true potential.
  

Every activity plays an important role while you are preparing for board exams. Your one mistake can cause a big difference in your overall board percentage. It has been observed that students are very anxious and nervous while sitting in the examination hall. The performance pressure is so powerful that they forget what they have prepared for the examination. 

To avoid this situation, here are some quick strategies that should be implemented to score excellent marks:

• Maintain neatness and cleanliness while writing your answers. You should focus on your handwriting in leisure time to make your answer sheet look great and presentable. 
  
• Highlight the key points in your answer sheet. You can also underline the important phrases in your answer sheet and make boxes around the answer. 
  
• Instead of writing the copied answer, you can also work on writing the innovative answers to grab extra marks in the exams.
  
• Make the right use of the additional 15 min and strategize which questions you are going to answer first. 
  
• It is not mandatory to write the answers in the same order of the question paper. You should first answer those questions you know and then attempt the difficult ones.
  
• Avoid writing a whole paragraph while answering the question. Write in bullet points to make the answer more effective, relevant, and easy to ready. You can also use diagrams to make the answer more meaningful.
  

Don’t try to revise everything one night before the exam. Instead of doing this, take a long sleep to relax your brain and remember things more accurately at the time of the exam. Even if you want to revise, get up early in the morning, open your notes, and do a quick revision of all the topics briefly.

All the best for your boards…!

 

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Have you recently been accepted into an Australian university? Starting a new degree can be stressful but it can come with some unique challenges for international students. Below, we explore some things about Australian universities that you may not know to hopefully make your first day that little bit less stressful.

Participate in orientation

To celebrate the start of a new semester and to make students feel welcome, universities throw an ‘o-week’ to celebrate the new university term. This social first week of university is an opportunity to participate in fun events such as barbeques, campus tours and introductory lectures, as well as a social opportunity to learn more about student clubs and societies. University campuses can be huge so it’s always helpful to participate in o-week so you can get to know your surroundings and make some new friends.

Try not to skip classes, remember why you’re there

Whilst its really tempting to skip classes in the first few weeks of your degree, it’s really important to remember why you’re at university and to attend all classes. Attending classes in your first few weeks gives you a chance to get to know your lecturers and tutors and it also gives you a chance to make new friends in classes where you may need to partner up for group for assignments.

Try to get into good study habits early in the semester

Developing a study plan will help you beat stress later in the semester once exam time comes around all too soon. It’s common for students to take 4 or 5 subjects each semester and when you consider that virtually all subjects will require you to complete assignments, conflicting deadlines can result in some serious stress if you’re not prepared. Developing a balanced study routine from semester one will help you become an expert early and make a world of difference as your progress through future semesters at university.

Use university support services

As you’ll find out during your o-week orientation, student support services are there to make your life at university more comfortable. Many Australian universities offer support to international students specifically, such as English language assistance. If you’re struggling with any aspect of your university experience, student support services are there to help you.

Is there an opportunity to head on exchange? Get after it

Whether you’re an international student or not, exchange programs can open up a heap of new opportunities both personally and professionally. Does your university has a sister school in another country where you can study for a semester? Learning in new environments can unlock a world of opportunities and you might be surprised by just how many lifelong friends you make along the way.

Embrace university social life

Whilst not everyone is confident when it comes to meeting new people and making new friends, it’s always a good idea to introduce yourself to people in lectures and tutorials so you can start building a community around you at university. Having friends on campus, especially if you’re new to Australia, can make your university experience much more fulfilling. If you’re struggling to make friends, considering visiting student services to learn what clubs you might be able to join to begin the process of embracing social life and all it has to offer at university.

Are you about to start a new degree at an australia university? How exciting! Remember, the above are just a number of tips that might make university more fun for you. In order to ensure you get the most out of your experience, make friends and immerse yourself in all that university in Australia has to offer.

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Whilst it’s true that Australian’s enjoy a laid-back lifestyle and some of the world’s most stunning scenery, the process of moving to Australia requires some careful planning to ensure a smooth transition.

As always, planning is critical and it’s very important to have a number of the below items accounted for before you book a flight to begin your journey in Australia.

You Need a Visa
As we identified in the moving checklist to Australia article, depending on the career type and industry that you’re applying for, different visas are required. Remember, in order to legally gain employment in Australia, a visa is required for all migrants.

The correct visa for you depends on your unique circumstances. As we’ve touched on previously, a migrant can come to Australia on a skilled independent visa which does not require employer sponsorship if they meet the relevant skilled occupation list. To find the exact visa that you need to work in Australia, visit the visa finder at Home Affairs.

