Beyond the Books: My Honest JEE Story

This story is for everyone who once told me, “You won’t make it.” In 2014 , the JEE results came out. I was in Class 9 , and Souhardya Da , a senior from our school, topped the state with an AIR of 2500+ . The respect and attention he received left a mark on me. His name was in the newspapers, and coaching centers had his photos everywhere. He was felicitated at our school assembly, and as a 13-year-old, I was impressed by the attention he received. That day, on the bus ride home, I told my friend, “IIT pawar ekta pickup ase na? Jodi ekdin amaro hoiya jaito” (There’s something about making it to IIT, right? Wish I could make it someday). He laughed and said, “Tui prothom e school e 90% paia lo.” (First, get 90% in school). When I started exploring Class 11 physics topics in class 9, I was excited. But instead of encouragement from teachers, I was met with warnings. They told me stories about students who failed in Class 9 and 10 because they were too focused on showing off their int...

IIT felt like a distant dream now—a dream I’d first seen in my 9th grade, seemed like it would remain just that, a dream, for the rest of my life.  BITS Pilani seemed like a safe bet— 375 out of 350 (Attempted Bonus Questions) , I thought. Surely that would land me in Pilani for CSE. And if not, Jadavpur CSE was within reach, with an  AIR  of 49 . We packed our bags, left FIITJEE behind, and returned to Agartala. There was no point in waiting for the results anymore. The four-year journey had come to an end—not on the note I imagined, but it had shaped me into someone better. As I checked my friends' marks, I realized that 172 wasn’t as bad as I thought, considering how tough the 2018 paper had been. The 2017 paper had been much easier, leading to an inflation of scores. Still, I knew 172 wouldn’t get me a rank under 5000. The idea of "500 te eshe porte pare" felt like a joke I had made of myself. June 10 at 10 AM , the result was set to be announced. Even though I did...

Ironically, the time after giving  JEE Advanced 2018 wasn’t exactly a period I look back on with pride. I walked out of that exam hall completely unaware of what was coming. I still remember Maa’s hopeful face as she asked, “Kemon holo?” (How was the exam?) . With a confident smile, I replied, “Under 500 e eshe porte parte” (Might just land under 500) . Maybe part of that happiness was just relief—the battle felt like it was over, and I could finally go home, reinstall Clash of Clans, and focus on my clan instead of calculus. But fate, it seemed, had its own plans. The next morning, Rajat called. "Bhai, Answer key aagaya, kitne ban rahe?" (How much are you getting?) Half-asleep, I brushed him off, “Tu check kar, mujhe sone de” But you know how it goes—as soon as you hear "Answer key aagaya” sleep is gone. I hastily woke up, downloaded the Resonance answer key, and started matching answers from memory. "172…that’s it?” I rechecked, then checked again. Every quest...

Hey Readers, To those who don’t know me yet, let me introduce myself. I’m Soumyadeep Nandi , an IIT Kharagpur alumnus with a background in Chemical Engineering and a minor in Mathematics and Computing. After a year working as a software development engineer at Trilogy Innovations and Agtuall, I left the corporate world to follow my true passion—teaching. Guiding young minds on their journey to JEE has been a way for me to relive my own path and share in the dreams of tomorrow’s achievers. This blog is dedicated to all my students and the wider family of brothers and sisters out there who carry a world of questions and uncertainties—not just about academics, but about life’s twists and turns. I know that when students reach out to me, I can only answer a few questions at once. So, this blog is here for everyone, a space where I can share my own JEE journey—one that, like yours, was full of ups and downs, setbacks and comebacks. I’m writing for the students who feel hesitant to ask, wh...