Students’ Speak: Tips to handle low JEE Main score

By: Shikhar Gupta

It is really daunting to work so hard throughout the year and not see your dream score on the result sheet, believe me I have been there. But the important thing is to understand that though everything seems lost, it is not and you still have a lot of opportunities waiting for you.

The first thing to understand that IIT and NIT are great institutes but not the only ones where you can get enough exposure for a great future. So, at this time start focusing on other exams. I will suggest you appear for BITSAT, IISER, and NEST (for NISER and UMDAE-CBS) at least, as they have great potential. If your family can afford a good private college, go for it, but I will recommend against it as in the end you have to get only one bachelor’s degree, why not get the better one. At this point, you have a boon that I did not have at that time.

That is this time you have got the opportunity of two JEE Mains in one year. So, let us start kneading our swords again, and prepare for the next attempt with all the zeal and enthusiasm. Now coming to the other part of the discussion, what to do next if you have cleared JEE Main cut-off but don’t think you have a great rank?

My short answer is “Apply for counselling” doesn’t matter how low you think your score is, fill the counselling in a proper way starting from the top-most to the bottom and try to get a NIT, understand that in the recent times, many NITs which were considered bad have shown their calibre and that is expected to improve drastically in recent years with the increased funding for them. Moreover, there is always the special counselling. Let me give you the example of one of my classmates, with her score she was only able to get ECE in NIT Silchar, but in the special round, she got Chemical Engineering in Surat, and after the first year she worked hard and changed it to CSE in her second year, so yes anything is possible.

Do appear in the JEE Mains in May with all your vigour, but if you do not make in that even when you have taken coaching, I will suggest you not to take a year drop. See, try to take a college, and prepare from there if you are dedicated enough, you can do that. But realize that a year drop is not easy, I have a lot of friends who dropped, the amount of pressure and anxiety that brings is unprecedented, I am not trying to discourage you or anything, but if you haven’t cleared the cut off in the first two attempts even statistically your chances get lower with each attempt because you will be even less willing to try on risky questions, which for the past few years are becoming the trend.

In the end, it is about you if you believe you can make it in the next attempt go for it, do not let me or anyone tell you what you can or cannot. I have never met you and can only give you my opinion and not a decision. But as I said, do fill the counselling and a smarter course by securing a college before risking everything.

As the famous saying goes – “Let everything happen to you, Beauty and Terror, Just keep going, nothing is Final.”

About the Author:

Shikhar Gupta is a third-year undergraduate student at NIT Silchar. He is currently the General Secretary for his branch society (ECS) and the Vocal Skills Club Head for Illuminits: Literary Publication and Fine Arts Society. He is an avid reader, writer and a block chain-enthusiast. He was recently the winner of the RBI Regional Policy Challenge on Non-Banking.