How did you manage to secure a top 50 rank in the JEE Advanced?

I was ranked 33 (General) in JEE Advanced 2013

Here is a summary of my JEE preparation story:

1. Until class 10th, I wasn’t even aware of what JEE was. I come from Kanpur and it is quite a popular JEE coaching hub. So, I had seen a lot of boards of “IIT-JEE”, but wasn’t really aware of what it was until my friend’s brother got a top 200 rank in JEE 2010. BTW, until JEE 2012, JEE Advanced was called IIT-JEE. I had seen our school’s annual magazine where a lot of people had secured 4 and 5 digits ranks. However, seeing a 3-digit rank, that too under 200 was incredible and that’s when I became quite curious about IITs.
2. Incidentally, in the same year in 2010, our school organized a visit to IIT Kanpur. I got to see the beautiful campus, the classrooms, the labs, and various department buildings. I was totally amazed. I think that the IIT Kanpur visit was what really got me excited about cracking JEE with a good rank and getting into the IITs.
3. I, fortunately, had an internet connection at my home. So, I did an extensive search about IITs, IIT-JEE, the best IITs, career opportunities, etc. I also found some interviews of IITians and also some of the blogs for JEE preparation. Essentially, I was able to set a base for myself where I clearly understood what it takes to become an IITian and the benefits.
4. I was doing well with my class 10th preparation. So, I purchased a few class 11th and 12th books. I purchased used books and so, I got them at an affordable price - yes, I came from a fairly middle-class family. If I recall correctly, I had bought HC Verma (both books) and ML Aggrawal (Mathematics) class 11th book. I spent a few hours daily studying these books. I didn’t have any tutor or coaching institute, so half of the content went above my head. My focus, however, was on the other half, which I was able to clearly understand. Some of the chapters like Quadratic equations, Progression and Series, were fairly simple to understand and the school-level problems were not difficult to solve. In class 10th, my main focus was on board exams. I only picked up the class 11th books when I had free time.
5. Starting 28th Feb 2011, were my class 10th Board exams. On 24th Feb 2011, my sister’s marriage was scheduled. My class teacher was quite upset with my parents for scheduling my sister’s marriage just 4 days before the Board exams. My parents are not that educated and so, they didn’t really care about academics and exams. Unfortunately, because of my sister’s marriage, they also could not spend time helping me with the coaching institute admissions for JEE preparation. My parents finally got free when my sister’s marriage was over. But because the Board exams had almost started, they told me that I should focus on the Boards and that we should worry about the coaching institutes after the Boards.
6. Towards the end of March, Board exams were over and that’s when I appeared for FIITJEE’s selection test. I had not appeared for FTRE which had happened around Jan 2011 - my parents were too busy with my sister’s marriage preparation to care about FTRE :P. Anyway, I got a 60% or so tuition fee waiver on FIITJEE’s entrance test and I joined FIITJEE Kanpur towards the end of April. I was quite late and so, they put me in the 2nd batch as against the first batch, which arguably had better teachers.
7. FIITJEE had 4 hours of classes 3 days a week for a total of 12 hours a week. However, FIITJEE Kanpur was about 1 hour away from my home. My school timings were from 7.30 AM to 2.30 PM. So, heading to FIITJEE which was 1 hour away, and reaching by the class time (4.00 PM) became extremely hectic for me. Most of my classmates had joined the popular Kakadev Coaching given that FIITJEE was fairly new. It became extremely difficult for me to balance time between school and FIITJEE. Also, I felt that the school was becoming an unnecessary waste of my time. For instance, I saw no point in spending time studying Shakespearean English which is a part of the ISC syllabus.
8. Keeping that in mind, around July 2011, I left my school and enrolled in a dummy school where I didn’t have to bother about my attendance. The school was also a CBSE Board school and so, the curriculum was far easier than the ISC curriculum. This way, I could fully focus on the JEE preparation without having to worry about spending time on English and other subjects.
9. Right after I had left my school, it was announced by the MHRD, that IIT-JEE would now be JEE Advanced. Previously, there used to be 2 exams - IIT-JEE which was held first and was the gateway to the IITs. After IIT-JEE was held the AIEEE, which is now the JEE Main. Starting in 2013, they changed the pattern and brought a few changes:
1. JEE Main (AIEEE) would now be held first.
2. JEE Advanced (IIT-JEE) would be held later.
3. The top 75,000 candidates of JEE Main would be eligible for JEE Advanced.
4. Further, the candidate must be among the top 20 percentile in their respective boards. In my year, that was equivalent to some 77% in CBSE, not too difficult.
10. The change in the pattern was a little shocker for me, but frankly, it was not too concerning because the Board exam’s marks didn’t directly impact the JEE Advanced rank. The Board exam’s marks indeed became a qualifying criterion though, but the bar was quite low - 77% in CBSE is no big deal.
