Shubham Darade, AIR 71 AIIMS 2015 [Interview]

Shubham Darade, AIR 71 AIIMS 2015, Make your own notes to study better!

1. Did you ever think about preparing for Medical in class X or before?

I thought about preparing for the Medical in Class 9 itself. We did not have awareness about the number of exams we would have to clear or how we would have to prepare but the dream was from 9^th standard only.

In 11^th Class I joined Spectrum Institute in Nashik and prepared with them.

2. What was your preparation strategy for JEE 2015?

I prepared for AIPMT using the NCERT books. Especially for Biology we didn’t have to have to look beyond NCERT because everything comes from there. For AIIMS also NCERT books were enough. I tackled Physics and Chemistry by doing regular practice. For the CET I referred to books issued by the State Boards.

3. What do you think worked in your favour?

I actually prepared my own notes from the NCERT books. This years AIPMT paper, which got cancelled, had 20-30 questions directly from my notes.

4. What was your daily routine while preparing for the exam? Did it change as the exam date came closer?

I didn’t have a very admirable routine. I would dedicate 1 or 2 hours in the morning to preparing my notes. In the evening I would attend classes and at night I usually relaxed. Sometimes I did simple revision of things that I was taught in class on a given day.

Closer to the exams I did not study that much and I relaxed a lot more. I would revise and prepare from my notes.

5. What according to you, were specific weaknesses that, you were afraid would hold your score back?

I feel I should have practiced more in Physics and Chemistry. My biology was strong so I should have worked on my weak areas in other subjects.

6. Did you use any online tools to prepare for the exam? How do you think these prep platforms helped you?

I used Embibe for taking tests but other than that I did not use any online tool.

7. Which features did you find the most beneficial on Embibe?

The review that Embibe provides after the test was very helpful. The time spent per question and the explanation given for each answer especially in Biology was a helpful tool. This helped me excel and move ahead quickly.

8. How did you feel when you entered the exam hall? What challenges did you face while taking the exam?

I tried to keep my mind as empty as possible. I finished my paper about 10 mins before finish time. There is no time to think. I just knew that my paper went well and I was confident.

9. How do you rate the online exam vs. the traditional offline version? Would you advise your juniors to prepare and take the exam online?

If you have sufficient material then you should first do that and then try other tools.

10. What would be your message to upcoming JEE aspirants?

If you are preparing for any CBSE conducted exam the best thing is to be clear with NCERT and practice all subjects adequately. If your prepare Biology from NCERT you are guaranteed to score very high.

I didn’t practice Physics and Chemistry in the end but I would advise students to prepare till the end.