A Pune-based boy, Chirag Falor has scored 352 marks out of 396 marks in the JEE Advanced 2020 exam, held on September 27. Mr Falor, who took the entrance test from Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Bombay zone, has secured the top rank in this year's JEE Advanced exam. IIT Delhi has announced the JEE Advanced 2020 result on Monday, October 5. As many as 43,204 candidates have qualified JEE Advanced 2020 this year. According to official information, there are a total of 16,053 seats available for admission to the 23 IITs in the country.
In an interview with NDTV Education, Chirag Falor said that he used to play table tennis after lunch and dinner to destress himself during the IIT JEE Advanced preparation.
Here's an excerpt from the interview:
What was your reaction upon knowing your rank?
Chirag- I just woke up when my mother told me that I got a call from the Director of IIT Delhi that I secured the first rank. I couldn't believe that. I couldn't digest the fact at that moment. Then, I was getting calls every second, so, it was good.
Tell us something about yourself. Which board have you studied under? Which school did you attend?
Chirag- In Class 11 and 12, I studied in Delhi at Pragati Public School Dwarka and did my coaching from Aakash Institute.
What is your overall and subject-wise score in JEE Advanced 2020?
Chirag- I got 352 overall and 196 out of 198 in paper 1 and 156 out of 198 in paper 2.
What was your JEE Main rank and marks?
Chirag- I got 12th rank and 100 percentile
Why do you want to study engineering? When did you decide to study engineering? Which branch would you be interested in? Any reason?
Chirag- I am not interested in Engineering. I will be doing a Bachelor of Science in Physics.
JEE Advanced was conducted as a computer-based test. What is your opinion about it? What preparation strategy did you adapt for the computer-based exam?
Chirag- I actually liked the computer-based format because in the computer-based exam there is one benefit that we can change the answer because I could go back and correct my answers even if I found something wrong later on. Aakash Institute in which I studied had quite a good mock exam experience of the computer-based exam so I gave mock tests daily in my 12th standard so that helped me get all my fears away.
When did you start your JEE Advanced 2020 preparation? Tell us something about your preparation strategy and daily routine for JEE Advanced?
Chirag- I started my preparation in Class 9 from Pune and then I went to Delhi for better studies in Class 11 and Class 12. I completed my JEE syllabus while on Class 11 and during Class 12, I focussed more on mock tests. Mock tests helped me to practice a lot. One of the things our faculty did was error analysis for each individual student so they identified my weak topics even when I couldn't identify them myself so I could work only on those and that helped me a lot.
How was the preparation for JEE Advanced 2020 different from JEE Main 2020?
Chirag- I actually didn't prepare for JEE Main exam. Just before JEE Main 2020, I studied the NCERT textbooks and I majorly prepared for JEE Advanced 2020 throughout.
How was your preparation during the pandemic? Did you face any problems during your preparation?
Chirag- Shifting to online classes was kind of hard as we don't get the personal touch by studying online but I felt a one-to-one doubt session helped me in this matter.
Mock tests and sample papers – how extensively did you practice with the help of these? Do you think practising from the previous year papers help and how?
Chirag- Previous years' papers helped me a lot. The week before JEE Advanced I just picked the previous years' papers in the same manner in which I was supposed to give the exam. I was trying to mimic the same environment as the original exam so I could get the idea of the JEE Advanced exam and I could get the feeling before so I don't face problems in the exam. Previous years' papers were super useful.
Are there any special books that you feel have helped with your JEE Advanced preparation?
Chirag- I think the book, IE Irodov of Physics problems in general physics was a very helpful book in physics because even in previous years' JEE Advanced papers many questions from that book have been changed slightly and have been asked in the exam.
Which subject was the easiest and which was the toughest in JEE Advanced? What do you think is a tough thing to manage during the JEE Advanced exam?
Chirag- This year Maths was easier than the previous year. When I solved previous years' paper, it took me 1.5 hours on Maths but during the actual day of the test, I completed the section in one hour.
Did you face any technical glitches during the exam? What is your opinion on the way the exam was conducted?
Chirag- I didn't face much technical difficulty as such but one thing I disliked that the seats which were given in paper 1 weren't the same which were given in paper 2. This is not what I expected in the pandemic, in paper 1 and paper 2, the seat should be the same.
What do you think are the key factors behind your success in JEE Advanced?
Chirag- Blessing of my teachers and parents, they helped a lot.
How did you de-stress yourself during the preparation? What are your hobbies? How often could you pursue them?
Chirag- I used to play table tennis after lunch and dinner so that would help in digestion and keeping my body fit. If I had some free time then I would play chess with my friend or even go for stargazing on the roof.
Who is your ideal or biggest inspiration in life and why?
Chirag- I just set my goals higher than what I think I could achieve and pursue that. I don't have any inspirational model as such.
You know you are an inspiration to thousands of students across the country. Do you have any message for future aspirants on tackling the JEE Advanced exam?
Chirag- One thing I will say that don't lose hope. The preparation can get you tired but don't get bored by preparation, even if it's lengthy then distract yourself by studying something else not by playing games and watching TV.
