Rakesh Bhawal from Cooch Behar, West Bengal, secured an impressive AIR 26 in IIT JAM 2026 Chemistry. His preparation journey was not completely smooth at the beginning. He initially struggled to build a regular study routine while balancing his IIT JAM preparation with college practicals.
Things changed after he saw his senior secure a strong rank in IIT JAM 2025. The result motivated Rakesh to take his preparation more seriously and follow an approach with PW. From there, he focused on attending PW classes, revising regularly, solving DPPs and tests, and giving extra attention to the subjects that needed more practice.
Rakesh started his preparation in 2024, but he was not immediately consistent with his studies. He watched lectures online but did not follow a class routine during the initial phase.
A turning point came when his senior's IIT JAM 2025 result was announced. Seeing his senior secure AIR 126 gave Rakesh the confidence that he could also achieve a good rank with focused preparation.
He recalled how the result became a source of motivation for him:
“Jab 2025 ka result aaya IIT JAM 2025 ka result, February mein hamare senior ka ek ka tha 126 rank. Toh usko dekhne ke baad achha laga ki theek hai, kar sakte hain.”
This motivation helped Rakesh become more serious about his preparation and continue working consistently towards the next IIT JAM examination.
Preparing for IIT JAM while attending college was challenging for Rakesh, especially because his course involved regular practical classes. He had to manage his college schedule while keeping up with his entrance exam preparation.
He explained the difficulty of managing both responsibilities:
“College ke saath balance karna toh bada difficult tha. Hamara college mein toh practical hota hai na zyada, usmein time chala jaata hai.”
Despite the demanding college schedule, Rakesh continued preparing for IIT JAM. He mostly attended his classes live, while using recorded lectures to complete any backlog.
This approach allowed him to stay connected with the regular classes without letting his college commitments completely disrupt his preparation.
Rakesh preferred attending his classes live and also made notes during the sessions. For the portions he could not complete on time, he relied on recorded classes to cover the backlog.
He shared:
“Main toh live hi dekhta rehta tha, max. Jo backlog tha usko toh main recording mein complete kar liya.”
He also made it a point to prepare his notes along with the classes:
“Notes toh main likh hi leta tha, notes. Class ke saath hi saath.”
Following this routine helped Rakesh maintain a clear record of the concepts covered in class and gave him material that he could use during revision.
Instead of using multiple books and external resources, Rakesh kept his preparation focused on the material provided through his PW course.
He followed the Sakar batch, along with DPPs and tests, without adding too many additional resources. This helped him avoid spending unnecessary time switching between different study materials.
Rakesh explained his approach:
“Kuch bhi nahi liya sir. Maine sirf Sakar, DPP, test ye teen hi kiya aur kuch nahi liya.”
His strategy was not about studying from a large number of sources. Instead, he focused on completing the available material and revising it repeatedly.
One of the strongest parts of Rakesh's preparation was his focus on revision. After completing his classes, he made sure to revise the concepts instead of continuously looking for new study material.
When asked about his preparation strategy, he explained:
“Maine revise zyada kiya. Class ho gaya uske baad hi maine usko revise kar liya.”
This regular revision helped him retain concepts and become more comfortable with the syllabus. His approach shows that completing fewer resources thoroughly can be more useful than trying to cover too many sources without enough revision.
While preparing for Chemistry, Rakesh did not divide his time equally among all three sections. He spent more time on Physical and Organic Chemistry, while comparatively spending less time on Inorganic Chemistry.
He shared:
“Maine thoda Inorganic kam padha. Mujhe achha laga tha tab toh maine Inorganic kam padha. Physical aur Organic mein zyada time diya.”
This subject-wise strategy allowed him to devote more practice and revision time to the areas he wanted to strengthen.
Despite securing AIR 26, Rakesh felt that avoiding small mistakes could have helped him achieve an even better rank. He believed that careful reading of questions was particularly important during the exam.
When asked what he would do differently, he said:
“Zyada sir silly mistake karna nahi chahiye. Silly mistake hona hi nahi chahiye. Mera toh ho gaya exam mein.”
He also shared a simple lesson for aspirants who want to avoid similar mistakes:
“Time lekar karna chahiye. Jo bhi question hoga, time lekar hi karna chahiye. Question ko dhyan se padhna chahiye.”
For Rakesh, the lesson was clear: solving questions quickly is not enough. Candidates also need to read each question carefully and avoid rushing through the paper.
After securing AIR 26 in IIT JAM 2026 Chemistry, Rakesh has set his sights on pursuing his next academic step at IIT Bombay.
When asked about his preference, he shared:
“IIT Mumbai.”
His AIR 26 has put him in a strong position as he looks ahead to the next stage of his academic journey.
Rakesh Bhawal’s journey from an initially inconsistent preparation routine to AIR 26 in IIT JAM 2026 Chemistry shows how a focused approach can make a difference. Balancing college practicals with preparation was challenging, but he stayed with the process after finding motivation from his senior's result.
His preparation remained simple: live classes, notes, DPPs, tests, and repeated revision. Rather than collecting multiple resources, he focused on completing and revising what he had already studied. His experience also highlights the importance of reading questions carefully and avoiding small mistakes on exam day.
For future IIT JAM aspirants, Rakesh's journey offers a practical lesson: consistent revision, focused resources, and careful exam practice can help turn preparation into a strong result.