IIT Preparation: How to Start, What to Study, and What Really Works

When you hear IIT preparation, the process of getting ready for the Joint Entrance Examination that leads to admission into India’s top engineering institutes. Also known as JEE preparation, it’s not about being the smartest person in the room—it’s about being the most consistent. Thousands of students start every year. Most quit before the first mock test. The ones who make it? They didn’t have better coaches. They didn’t have richer parents. They just knew what to focus on—and what to ignore.

JEE Main, the first qualifying exam for IITs, testing core concepts in physics, chemistry, and math at a national level is your gateway. But JEE Advanced, the harder, more selective exam that actually determines IIT admission is where the real battle begins. You can’t skip JEE Main and hope to crack JEE Advanced. And you can’t just memorize formulas and expect to win. The toppers? They build their foundation on NCERT, the official textbooks used in Indian schools that form the bedrock of JEE questions. Not coaching notes. Not 10 different books. NCERT. Again and again. The 2025 JEE topper didn’t solve 5000 problems. They solved 500 problems perfectly—understanding every step, every why.

People think IIT preparation means 16-hour days. It doesn’t. It means 6 focused hours with zero distractions. It means knowing your weak spots and fixing them before they become excuses. It means skipping trendy YouTube channels and sticking to one reliable source. It means doing one chapter from physics, then one from math, then one from chemistry—and repeating that cycle until it’s automatic. The top 1000 students didn’t study more. They studied smarter. They didn’t chase every new book. They mastered the basics. They practiced past papers. They learned how to manage time under pressure. And they didn’t panic when they got a bad score on a mock test. They used it as feedback.

There’s no magic trick. No secret shortcut. No app that will get you into IIT Bombay. What works? A clear plan. Daily discipline. And the courage to keep going even when progress feels slow. You don’t need to be a genius. You just need to show up—every day.

Below, you’ll find real stories, proven strategies, and honest advice from students who made it. No fluff. No hype. Just what actually helps you get closer to your goal.