Being an engineer is a fascination for many in our country. The first hurdle to cross to achieve that is writing the Joint Entrance Examination (JEE). JEE is an all India common entrance examination which is the gateway to many engineering colleges all across India including the top ranked, Indian Institute of Technology (IITs). Replacing two different exams All India Engineering Entrance Examination (AIEEE) and Indian Institute of Technology Joint Entrance Examination (IIT-JEE) in 2012, JEE is also held in two parts, JEE Main and JEE Advanced. JEE Mains is held for entrance to IITs (Indian Institutes of Information Technology), NITs (National Institutes of Technology), CFTIs (Central Funded Technical Institute) and Indian Institute of Engineering Science and Technology (IIEST) Shibpur for their dual degree certificate. JEE-Advanced is for admission in Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs), and Indian School of Mines Dhanbad which will soon be an IIT itself. Some other colleges like Indian Institutes of Science Education and Research, Rajiv Gandhi Institute of Petroleum Technology (RGIPT) and Indian Institute of Science also take admissions on the basis of the score students get in JEE Main.

Only the top 1,50,000 students who appear for JEE Main are allowed to sit for JEE Advanced because IITs only accept top students. But not being eligible for JEE Advanced is not the end of the road because by getting good scores in JEE Main you can still get into top colleges like IIITs, NITs among other highly ranked institutes. Even the students who become eligible for sitting JEE Advanced but fail to clear it are eligible for admission in these colleges. The exam is held in two forms, Paper-1 for engineering and the other, Paper-2, for architecture/ planning courses. Paper-1 has a computer based online exam as well as a pen and paper exam with objective type multiple choice questions. Every question is worth 4 marks and every wrong question makes you lose one mark as negative marking. It is divided into Physics, Chemistry and Mathematics with each subject carrying equal number of marks. Paper-2 is divided into Mathematic, Drawing and Aptitude.

JEE Main is not an easy exam because it tests the versatility of your knowledge and skill and thus you need months of preparation and learn the cracks for a successful attempt at the exam. Biggest virtue while preparation is managing your time. Understand which subjects you are good at and make them your strong points while giving enough time to the weaker subjects as well. Time management is also important when you are writing the exam because there is a limited time and if you spend too much time on a tough question you might miss out on the easier ones. Giving a lot of mock tests is the best way to prepare as it tells you about strengths and weaknesses. JEE Main is the golden gate for a bright future career, prepare well.