JEE Main Paper 2 requires students to prepare for Mathematics, Aptitude and Drawing while managing school and board exams. Balancing these three sections can be challenging, especially for students preparing alongside Class 12.
Aakash Jain faced this challenge with a focused approach. He worked on his weaknesses, practised regularly, used Physics Wallah resources and followed a preparation strategy. His consistent efforts helped him secure an impressive 99.36 percentile in JEE Main Paper 2.
His journey also included setbacks. After facing difficulties with his Class 11 studies, Aakash understood that he needed to balance his board preparation with competitive exam preparation. This experience helped him become more disciplined and focused during Class 12.
Managing school and competitive exam preparation was one of the major challenges Aakash faced. However, his school provided some exposure to design alongside the regular curriculum, which helped him manage his preparation more effectively.
Talking about his school experience, Aakash said:
“I think is maamle mein main bahut zyada lucky tha, kyunki jis college mein main hoon, wahan design thoda parallelly sikhate hain.”
He also explained that his school helped him manage both design and his intermediate-level studies:
“Aapko design ke saath-saath intermediate ka portion bhi padhate hain, toh I was very much grateful ki main design aur intermediate saath-saath manage kar paya.”
Drawing was initially one of Aakash’s weaker areas. He shared that he could not even draw a straight line properly when he started learning.
“Do saal tak seedhi line bhi nahi bana sakta tha.”
Instead of being discouraged by this weakness, he worked on it consistently and sought guidance. He recommends students keep practising whenever they get time rather than waiting for a dedicated study session.
“Aap videos dekhiye, aap baithe hain free baithe hain toh kuch na kuch banaiye.”
He also suggested challenging yourself with different perspectives and everyday objects:
“Drawing mein khud ko challenge kariye ki samjho main ship mein baitha hoon… aise bahut saare perspectives hote hain.”
For Aakash, regular practice was the key to improving Drawing. He would even pick up objects around him and try to draw them.
“Mere saamne ek bottle hai, chalo bana ke dekhte hain. Nahi bana toh nahi bana, bana toh aur achha banayenge.”
Aakash believes Mathematics should be started early because it plays an important role in JEE Main Paper 2. He also realised this importance after making a mistake in his own preparation.
“Maths ke liye, mere hisaab se, aapko 11th se hi start kar dena chahiye.”
Initially, he underestimated the importance of Mathematics and believed that his Aptitude preparation would be enough to secure a good score. However, he later understood that Mathematics could not be ignored.
“Maine galat kar liya tha ki 250 par aapko bahut achhe colleges mil jayenge… but aisa nahi hai. Maths bahut zyada important hai aur bahut major role play karta hai.”
Aakash advised students to first build their basics through NCERT or their respective school textbooks before moving to advanced practice.
“Pehle basics clear kariye NCERT padhkar, phir thoda advanced.”
He also recommended practising from additional Mathematics resources after building a strong foundation.
For him, practice was the most important part of Mathematics preparation:
“Maths likhne ki cheez hai. Aap dekh-dekh ke kar nahi sakte.”
Aakash approached Aptitude through continuous learning and revision. He believes there is always more to learn because the section covers a wide range of topics.
“Aptitude aisa subject hai, jitna padho utna kam hai.”
He encouraged students to develop practical knowledge by observing their surroundings and learning about different objects, architecture and general topics.
“Jitna aap practical knowledge le sakte ho Aptitude ke baare mein… aap apne around dekho.”
Aakash also made use of Physics Wallah videos for Aptitude and found them sufficient for his preparation.
“Amardeep Sir jo Aptitude padhate hain, unke videos mere liye sufficient the.”
He also created and maintained notes from the lectures and recommended this approach to other students.
“Aap khud se notes banao. Maine jo one-shot aapne upload kiya tha, uske abhi tak mere paas notes pade hain.”
Physics Wallah played an important role in Aakash’s preparation, particularly through the guidance provided by its teachers.
He specifically mentioned Imran Sir for Drawing and Amardeep Sir for Aptitude.
Talking about his Drawing preparation, Aakash said:
“Imran Sir ko specially mera thank you hai, kyunki Physics Wallah mein jo… mera improvement hua hai, usmein unka bahut bada role hai.”
He explained that he had known Imran Sir for around two years and had seen a significant improvement in his Drawing skills under his guidance.
Aakash also appreciated Amardeep Sir’s Aptitude teaching and the usefulness of his revision content:
“Amar Sir ne question karaya tha triangle ka number of triangle ka, aur wahi question aaya.”
He further explained that the revision content helped him prepare efficiently:
“Amardeep Sir ke videos… mere liye sufficient the.”
According to Aakash, students do not necessarily need to depend on expensive resources if they use good-quality lectures, make their own notes and revise them regularly.
Aakash initially struggled to create a realistic timetable for himself. He would often plan to complete his backlog the next day, but that approach did not work consistently.
He eventually received a useful revision timetable from his friend Sarvesh.
“Mere friend ne mujhe bola ki ek din mein paanch topics karo, phir ek drawing karo.”