11. Talking about my JEE preparation, I prepared for 2 full years. Initially, I scored low marks and a bad rank. For instance, in the FIITJEE All India Phase test across 70+ centers, I scored merely 153/240, with the highest across India being 232/240. Having said that, I kept on working hard. I read a hell lot of books and mainly relied on self-study as against the coaching teachers. I had my own ups and downs where I scored low, made silly mistakes, forgot a formula during the exam, misread a question and got negative marks, etc. However, I was quite clear from day one - that I need to get a top 100 rank in JEE and get admission to IIT Bombay - Computer Science and Engineering Program.
12. The changing moment during my JEE preparation was when I got an All India Rank of 13 in one of the FIITJEE All India Phase tests. It was at that moment that I realized that I was up to something meaningful and that I can score a good rank in JEE. From there on, I worked harder and harder to do better. At the end of class 11th, FIITJEE conducted an All India Open Test where people from anywhere could participate. In that Phase Test, I got an All India rank of 6th. That was quite an eye-opening moment for me because this test was not a FIITJEE-specific test, but rather an All India test.
13. I worked considerably harder in class 12th because I could see that if I just continue the way I have been preparing for JEE, I will be able to achieve my goal of a top 100 rank. My teachers at FIITJEE helped me a lot. Towards the end of 2012 (6 months to JEE 2013), FIITJEE All India Test Series (AITS) had started. By that time, I had enough confidence that I will be able to hit a top 100 or 200 rank in JEE. However, I wanted to push myself towards a top 50 rank. That’s where AITS really helped me. FIITJEE AITS is extremely difficult, with some questions that are unnecessarily tough and way beyond JEE level. Many students get demotivated with that because they score quite low in AITS. I took it as an opportunity and worked hard and went beyond JEE level to score well in AITS. I was able to consistently perform well in AITS and I believe that I was able to push myself from a 100 - 200 rank range to a top 50 rank range only because of FIITJEE AITS.
14. In 2013, I appeared for a bunch of competitive exams and I cleared for all of them - KVPY, NSEP, INPhO, NSEC, INChO, JEE Main, JEE Advanced, etc. I was unfortunately not able to appear for BITSAT because on the BITSAT day, my mother was not well, and anyway I was of the view that if for some reason I don’t make it to IITs, I will appear for JEE again. 2013 was an amazing year with lots of (small) milestones, leading to the ultimate goal of a top 50 rank in JEE.
15. In July 2013, I joined IIT Bombay, Computer Science, and Engineering, arguably the most sought-after program across all IITs. Many people ask me why I didn’t go to IIT Kanpur being from Kanpur. I feel that all the top IITs are fairly equal, especially IITB, IITD, and IITK. I had been born and brought up in Kanpur and so, I wanted to go out of the city. The 2 options that I had were IIT Delhi and IIT Bombay. Because most toppers went to IITB, I also decided that I should go for it.
16. Here are a few of my learnings:
1. JEE preparation is a marathon and not a sprint. If you don’t quit for the 2 or 3 years of preparation, you’re halfway there.
2. Reduce distractions as much as possible - avoid smartphones, social media, friends, girlfriend/boyfriend, and parties.
3. Make a lot of notes. Notes help you remember things.
4. Solve a lot of problems. Reading theory might make you feel good. But ultimately on the exam day, you’d be solving problems, so focus on that more.
5. Keep a specific rank goal from day one. It will help you work accordingly. Don’t keep an ambiguous goal like “I want to get selected in IITs”. A goal like this will later bite you hard when you realize that there is a big difference across IITs and across branches. A better rank = a better branch at a better IIT.
6. Spend at least 6 hours a day on self-study. I feel that people underestimate self-study and are too reliant on coaching institutes. Everyone has a different pace. You can’t control that in a coaching institute, but you can control that during a self-study session.
7. Don’t get demotivated if you are not able to perform well. Remember - good things take time.
8. Don’t get jealous of anyone performing better than you. Focus on what you can learn from them and improve yourself. Your jealousy isn’t going to reduce their capability anyway.
9. Don’t get freaked out by your batchmates pretending to be knowing everything. There are always a handful of people in every class who will act over-smart and demotivate others. Stay away from them.
10. Books would be your best friends during the 2 years of preparation. Don’t get overwhelmed seeing the number of books. Find out what’s best in which book and study accordingly to achieve great results.
11. Support from parents is extremely important. If you are a parent reading this post, make sure to help your children as much as possible. If your child has read this answer, there is a good chance that they are serious about JEE preparation and so, please help them do well.