JEE Advanced Topper: AIR 122 Gulshan Kumar shares his preparation strategy
Gulshan Kumar shared his JEE Main and JEE Advanced preparation strategy with Shiksha.com. Read more...
Gulshan Kumar a boy from one of backward districts of India, Gaya in Bihar has not just made his village proud but also his district and the state. Gulshan has been ranked AIR 122 in JEE Advanced and was AIR 37, in JEE Main 2023 Rank.
Gulshan who is from Patwatoli, in Gaya, Bihar is topper of the Gaya District. His father is a weaver. He has been a student in a two-year program classroom and joined FIITJEE through the F-40 program. He is also an NTSE Scholar and has qualified for Olympiad Stage-1 in Physics (NSEP), Chemistry (NSCE) and Astronomy (NSEA). He has also qualified for KVPY-SA.
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Gulshan shared his JEE Main and JEE Advanced preparation strategy with Shiksha.com
Q: Congratulations on your result! What was your reaction when you came to know about your rank?
A. Thank you! When I first found out about my rank, it was an overwhelming moment for me. I celebrated with my parents, friends and FIITJEE family who had supported me throughout my journey. It was truly a moment of pride and validation for all the hard work and sacrifices I had put in. I feel incredibly grateful for this achievement and the opportunities that lie ahead.
JEE Main 2026 exam pattern has been released by the NTA. As per exam pattern, the JEE Main Paper 1 (BE/B.Tech) exam will consist of 75 questions, 25 each from Physics Chemistry and Mathematics. Out of 25 questions, 20 will be MCQs and 5 will be NAV. Students need to answer all 75 questions. JEE Main paper 2A for B.Arch consists of 77 questions of which 25 are from Mathematics, 50 from General Aptitude and 2 from Drawing. In Paper 2B for BPlan total questions are 100 of which 25 are from Mathematics, 50 from General Aptitude and 25 from Planning.
The question paper will have no internal choices within questions and total duration of exam is 3 hours.
Q: When and how did you decide to pursue B.Tech?
A. I decided to pursue B.Tech during my high school years after realizing my interest in science and mathematics. The exposure to some engineering concepts during my JEE Advanced preparation further strengthened my decision.
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Q: Tell us something about your family, schooling, etc.
A. My family has been very supportive in my preparation. My parents have been my pillars of strength, encouraging me to chase my dreams. We belong to a low-income family from Manpur Patwatoli, Gaya, Bihar. I heard about the Fortunate-40 program by FIITJEE to help academically sound but having financial problems. FIITJEE provided me 100% scholarship for study and living.
In terms of schooling, I was studying at British English School. My school has also supported me to chase my dream.
Q: When did you start preparing for JEE and what was the strategy?
A. I joined FIIT-JEE Punjabi Bagh in class 11th in the two-year classroom program through Fortunate-40. I started preparing for JEE at the beginning of the class.
My strategy involved a few key elements. Firstly, I dedicated sufficient time to understand concepts of each subject thoroughly. I made sure to cover the syllabus comprehensively. Regular practice was a crucial aspect of my preparation.
I solved a wide range of practice questions and previous year's papers to develop problem-solving skills. FIITJEE AITS has helped me a lot in final practice and time management during the paper. I used to take short breaks to keep my physical and mental health good.
The JEE Advanced exam is known to be one of the toughest exams in India, with around 200,000 students competing for seats in the country's top institutions. The exam pattern changes dynamically every year, and the examiners want to test not only the students' credibility but also their adaptability. Moreover, they don't want to compromise the exam's core purpose of evaluating students' knowledge by repeating the same pattern every year. Therefore, it is beneficial to make some generalizations about the paper. This strategy ensures equal opportunity for all students and minimizes the popular "luck factor, " which we all have experienced during board exams. Analyzing previous year's papers to identify the weightage pattern for different chapters and deducing the essential topics is a useful approach. Changing the exam pattern also surprises the coaching industry that charges exorbitant fees without any guarantee of success. Lastly, since it is the JEE Advanced, surprise is an essential element, as no examiner wants rote learners to enter IIT and enjoy at taxpayers' expense.
This is one of the most popular questions and also a misconception about the JEE Advanced exam. The question paper design and pattern do not depend on the conducting IIT. It is never a fact that the question paper designed by an IIT will have the same difficulty level or same pattern each time it conducts JEE Advanced.
The marking schemes change each year. Negative marks may be awarded for incorrect answers to some of the questions.
The candidates will be provided with the information on the marking scheme in the “Instructions to Candidates” section at the time of examination.
However, the only aspects of the JEE Advanced 2026 exam that remain constant each year are:
- The exam will consist of two question papers: Paper 1 and Paper 2 of three hours duration each.
- Both papers are compulsory.
- Each question paper will consist of three separate sections, which are Physics, Chemistry and Mathematics.
Q. What were your strong and weak areas?
A. I was strong in the subject of Physics and moderate in Mathematics and Chemistry(Physical and Organic). My Weak areas were inorganic chemistry.
Q. Which books did you refer to for JEE?
A. First of all I go through all the FIITJEE packages and NCERT textbooks apart from my notes. Then I read some of the foreign author books recommended by my teachers for my better understanding of concepts.
Q. When did you start taking full-length JEE mock tests?
A. when I covered and revised the major portions of JEE advanced syllabus, I started to give JEE mock tests. It may be around 5-6 months before the exam.
Q: How did you balance your JEE preparation along with your school and board exams?
A. Generally for physics chemistry and maths, JEE preparation is sufficient for Board preparation. and for English and physical education, I used to give extra time during my class 11th and 12th along with JEE preparations going on.
Q: What was your exam-taking strategy?
A. My strategy was to solve the first easy questions of chemistry - a scoring and easy subject. Then I solve easy questions from Physics, followed by Maths. At the last, I will reattempt the unsolved questions again. I focused to maintain accuracy during paper solving.
Q: During your rigorous preparation journey, how did you unwind yourself?
A. I used to do some physical exercise in the morning. And take some short breaks during the study. taking enough sleep makes me feel energetic the next morning.
Q: Which is your dream Engineering college and branch?
A. IIT Bombay and Computer Science and Engineering.
Q: What are your plans after completing B.Tech?
A. My goal is to contribute to the field of engineering and computer science. I, along with this, want to contribute towards the students and the people of my society in terms of education and well-being.
Q: Your suggestion for next year’s JEE takers?
A. Start Early, Understand your goal, create a study plan according to your needs, focus on concepts, stay healthy and motivated, and manage your time effectively.
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Yes, JEE Main exam has negative marking provision. As per the current exam pattern of JEE Main, 4 marks is awarded for every correct answer, while 1 mark is deducted for every incorrect answer.