Shreyas Gayen JEE Mains 2026 Paper 2 Topper Success Story with PW
Preparing for JEE Main Paper 2A alongside Class 12 can be challenging. School classes, board exams, homework, and other activities leave students with limited time for entrance exam preparation. Shreyas Gayen managed these demands and secured 99.28 percentile in JEE Main 2026 Paper 2A.
His preparation journey included recorded lectures, regular drawing practice, reasoning questions, and efforts to improve mathematics, which was his weakest subject. He also learned that attempting fewer questions accurately could be more useful than answering more questions with a fear of negative marking.
Shreyas Gayen’s Journey to JEE Main Paper 2A With School
Shreyas initially planned to pursue engineering and did not know that architecture had a separate entrance paper. He learned about JEE Main Paper 2A later and enrolled in PW’s Design and Architecture Pro batch during Class 12, joining around a month after the batch started.
Since he was attending school and tuition, joining every live class was difficult. Instead, he watched recorded lectures and set weekly targets to complete them. He used weekends to practise homework and the DPPs assigned in class.
Shreyas shared,
“Live classes jyadatar kar nahi paate the. School se aaya, phir tuition gaya. Last mein din ke do lectures dekh hi lete the. Saturday-Sunday ko homework aur DPPs, reasoning vagairah karte the. Recording zyada dekhta tha.”
His approach focused on completing the lessons within the planned week, even when his daily schedule did not allow him to attend live classes.
How Shreyas Managed School Exams and Architecture Preparation
Shreyas did not follow a fixed number of study hours every day. His preparation time changed depending on school activities and examinations. During regular school days, he balanced lectures with practice. When school exams began, he prioritised completing lectures and reduced his practice temporarily.
He also revised the drawing exercises taught in class and practised the assigned homework again. Whenever he needed additional ideas for drawing, he even used tools like ChatGPT or Pinterest for reference.
Shreyas explained,
“School ke time normal classes ka time theek-thaak chalta tha. Par school ke exams shuru ho gaye, tab mera mostly only lecture, no practice aisa chalta tha. Baaki time class plus practice dono chalte the.”
He added that his study hours were not fixed.
“Hours actually vary karte the. Kabhi bahut zyada ho jaata tha, kabhi bahut kam. Fixed nahi tha, kyunki school ki involvement ke basis par cheezein change hoti rehti thi.”
This meant his preparation depended on adjusting his routine around school commitments rather than following a rigid daily timetable.
How PW’s Design and Architecture Pro Batch Supported Shreyas
Shreyas found out about the architecture entrance exam after initially considering the engineering route. Once he learned about the separate paper, he joined PW’s Design and Architecture Pro Batch. The classes gave him access to lessons and practice for the subjects required in his preparation.
He particularly enjoyed the stories shared at the end of classes. These sessions made the learning experience enjoyable and helped keep him motivated during preparation.
Shreyas shared,
“Architecture Pro maine actually ek month baad liya tha. Class 11 mein mujhe pehle pata nahi tha ki architecture ka alag Paper 2A hota hai. Mujhe laga BTech hi dena padta hai. Baad mein Design and Architecture batch ke baare mein pata chala, toh Class 12 mein maine le liya.”
Talking about his experience with the batch, he said,
“Badiya thi. Aap class ke end par stories sunate the, maza aata tha.”
The batch became part of his preparation routine alongside school and tuition, allowing him to work towards the architecture entrance exam without leaving his regular academic commitments behind.
Shreyas Gayen’s Strategy for Mathematics, Drawing, and Reasoning
Shreyas had different levels of familiarity with the three sections. Drawing was relatively comfortable for him because he had attended drawing classes since childhood. He used the reasoning tricks taught in class and practised questions and mock tests. General knowledge preparation involved searching for information and studying relevant topics.
Mathematics, however, was his biggest challenge. He was unsure how to approach the subject and initially struggled to solve questions. He started watching lectures by Tarun Khandelwal Sir through the batch and gradually attempted the questions he could solve.
Shreyas explained,
“Maths actually mera bahut weak tha. Pata hi nahi tha ki Maths kaise hoga. Drawing main bachpan se seekhta tha, drawing classes jaata tha, toh mujhe thoda idea tha. Reasoning mein aapke diye hue tricks dekh ke thoda bahut ho jaata tha.”
He described how he worked on mathematics through the classes.
“Batch mein Tarun Khandelwal Sir ka lecture aa raha tha, toh main woh dekhta tha. Thode questions bante the, thode nahi bante the.”
His experience also taught him to be careful about negative marking. Rather than attempting mathematics questions just to increase his total attempts, he recognised the importance of answering accurately.
How Shreyas Used Mock Tests to Prepare for the Exam
Shreyas attempted the available mock tests, including the All India Mock Test Series from time to time. During regular Sunday tests, he generally attempted reasoning and occasionally drawing. He also completed the final mock tests before the examination.
Mathematics remained a source of anxiety during mocks. Some unfamiliar questions made him nervous, and his scores varied around the marks he eventually achieved in the actual examination, with differences of approximately 20 marks.
Shreyas shared,
“Sunday ke tests mein bas reasoning deta tha aur drawing kabhi-kabhaar. Last ke mock tests maine sab diye the. All India Mock Test Series bhi kabhi-kabhaar deta tha.”
He also explained why mathematics made mocks difficult for him.
“Maths dekh ke dar aa jaata tha ki baap re, kya de diya! Yeh toh maine kabhi dekha hi nahi.”
His experience highlighted the importance of staying calm when a question looks unfamiliar. For him, the goal was not simply to attempt as many questions as possible, but to avoid losing marks through incorrect answers.
Shreyas’s Advice for Future JEE Main Paper 2A Aspirants
Shreyas advised future architecture aspirants not to let fear prevent them from preparing. He acknowledged that the examination hall could feel intimidating, especially when other candidates appeared well prepared or seemed stronger in a particular subject.
He experienced similar nervousness himself, particularly when he noticed other students carrying their preparation materials and thought about their strengths in mathematics. However, he understood that comparing himself with others would not help him perform better.
Shreyas advised,
“Darne se toh hoga nahi. Preparation karo, believe karo. Jo jitna prepare kiya hai, usmein best karke aana hai. Accuracy matter karti hai, kyunki negative marking ho gayi toh jitna mil raha ho, utna bhi nahi milega.”
His advice was to focus on preparation, trust the work already completed, and avoid unnecessary attempts that could lead to negative marks.
Shreyas Gayen’s JEE Main 2026 Paper 2A journey shows how students can manage school and entrance preparation through flexible planning, recorded lectures, regular practice, and attention to accuracy. His experience also highlights an important lesson for architecture aspirants: a weak subject can feel intimidating, but it does not have to define the entire examination attempt.
PW’s Remarkable JEE Main Paper 2 Toppers Results
Live & recorded classes available at easeDashboard for progress trackingLakhs of practice questions
