JEE Mains 2020: What to expect on the D-Day, if the exams are not cancelled?

JEE Mains is back on! Yay (?) Although CBSE has cancelled its exams, every one of the engineering aspirants is in luck (Maybe). On one hand, I’m glad that most of you have worked very hard over the past year or two, and it would hurt to see that hard work go to waste if JEE Mains was to be cancelled. But, on the other hand, most of you are willing to risk it. It’s a polarizing topic on which I’m going with the former possibility.

Anyway, on to the day of reckoning now. All through this series, I've been banging on about how to be in your element by familiarizing yourself with everything, so here I'm going to run you through how an actual exam day goes like and what to do and what not to do days before the exam.

1. Know the centre

First things first, you got to have chosen a test centre where you are comfortable going around. If that's not possible, I hope you chose the nearest one. You need to understand that any sorts of travel right now will prove to be highly taxing and can put you out of sorts for days in the end. So the ones who are in luck, congratulations! For those who aren't that lucky, fear not, you have technology on your side; just use Google Maps, you should be fine.

2. Don't go on a hungry stomach

Second; watch your diet. No one's going to be able to perform on am empty or upset stomach. You need to remove acidic food from your meals. That means no coffee, no cold drinks, and no tea. Only for the last week leading to the exam, that is. So that your body's pH balance is maintained and your stomach doesn't affect your performance in any way.

3. Get 8 hours full sleep

It's important that before the exam, you are very well rested and have thoroughly slept. Any sorts of sleep debt will jeopardize your exam. So make sure you're very well-rested.

4. Mock test, the night before

Do mock tests. Make sure you go through the mock tests of the test, as well as some previous year questions and solutions. This is to make sure that you'll not be left stranded when you look at your question paper.

Now that we've got that out of the way, let's get started with the actual day.

It all starts with the wait till the school or other waiters till the doors open. Once inside, they'll collector all your private belongings at the door, so make sure you carry as little as possible. After that, you'll have to undergo a frisk. That frisk is for anti-cheating policy.

Moving into the exam hall, and expect to see a few changes. There would be fewer people due to COVID-19 restrictions so things would be a little easier. Further, you will be wearing a mask so that's another thing that may or may not help. Please try to avoid looking around since the teachers on duty can be strict and you can be penalized or your exam can be even cancelled, so it's better to just focus on your work. I know you were just nervous and you were not looking at the answer to that organic chemistry question, but still.

Time management is also important. Approach that section first which you think you can finish the fastest, and then move on to the harder ones. Here, we can't risk going through hard ones first because you need to attempt as many correctly as possible.

Also, if you don't know an answer, DON'T TRY TO GUESS. THERE IS A NEGATIVE MARKING in JEE MAINS.

Of course, you knew; it's just a reminder.

The next day

After all said and done, you wait till the next day for the answer key and try to hope that you get a high score. Just remember to be yourself and don't overthink this. It's going to be alright only if you believe it so. I hope you are well prepared for this exam, not just academically, but mentally as well. I have just given some pointers and you have got to remember that no matter the implications of the Jee Mains exam, you have to keep your head on your shoulders and give it your best. That’s true for all life as well.

Just as Bhagvata Gita says, karma kar, phal ki chinta mat kar.

(Disclaimer: This is an authored article and only suggests ways you can improve your position to secure a decent rank in JEE Mains. The views expressed are the author are personal and does not necessarily reflect the official policy of CIOL.)