Paying Tax in Australia
The Australian government provides tax advice for international individuals to ensure they have the information to legally pay and declare income tax as soon as they secure employment.

When you get your first job in Australia, your employer will ask for your Tax File Number (TFN). Your TFN is a unique number that identifies you as a tax paying individual. To apply for a TFN, visit the Australian Tax Office website here.

Opening a Bank Account
If you’re looking to work in Australia, you’ll want to sign up for an Australian bank account so you’re not paying foreign exchange fees to an international bank. You can sign up for an account with the bank of your choice directly.

Pay & Wages
The Fair Work government agency provides information on the minimum wage for all employment categories in Australia. If you’d like to understand what you can expect to get paid in your chosen career, visit Fair Work’s full list of award wages here.

Holiday Leave & Superannuation
Thanks to strict National Employment Standards, full-time workers in Australia are entitled to four weeks of paid annual leave per year. If you’re employed casually, time off work isn’t paid, however, leave entitlements very much depend on your employer and unique circumstances.

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January 22, 2020

The NTA has successfully conducted the January session of JEE Main 2020 Paper. This time, instead of 8 exam schedules on 4 days for Paper 1, it has conducted 6 exam schedules on 3 days, i.e., on 7th, 8th and 9th January in both morning and evening shifts. Based on these 6 papers’ experiences, our team of SMEs have come up with some insightful analyses.

1. Questions were evenly distributed from Grade XI and XII, for all subjects.
2. Difficulty level: This year Physics papers were Easy, while Chemistry and Mathematics papers were Moderate to Difficult.
   

The analyses on the same are given below.

A. Subject-wise number of questions from Grades XI and XII

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• Have self-confidence: The most important point to remember is that you must have the self-confidence to believe in yourself that you are on the right track and you are going to achieve your goal. Don’t let any doubts come near you. Generally, you face some doubts before going for the examinations and in that moment of doubt, you need to remember that your preparation is already done and doubting yourself now is not going to help. So, believe in yourself. Believe in your preparation, try to keep it simple and do not discuss with other students. Do your basic daily routine and give yourself a chance to perform well in the examination.
  

• Just revise formulae and theorems: Just revise the important formulae and theorems on the day before the examination. Don’t study anything else the day before and on the day of the examination. 
• Relax: Have a sound sleep, a day before the examination. Keep it simple, keep it real and relax. Give your brain enough time to process well and be in the best frame of mind on the day of the examination.
  

Things to Remember while attempting JEE Main 2020

• Reach the centre an hour prior to the examination time: Reach early to the examination hall and relax.
• Read the instructions carefully: This year, there have been quite a few changes in the marking scheme. Hence, read the instructions carefully.
• Take a quick overview of the paper before starting the examination: Before starting the examination, take a quick overview of the paper and go through it. It can help you to identify the easy or average questions, with which you can start your examination.
• Start with the section you are most confident about (Physics, Chemistry and Mathematics): It could be any of the 3 sections. As there is no sectional cut-off, you can identify the section you are feeling most confident about and start attempting that section first.
• Don't panic after checking the paper: Sometimes, at the first sight it may seem like you don't know anything and this may overwhelm you. So, take a deep breath and start. One important point to keep in mind is that you are not alone. As there are thousands of students with you, the paper will have been equally tough for them too.
• Time management: Don't waste much time on any question. If you are not getting the answer on the very first try, we suggest you move to the next one. Too much time on any question will lead you towards the situation of panic and frustration, which will impact your efficiency. If any question requires more time, mark it for review and attempt that question at the end of the paper.
• Read questions carefully and don’t make random guesses: Be calm and read questions very carefully because after reading it you know best whether you can answer a question well or not. If you are not sure about the answer, then move on. Don’t make random guess, as random guesses for any question will fetch negative marks and ultimately bring down your score.
• You must attempt the numerical value type questions: As there is no negative marking, you must attempt the numerical value type questions. It is because correct answer can give you (+4) marks and it does not affect your score, even if you have answered it incorrectly.
• Be positive, confident and give your 100 per cent: In the examination hall, be confident and think positive. Believe in yourself and your hard work. Put your 100 per cent efforts and hope for the best.

Good Luck!

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Browsing the paper of General Studies (GS) Paper-3, it can be easily observed that this examination is not about rot learning instead it requires profound study of concepts and their application in society. It demands more practical solutions rather than bulky theoretical answers. The role of a Civil Servant in today’s time is changing, from being an administrator to a mentor. Administration seasoned with good governance and responsive behavior is the need of the hour.

