Is dropping a year for JEE MAIN a good option?

Preparing for any kind of an examination has its own pressure. Sometimes, we stress on a small model test but perform very brightly in our board exams. When it comes to an entrance exam that can provide admission into some of the nation’s premium institutes, this stress and tension take a toll on the student’s mind. JEE Main is one such examination that is considered one of India’s toughest entrance exams. Clearing of JEE Main exam and
eventually, JEE Advanced can provide you admission to top IITs and NITs.

Dropping a year for the preparation or not isn’t an easy decision to be made. A gap between your education is introspected by future employers and colleges both. Therefore all factors must be kept in mind before making this decision. In case it is your second attempt at JEE Main, consider these factors to improvise.

• Analysis of the current score: It is advisable to self-introspect your performance and get an idea about which college you can get on the current score.
• Reason for a low score: After doing the analysis, mark your weaker reasons to know where you need to work the most.
• Steps to enhance your performance: Planning and strategizing are the tools that can help you prepare in an enhanced manner.
• Are you ready to dedicate your time: This is the dilemma that has to be cleared from your head. An entire year has to be dedicated to books, research material, and sample papers.

In this article, we provide a clear picture of the pros and cons of dropping a year to score well in JEE Main.

The positive aspects of dropping the year

When you decide to dedicate an entire year to work towards getting a good score in the exam, here’s what you stand to gain:

1. You get more time to prepare if it’s your first attempt. That means more time to define your career goal for yourself.

2. You get more time choosing the right stream, according to your interests, be it Electrical, Mechanical, Electronics, etc. Because Engineering is not solely based on Maths or Physics. There are other subjects as well. So take time to decide specifically by analyzing your Class 12th marks, model test results, etc.

3. Next is to decide on a good coaching center. With good material resources, faculty, peer and family support, you will be set for a whole year.

4. You will have ample time for your other recreational activities and less stress. Try giving more focus to the NCERT syllabus for a good score of 250+

5. Also, when you qualify for JEE Main the next year and get into any good NIT, good placements await you at the end.

For those who don’t prefer full drop, a partial drop is also possible. But with proper and dedicated preparation, it should be straightforward; cracking the JEE Main.

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The negative aspects of dropping the year

1. When you drop a year for preparation, expectations of getting a good score will also rise. You would be expected to get a high score in the exam.
2. Don’t get disheartened by other candidates’ scores. If you do that, you’ll lose your motivation and the will to study.
3. An education gap can hurt your resume. B-schools and future employers would always take note of this factor.

And don’t fret that you would be sitting simply at home because you are not. You will be doing some systematic studying. Yes, you will miss out on college life. But, since it’s for the best, you can enjoy your success next year, when you qualify for the exam.

Hence, it is better that you do a self-analysis properly before making the decision to drop. First, see where you stand and how far your JEE Main score is from the cutoff. Because simple qualification in JEE Mains won’t guarantee you a seat, a decent score is needed to get into your desired branch of study. For instance, if you aim for a branch like CS, a minimum score of 200+ score is needed. Second, analyze your Class 12th marks. Third, ask yourself whether you are mentally capable of coping with possible pressure from friends or relatives about the drop. And lastly, evaluate your passion for engineering in the end.

How Does Option of a Private College look?

Instead of dropping a year to write the JEE Main, the option of study in any private college is also possible, along with simultaneous preparations.

If it’s a case of getting low ranks in the first JEE Main attempt, then getting into any private engineering college can be considered. Because if you drop out and wait for a year, you can end up feeling stressed out, with the pressure of a low rank constantly on your mind. Joining a college is safer, and you will be distracted.

Nowadays, many engineering colleges allow students to change their department in the second year, based on academic performance. So you can study in a private college, qualify the next year and join your desired branch at any NIT or IIIT. Also, with the similarity of subjects in the first year of college, with that of JEE syllabus, you don’t have to worry much about preparations in the meantime. That doesn’t mean it will be easy, dividing college time and JEE Mains preparation time.

Lastly, if you are planning for MBA or M.Tech. Later on, then avoid dropping a year, as continuous years of study is favorable in this case.

In some ways, joining a private college is better than dropping a year altogether. Because, in case you failed the JEE Main, you still have the college as an option. And you would be getting plenty of opportunities at college too. But, for a person who requires dedicated time for entrance preparations, dropping a year is good for them. By now, you understand it’s an individual thing.

Few Success stories

And now, we would like to share few success stories of known Indian personalities who failed to qualify IIT JEE but ended up where they rightfully belonged. Nothing like a good motivational read, right?

1) Kalpana Chawla – was the first Indian woman in space and Space Shuttle, Columbia’s mission specialist. Great start to this list? Though she failed to qualify for JEE exams, she pursued her Aeronautical Engineering from Punjab Engineering College and MS in Aerospace Engineering from Texas University. Wait, there’s more; she did her Ph.D. too!

2) Satya Nadella – is the CEO of Microsoft. When he had failed in cracking the JEE exam, he explored other options beautifully. And earning an Engineering degree from Manipal University was his first option. He started his professional career at Sun Microsystems and at Microsoft. And, the rest is indeed history.

3) Venkatraman Ramakrishnan – The Nobel Prize Winner (shared prize) in Chemistry also features in this list. He had done his Ph.D. in Theoretical Physics, changed his area of interest to Biology, only to become one of India’s prominent Structural Biologists. And what happened years back?

He, too, failed to gain admissions to any of the IITs back then.

4) Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam – Last but not least, our beloved ex-President of India also features in here, inspiring people not only in the fields of science but also to be a better human. Inspite of not having the IITian tag or cracking the JEE exam, he is still known as one of the world’s best engineers.

So, do lay about your options nicely and give them your best shot. In the end, don’t worry about what others would think, if you dropped a year or something but worry, what you should think about is your own self. That matters the most.