Following this approach, he would complete five Aptitude topics and one Drawing practice session each day.
For example, he could complete topics such as mirror images and water images on the same day and then repeat the cycle after a few weeks.
“Ek din mein ek drawing aur paanch topics Aptitude ke… aur yehi cheez aap do hafte mein repeat karte raho.”
This approach helped him keep his preparation regular while ensuring that he did not ignore Drawing.
Mock tests played a major role in Aakash’s preparation. He used dedicated Paper 2 mock tests to understand the actual exam environment and improve his time management.
He followed a simple rule:
“Mera ek hi rule tha — ek din mein ek paper, timer ke saath.”
He would attempt the paper under timed conditions and analyse his performance afterwards.
“Teen ghante mein jitna ho sakta hai, khud ko analyse karenge.”
Aakash also advised students to identify exactly where they were losing marks. If Drawing remained incomplete, he would give more attention to Drawing the next day.
“Aaj chalo theek hai, apna Aptitude achhe se ho gaya, Maths ho gaya, Drawing reh gayi — kal Drawing ko thoda aur kheenchhein.”
He also worked specifically on his weak areas, including portrait drawing:
“Jo nahi aata, wahi practice karte rahoge toh shayad kahin na kahin aa jaaye.”
For Aakash, mock tests were not simply about getting a score. They were a way to identify mistakes, improve speed and understand how to distribute time between sections.
Aakash entered the exam with a clear understanding of his strengths and weaknesses. Since Drawing was his weaker area, he decided beforehand to dedicate the final part of the examination to it.
“Meri clear disadvantage thi Drawing, toh maine decide exam ke pehle hi kar liya tha ki last ka jo डेढ़ घंटा hai, woh Drawing ko dedicate karenge.”
He planned around his strengths as well. Since he had practised Aptitude extensively, he expected to complete it faster.
“Aptitude maine bahut saare paper solve kar liye the, toh mujhe laga ki Aptitude half an hour mein ho jayega.”
He ultimately completed Aptitude within the planned time and used more time for Mathematics and Drawing.
His key advice was to identify your strongest and weakest areas before the exam:
“Aapki jo weakness hai, usko zyada time dijiye.”
At the same time, he suggested improving your strong areas enough to solve them quickly:
“Jo aapki advantage hai, usko jaldi se jaldi niptaaiye.”
This strategy allowed him to save time in his stronger section and use it where he needed it most.
Aakash’s preparation journey was not completely smooth. He revealed that he had neglected his board studies in Class 11 because he became too focused on his competitive exam preparation.
“11th mein main JEE ke liye itna zyada… ho gaya tha ki maine apne boards ko neglect kar diya.”
This resulted in him getting a compartment in one subject.
“11th mein ek subject mein back aana was my kick.”
The experience taught him an important lesson: students preparing for JEE Main Paper 2 cannot completely ignore their board preparation.
“Aapko dono manage karne padenge. You cannot just go with design.”
He also highlighted the importance of meeting the required board percentage for admission to good colleges.
This setback ultimately became a turning point for Aakash. It helped him understand the importance of balancing competitive exam preparation with school academics.
Aakash believes distractions can become a major challenge during online preparation. Friends, outings, movies and phones can easily take students away from their study routine.
However, he does not believe that students need to completely avoid their phones. Instead, they should learn to use them properly.
“Phone bahut bada distraction hai. Phone hai, aap usko sahi tareeke se use karo.”
He also used his phone to learn about architecture and related topics.
“Bahut saare architect ki philosophy padhta tha.”
His message is simple: the same device can either become a distraction or a learning resource depending on how you use it.
“Aapke paas resources hain. Aisa nahi hai kisi ke paas resources nahi hai. Sahi tareeke se use karne ka aapko find out karna padega.”
For students who could not clear the exam in their first attempt, Aakash has an encouraging message: do not give up.
He believes students should use their next attempt as an opportunity to improve their preparation and work harder.
He also shared an important lesson about effort and consistency:
“Jitni mehnat karni hai, kar lo. Jo abhi kar rahe hain mehnat, usko jaake baad mein aaram hai.”
Aakash believes students should be willing to put in extra effort during their preparation years because the hard work can make future challenges easier.
He also encouraged aspirants to push themselves during practice. His approach was to make the actual exam feel easier by practising under tougher conditions.
“Aap khud ko… डेढ़ घंटे ka exam hai, डेढ़ घंटे mein khatam kariye.”
According to him, if students practise completing the paper within a shorter time, they can feel more comfortable when they get the actual examination duration.
Aakash Jain's 99.36 percentile in JEE Main Paper 2 reflects a preparation journey built around consistent practice, self-analysis and targeted improvement. From strengthening Drawing and Mathematics to using timed mock tests and managing his Class 12 studies, he focused on the areas that needed the most attention.
His experience with PW, particularly the guidance of Imran Sir and Amardeep Sir, was an important part of his preparation. For future JEE Main Paper 2 aspirants, his journey offers a practical lesson: identify your weak areas, practise them consistently, use mock tests to analyse your performance and manage your time according to your strengths and weaknesses.