Sardar Vallabh Bhai Patel credited Civil Servants by accolading them as ‘Steel Frame’. Nonetheless, bureaucrats are the backbone of administration. As society is an organic whole which grows, morphs and shapes new course of life, it becomes imperative for an administrator to be also dynamic, progressive and solution oriented with optimism towards new path.

This is what GS Paper-3 is trying to gauge that given new challenges as cybercrime, increasing pollution levels, global warming, growth without development, threats to internal security and increasing incidents of anthropogenic and natural disasters propel for disaster management.

Therefore, the syllabus of this exam specifically tries to cover whole ambit of crucial areas where critical approach is required for solving the changes which have marred the society from so long.

Now let us try to see this year’s paper through these lenses:

1. The first question itself was for GST and glitches in revenue collection, which itself needs conceptual as well as current affairs understanding. Knowing current affairs is one part and articulating the information is the real task which can come only with practice. Therefore, practice is the secret to qualify Main Examination.
2. Also, expression makes a difference amongst the answers. A balanced answer is always appreciated. Avoid being technical gobbledygook.
3. Every question seemingly simple at superficial level requires a specific or detailed answer as in this question; “Vulnerability is an essential element for defining disaster impacts and its threat to people. How and in what ways can vulnerability to disasters be characterized? Discuss different types of vulnerability with reference to disasters”.Such questions need to supplement with data, important statistics and some significant case studies regarding vulnerability to disaster and pre-disaster management.
4. “The banning of ‘Jamaat-e – islaami’ in Jammu and Kashmir brought into focus the role of over-ground workers (OGWs) in assisting terrorist organizations. Examine the role played by OGWs in assisting terrorist organizations in insurgency affected areas. Discuss measures to neutralize the influence of OGWs”; this question requires a clear-cut solution to the problem of ‘home-grown terrorism’ which is also a threat to internal security of the country. Such sort of questions can be handled through enriched content from good newspapers and magazines. Avoid sharing volatile views in the examination.
5. Border management related question is asked in the last question; “Cross-border movement of insurgents is only one of the several security challenges facing the policing of the border in North-East India. Examine the various challenges currently emanating across the India-Myanmar border. Also, discuss the steps to counter the challenges”In this question, a candidate should be able to share the information of types of borders that India have and why Indo-Myanmar border is crucial. Mention of ‘Golden Triangle’ becomes impeccable over here supported by some significant data.
6. The questions covering the aspects of food processing and food grain distribution system, are related with food production and food grain management. As well as how biotechnology can be used to enhance the lives of the farmers. Overall, the paper has covered every nook and corner of the syllabus. So, keep your syllabus handy during preparation.

Hence, in order to have an extra edge in the paper, it is pertinent to change the way of learning and approaching the paper. Solve as many as previous years’ question papers, practice writing maximum and rely on standard and authentic sources for preparation.

All the best!

Sherry A Singh

Senior Editor Acquisition- Test Prep

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JEE Main has been constantly in pursuit of updating and enhancing the level of the examinations. In general, JEE Main tries to test your understanding of the basic concepts and their applications. However, they come up with some new challenges for you, every year. So, to help you out with this, our team of subject matter experts have come up with the analysis of last 7 years of JEE Main papers, wherein they have analysed about the level of the questions, chapters of all subjects from which most of the questions are generally asked, etc.

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The first thing to know is that NTA does not allocate any weightage to any chapter and you should try to learn and understand all chapters of all subjects. You should have a complete understanding of all the concepts and formulae of all the chapters and topics. You must have all the concepts on your tips. Once you have conceptual clarity of the important topics, you should practice questions based on the important chapters for JEE Main. By following this way, you will be able to target the maximum marks without worrying about all the chapters. More importantly, if the students have complete command over these important chapters, they are destined to score great marks in the JEE exam.

After analysing the pattern of the past years' question papers of JEE Main, subject experts have prepared a list of the important chapters.

 *Also, these chapters have been categorised into 4 different categories based on the number of efforts needed to learn and score in the exam along with the weightage of the chapters.

