Dwaipayan Patra secured AIR 23 in IIT JAM 2026 Chemistry with 61 marks while preparing alongside his university studies at Jadavpur University. Instead of relying on a large number of resources, he focused on repeatedly revising his notes, solving PYQs, practising questions and reviewing his mistakes.
His preparation also included PW classes and practice questions, particularly when he needed additional support in Physical Chemistry. Dwaipayan’s journey offers a practical look at how he managed IIT JAM preparation alongside college and gradually strengthened areas he found difficult.
Dwaipayan was pleasantly surprised when he saw his IIT JAM 2026 result. Although he had worked hard for the examination, he did not expect to secure such a high rank.
He shared his reaction during the interview:
“Itna toh expected nahi kiya tha hum logon ne. Hum like 60 mein toh isse pehle ek time aata toh hum khush ho jaate. Itna achha hoga expected nahi tha bilkul bhi.”
His final score of 61 marks earned him AIR 23, turning his preparation into a result that was better than he had anticipated.
Dwaipayan did not consider himself a naturally strong student. Instead, he found that he needed to revisit concepts multiple times before they became clear.
Rather than seeing this as a limitation, he built his preparation around repeated learning and note-making.
He explained:
“Main pehle batana chahta hoon main kuch achha student bilkul bhi nahi hoon. Like mujhe ek cheez samajhne mein 100 baar padhna padta hai.”
To deal with this, he created different types of notes and repeatedly worked on the topics where he made mistakes:
“Main jo karta hoon ki main baar-baar notes bana leta hoon. Ek short notes, ek long notes aur main jo part galat karke karta hoon toh usko main baar-baar likh leta hoon ek aise ek list ki tarah.”
For Dwaipayan, Previous Year Questions (PYQs) were one of the most important parts of his preparation. Solving them helped him understand the type of questions asked in the examination and build confidence.
He said:
“Second most important hai PYQ. PYQ mein bahut help hota hai. Like aapka idea build hota hai aur negative marking aur jo ek expected score aata hai, usse confidence bhi boost hota hai.”
PYQs also gave him an opportunity to understand how he was performing under exam-like conditions. Along with building familiarity with the paper, this practice helped him become more comfortable with negative marking.
Along with PYQs, Dwaipayan regularly practised questions from PW. He also discussed and solved questions with his friends, which gave him exposure to different levels of difficulty.
He shared:
“Physics Wallah ka jo questions hai hum like hum friend circle mein solve karte the, woh sab toh bahut usse bahut help hota tha.”
Practicing questions that felt slightly more difficult also helped him build confidence. His preparation was not limited to simply completing the syllabus; he also worked on questions that could challenge his understanding.
Dwaipayan found the Physical Chemistry section comparatively challenging. The PW classes, particularly the lectures on Thermodynamics and Quantum, helped him strengthen these areas.
He said:
“Mera Physical sabse weak hai, toh Thermodynamics aur Quantum ka aapka lecture bahut help kiya mujhe.”
This allowed him to focus his preparation where he needed additional support instead of treating every topic in exactly the same way.
Balancing university studies with IIT JAM preparation meant that Dwaipayan had limited time to work through several reference books. As a result, he kept his primary preparation material centred around his notes.
He explained:
“Majority mera notes mein hi help hua hai, kyunki book padhne ka time itna, like semester ka padhai hota hai, uske baad JAM ka padhai, toh itna time nahi mil pata ki poora book padh ke poora solve karun.”
He did use some additional reference material, particularly for Organic Chemistry, while mentioning a book by Sharma and Pathania for Physical Chemistry practice. However, his notes remained the main part of his preparation.
Dwaipayan was pursuing his third year at Jadavpur University, with his sixth semester underway during the interview. Managing semester studies alongside IIT JAM preparation required him to use his available time carefully.
His approach was to keep working consistently instead of waiting for a perfect study schedule. This helped him continue his preparation even with regular academic responsibilities.
Consistency became another important part of Dwaipayan's preparation. He admitted that if he missed studying for a day, he would feel guilty about it, which pushed him to return to his studies.
He shared:
“Nahi sir, main khud ko guilt trip karta hoon. Agar main ek din bhi miss kar gaya toh main mera saara din mein chalta hai ki nahi kiya, nahi kiya. Isse achha hai main padh loon.”
For him, this mindset helped prevent a single missed day from becoming a longer break. He kept returning to his preparation and continued revising the material repeatedly.
After completing his undergraduate studies, Dwaipayan wants to pursue a Master’s at an IIT. His long-term goal is to go abroad for a PhD and eventually explore research or career opportunities there.
He shared:
“Iske baad hamara ichha hai ki koi agar koi achha IIT mil jayega toh IIT mein Masters karenge. Phir mera personal ichha hai ki main abroad jaake PhD karna chahta hoon.”
His AIR 23 result has given him a strong opportunity to take the next step toward these academic goals.
Dwaipayan Patra secured AIR 23 in IIT JAM 2026 Chemistry with 61 marks while preparing alongside his university studies. His preparation centred on repeated revision, note-making, PYQs, practice questions and reviewing mistakes.
His experience also shows how targeted support can help when a particular area needs more attention. For Dwaipayan, PW classes helped him work on Physical Chemistry topics such as Thermodynamics and Quantum.
For future IIT JAM aspirants, his journey offers a simple takeaway: focus on understanding, revise repeatedly, practise PYQs, and work consistently on areas where you need improvement.