Can we get an under 100 rank in 8 months of preparation?

Let’s end this “under 100 rank in 8 months” debate once and for all.

I assume that since the question has been tagged with the topics JEE and JEE Preparation, it is related to JEE Main and JEE Advanced. Getting a rank under 100 out of some 15 lakh aspirants is no joke. Back in 2011 when I started my JEE preparation, people typically spent 2 years preparing for JEE - class 11th and class 12th. Most in the top 50 ranks spent at least 3 years. I know this because a lot of my friends got a top 50 rank and some of them started their preparation as early as in class 8th.

Today, I have seen that most students prepare for JEE for 4 years (~48 months) starting class 9th. So, with just 8 months remaining, you have little to no hope of getting an under 100 rank. I mean, how can you hope to be on the same pedestal as someone who has spent 6 times more time than you on the same thing, consistently?

I agree that success in JEE is not just a function of the number of hours one spends. The success also depends on the quality of hours spent, the books that have been studied, and a bunch of other factors. However, because there are almost 15 lakh aspirants, we can safely assume that there would be many, who would be studying the best set of books, would be guided by top-notch teachers, and would have prepared for 4 years with consistency. There is no chance on earth that you can compete with them in just 8 months of preparation and get a better rank.

Some folks might not agree with my answer and give you a false, sugarcoated hope that you still can do it. However, having achieved a top 100 rank myself[1]I can tell you with confidence that 8 months is nothing when it comes to a top 100 rank in JEE. In fact, if I am today given 8 months for JEE preparation and then asked to appear for JEE, there is a high chance that I won’t be able to get a top 100 rank again.

However, not being able to achieve a top 100 rank doesn’t mean the end of anything. Here are a few suggestions from my side:

1. Do your best and try to get a top 1,000 or even a top 5,000 rank. You will still be able to get admission to one of the IITs.
2. Try to prepare NCERT books well, so that you are able to achieve good results in JEE Main - there are some fantastic colleges that admit basis JEE Main score.
3. Prepare for other parallel exams. BITSAT comes to the top of my mind as being one of the best exams, opening doors to BITS Pilani and other related colleges.

All the best!

Footnotes

[1] Aman Goel of Kanpur topped in the IIT Kanpur Zone with 33 All India Rank in JEE Advanced. - Times of India