Category	Output (Weightage of chapters in exam)	Input (Amount of efforts needed to learn these chapters and chances of scoring in exam)
Category 1	High output	Low input
Category 2	High output	High input
Category 3	Low output	Low input
Category 4	Low output	High input

 

The important units/chapters of Mathematics based on their weightage in the exam are given below:

Chapters	Weightage (%)	Average number of questions asked from the chapters	Category (Based on efforts needed to score vs. weightage)
Limit, Continuity and Differentiability	5 %	2	Category 2
Application of Derivatives	7 %	2	Category 2
Differentiation	3 %	1	Category 3
Straight Line	4 %	1	Category 1
Conic Section	10 %	3	Category 2
Statistics and Probability	9 %	2
Vector and 3-D	9 %	3	Category 1
Matrix and Determinants	7 %	2	Category 1
Sequence and Series	7 %	2	Category 1
Trigonometry	6 %	2	Category 2
Quadratic Equation	4 %	1	Category 2
Integral Calculus	12 %	3	Category 2
Complex Number	3 %	1	Category 4
Binomial Theorem	3 %	1	Category 4
Sets and Relations	2 %	1	Category 3
Functions	4 %	1	Category 3
Permutation and Combination	3 %	1	Category 4
Mathematical Reasoning	2 %	1	Category 3
Total	100 %	30

 

The important units/chapters of Physics based on their weightage in the exam are given below:

Chapters	Weightage (%)	Average number of questions asked from the chapters	Category (Based on efforts needed to score vs. weightage)
Modern Physics	15 %	5	Category 2
Optics	9 %	3	Category 1
Heat and Thermodynamics	9 %	3	Category 1
Electrostatics	7 %	2	Category 2
Current Electricity	7 %	2	Category 1
Gravitation and Rotational Mechanics	8 %	2	Category 2
Magnetics	7 %	2	Category 2
Kinematics	4 %	1	Category 4
Units, Dimensions, Errors and Experiments	5 %	1	Category 3
Waves and Oscillation	4 %	2	Category 1
EMI and AC	6 %	1	Category 2
Solids and Fluids	6 %	1	Category 2
Laws of motion	3 %	1	Category 4
System of Particles	4 %	2	Category 2
Work, Energy and Power	3 %	1	Category 3
Semiconductor and Communication	3 %	1	Category 1
Total	100 %	30

 

The important units/chapters of Chemistry based on their weightage in the exam are given below

Chapters	Weightage (%)	Average number of questions asked from the chapters	Category (Based on efforts needed to score vs. weightage)
Physical Chemistry
Basic Concepts of Chemistry	4 %	2	Category 2
Atomic Structure	3 %	1	Category 1
Ionic Equilibrium and Chemical Equilibrium	5 %	2	Category 3
Thermodynamics and Thermochemistry	6 %	2	Category 2
Electrochemistry	4 %	1	Category 1
Surface Chemistry	4 %	1	Category 1
Chemical Kinetics	2 %	1	Category 1
Solutions	5 %	1	Category 3
States of Matter	3 %	1	Category 3
Inorganic Chemistry
Chemical Bonding	5 %	2	Category 1
d-block and f-block	3 %	1	Category 1
p-block	6 %	1	Category 2
Coordination Compounds	7 %	2	Category 1
s-block	5 %	1	Category 4
Environmental chemistry	2 %	1	Category 3
Organic Chemistry
GOC	5 %	2	Category 2
Hydrocarbons	4 %	1	Category 3
Biomolecules and Polymers	6 %	1	Category 4
Practical Organic Chemistry	4 %	1	Category 2
Organic Compounds Containing Halogens	5 %	2	Category 1
Organic Compounds Containing Nitrogen	5 %	1	Category 1
Organic Compounds Containing Oxygen	7 %	2	Category 2
Total	100 %	30

 

*Note: From 2020, JEE Main will have only 25 questions from each subject. So, the number of questions asked from any of these chapters can be changed.

Remarks: Based on these observations, you can identify on which topic to achieve your goal. It will help you to decide, how much time you need to allot to each chapter according to your current understanding of that chapter.

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Changes in JEE Main 2020

This year, NTA has revised the JEE Main 2020 exam pattern As per the revised JEE Main exam pattern 2020, the question booklet of BE/B.Tech., will have a total of 75 questions instead of 90 questions. These questions will be equally distributed among Physics, Chemistry, and Mathematics, each consisting of 25 questions. Out of the total questions in JEE Main 2020 Paper 1, each subject will have 20 objective type multiple choice questions along with 5 numerical based questions.

Here are a few things we must know about the changes.

1. Total questions (75 questions) – From now on, there will be 75 questions instead of 90 questions with 25 each from Physics, Chemistry, and Mathematics.

Number of Questions: 

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