Apart from your own diligence, there are several professional coaching institutions which can help you prepare for the rigours of entrance exams. It is always recommended that students join a good coaching institute. Coaching academies are equipped to cover all relevant areas of interest, besides aiding you in being consistent in your efforts. Ideally, a coaching institute would help you monitor your progress at regular intervals. Given below are some quick tips to help you crack an entrance test-

• There is no substitute for hard work. Students who barely managed to score passing marks in their class 10th standard examination have been able to secure admission in the IITs – all through sheer hard work.
• Plan your effort. It is important to pay attention to Physics, Chemistry and Mathematics. A number of exams have a minimum sectional cut-off requirement for each of these subjects.
• Even if you work on only 80% of the syllabus, do it well.
• Try and see the previous years’ question papers to get a sense of the examination pattern.
• It is essential to take regular practice tests (once every month) in an exam simulated environment to measure your progress.
• Don’t get into the habit of relying on calculators.
• Try and keep in touch with other students who are appearing for the exam. You can share useful tips with each other.
• It is not sufficient to cover a topic just once. Keep refreshing what you have studied.

Micro Strategy
Mathematics

• You must start concentrating on preparing for the entrance tests after clearing your 10th standard examination. Your preparation should be focused on covering Calculus, which includes, Limits, Integration and Differentiation, Set theory and relations, Matrices, Advanced Trigonometry, Algebra (Simultaneous equations, Quadratic equations, Binomial theorem), Co-ordinate Geometry and Probability, Permutation and Combination, Arithmetic and Geometric Series and progression as well as Arithmetic.
• Permutation and Combination, and Probability are topics which look relatively easy. However, often one arrives at the wrong answer in the first go. Efforts put into studying Calculus go well rewarded at the time of examination. Your study plan should also emphasize on Algebra and Co-ordinate Geometry as these questions are less time consuming.
• Remember, practice is the key to being good in Mathematics. Often students feel that if they see solutions, they will be able to solve similar questions. However, it is essential to get into the habit of analyzing questions and solving them without looking at the solutions beforehand.

Chemistry

• Study both Organic and Inorganic Chemistry from standard textbooks (NCERT). Learn the Periodic table by heart as well as all characteristics of elements and compounds commonly found. You must have a very good knowledge of all kinds of standard reactions and be able to calculate molecular mass. Concentrate on organic compounds, including aromatic. The concept of Iso-, N- compounds etc. should be clear. Often, Chemistry is the subject where you can score the maximum marks in the entrance tests.

Physics

• Physics is a subject where concepts and understanding play a major role. You should be clear about concepts related to topics, such as Light, Heat, Sound and Mechanics. It is important to practice numerical problems. Questions related to topics, such as heat, and especially on calorimeters are often easily solvable and must be attempted. A number of questions are asked on Mechanics and therefore, you should extensively cover this area.

Online Mock Test
You can also visit the following links for taking mock tests online-

• IIT JEE
• AIEEE
• BITSAT

Finally, as already mentioned, a daily routine must be laid out for studying all the three subjects regularly.