IIT JAM 2026 AIR 24: Shubham Prakashdutt’s Success Journey with PW

Shubham Prakashdutt secured AIR 24 in IIT JAM Biotechnology 2026 while preparing alongside his graduation. His preparation was not limited to the months immediately before the examination. He had been reading standard books since his first year, which helped him build a strong Biology foundation.

He started focusing on JAM preparation in August 2025. Since Biology was already a strong area, he completed its revision by October and then concentrated more on Physics, Chemistry, Mathematics, and question practice. He also used PYQs and the PW test series as part of his preparation.

How Shubham Prakashdutt Built His Biology Foundation

Shubham’s preparation for JAM began with the academic foundation he developed during his first and second years of college. He regularly studied standard books for his coursework, which helped him become comfortable with detailed Biology concepts.

“Jaise main usually jab main first year mein tha yaani mere second semester se to main tab se standard books padhta tha apne college ke liye, exams ke liye, to ye tha ki mera Biology ka portion already bahut accha ho raha tha. To wo maine apna base bana liya tha almost third year aate-aate.”

By the time he reached his third year, Biology was already a strong area for him. He also recalled answering a one-mark question in JAM because he had previously read the relevant detail in a standard book.

This early preparation meant that he could spend more of his dedicated JAM preparation time on subjects that needed greater attention.

How Shubham Prakashdutt Structured His JAM Preparation

Shubham began his focused IIT JAM preparation in August 2025. Since he already had a strong Biology base, he chose to complete its revision first.

“August se maine apna Bio revise karna shuru kiya tha aur almost October aate-aate maine Bio pura finish kar diya tha.”

After completing Biology, he shifted his attention towards Physics, Chemistry and Mathematics and increased his focus on question practice. Mathematics required additional effort because he had not studied it up to Class 12, while Physics and Chemistry were comparatively familiar from his school background.

This subject-wise approach allowed him to use the later part of his preparation for areas that required more practice instead of spending the entire period revising Biology.

How Shubham Prakashdutt Used PYQs and PW Test Series

Question practice became an important part of Shubham’s preparation after completing his Biology revision. He practised IIT JAM and GATE XL PYQs and also used different test series, including PW’s.

“Ji ma'am, maine PYQs to of course kiye the, to PYQs ki book aati hai kuch IIT JAM ki, GATE XL ki, wo sab thi. To wo to maine kiye hi the. Baaki test series maine bahut li thi, jaise PW ki bhi li thi test series, to test series bhi bahut helpful hoti hai.”

For Shubham, the PW test series provided additional practice beyond previous-year questions. He particularly found the Physics and Chemistry questions useful and felt that the level of the 2026 JAM paper had similarities with some of the practice he had encountered in the tests.

His preparation therefore combined PYQs with additional questions to avoid relying only on familiar question patterns.

How Shubham Prakashdutt Managed the IIT JAM 2026 Paper

The 2026 paper had considerable weightage from Physics, Chemistry and Mathematics, which made question selection important for Shubham. Since Mathematics was not his strongest area, he left some questions that he was not confident about.

He had already decided before the exam that he would analyse the initial questions before deciding his overall attempt.

“Jaise main ye mindset se gaya tha ki shuru ke 10-15 questions main dekhunga, analyze karunga, aur tabhi main decide karunga mujhe kitne marks ka attempt karna hai, kya karna hai, kya chhodna hai.”

He was also cautious about negative marking, particularly in MCQs. Rather than attempting a question without sufficient confidence, he preferred to leave it when the risk of losing marks seemed high.

This approach helped him adapt to the actual paper instead of relying on assumptions about its difficulty or subject-wise weightage.

How AIR 24 Shaped Shubham Prakashdutt’s Next Step

Alongside IIT JAM, Shubham had also appeared for other opportunities related to higher studies. He also received selection in the second round of the IISER Pune process.

After securing AIR 24, his focus shifted towards choosing an institute based on his research interests.

“Abhi to ma'am main apna jo matlab topic of interest hai jaise mujhe Biochemistry bahut achhi lagti hai ya phir Molecular Biophysics achhi lagti hai, to main dekh raha hoon ki kaunse institute mein abhi kaisa research ho raha hai, wahan pe kya papers abhi print ho rahe hain ya phir matlab ongoing research kya hai.”

Rather than deciding only on the basis of his rank, Shubham was looking at the research being conducted in areas such as Biochemistry and Molecular Biophysics. At the time of the interview, TIFR Hyderabad and IISc Bangalore were among the institutes he was considering.

Shubham’s journey to AIR 24 in IIT JAM Biotechnology 2026 shows how an early academic foundation can make focused exam preparation more manageable. His experience also highlights the value of standard books, consistent question practice, additional test series, and careful question selection during the exam. 

For future aspirants, his preparation offers a practical example of how college studies and JAM preparation can be built together over time.