Is it possible to crack JEE Adv without coaching?

Self study!

The admissions to the IITs are not the prerogative of those who can afford coaching classes. Besides, it is a myth that coaching classes will simply leapfrog you over all the candidates who opt for self study; this is a hype generated by all the ads put out by them.

Contrary to the general impression that a coaching class is the only thing that can get you an admission in an IIT, I believe that a coaching class contributes only about 25-30% to a student’s success. A coaching class teaches the theory and some typical JEE problems; after that, the rest of the contribution towards your success is due to your own hard work and the guidance of a mentor who would help you with your prep and exam strategy. This is elaborated in Is a Mentor necessary in JEE prep?

Therefore, if a student is smart enough to imbibe the theory aspects and the typical JEE problems through some other means, he doesn’t need a coaching class. In other words, he needs to extrapolate the material taught in school in order develop the in-depth understanding required for JEE.

After all, the JEE syllabus is based on what is taught in Classes 11 and 12. However, to be able to leapfrog the contribution of a coaching class, a student needs to take the concepts taught in school to a deeper level. Therefore, it helps if a student is endowed with the relevant abilities, as explained in Nature, Nurture or Both?. Also, he needs to have the mindset required for JEE, as explained in Where can you go wrong while preparing for the JEE Advanced? and Board vs JEE Preps

However, the extrapolation required from the school’s lectures and, hence, the depth of understanding required for JEE is usually beyond an average aspirant. Therefore, the decision whether a particular student can manage without a coaching class or otherwise can only be taken by an experienced tutor/mentor. But, even if a student can manage without a coaching class, he would need someone to resolve his doubts/queries and discuss his ideas should he come up with alternative methods and so on.

Remember, JEE prep is unlike Board prep where a student can do all the questions from the recommended books and score well in his exams. Besides, there is no room for innovation in Board prep, as mentioned in Board vs JEE Preps. In JEE prep, there definitely is room for innovation and alternative methods need to be explored; this can only happen through a discussion with an experienced tutor.

As far as the questions for practice are concerned, please see Books for JEE prep. The coaching class material mentioned in the link can be that of any established coaching class; this can be easily procured from them.

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