JEE Mains is one of the most competitive exams taken by high school students. It’s conducted in two phases, in January and April, each lasting for about a week and twice a day. At times, students are unsure whether to take both phases or appear just for one. This confusion is widespread among candidates. After two to three years or even more of grinding leads to burnout. We can understand this with the curve below.
Mindset of candidates
Most Class 12 students struggle to balance their incomplete JEE syllabus with Board exam pressure, since Boards begin soon after the January session. Droppers are no different story. They, too, have unfinished syllabi and backlogs. Therefore, the candidates prefer to focus on the syllabus completion and a ton of mock practices and then appear fully prepared in the April phase.
Dilemma hit
Although this seems like a straightforward strategy, the situation is more complicated because of:-
- Perks of Jan phase
- Mindset difference in the candidate
Advantage of Jan over April
- Low attendance rate:- The competition pool in January is less than that in April. A smaller competition pool increases the chances of achieving a higher percentile.
- Higher percentile for Lower marks:- The marks needed for achieving the same percentile are less in Jan relative to April.
- Paper Level:- January attempt papers are observed to be slightly on the easier side.
Marks vs. Percentile Gap (2020-2025) (Must-Have)
| Percentile | Estimated Rank | Jan session score (approx) | April session score (approx) | April Penalty (extra score needed) |
| 99.9%ile+ | < 1,500 | 230-250 | 250-270 | +20 |
| 99.5%ile | ~ 6,000 | 185-200 | 210-225 | +25 |
| 99.0%ile | ~ 12,000 | 160-175 | 185-205 | +25-30 |
| 98.0%ile | ~ 24,000 | 140-155 | 165-180 | +25 |
| 95.0%ile | ~ 60,000 | 110-125 | 135-150 | +25 |
Mindset gap
What is the mindset of a candidate who has excelled in the January attempt?
- Filled with positivity and enthusiastic to excel April phase and IIT-Advanced
- They also feel secure knowing that even if their April performance dips, their January score already ensures a decent NIT-level rank.
- They can work straight away for IIT-Advanced.
Which is ideal for you?
It completely depends on one’s preparation level.
- If you are a 12th grader and your board preparation is on track, and JEE Mains revision is more or less complete. Then go for JEE Mains January as well as April attempt.
- If your Board preparation is completely neglected, then target the April attempt. You can later attempt all the January shift papers, mark down your grey area and work on those after boards. That will help you secure a great place in the April attempt.
- If you are a dropper, and your preparation is more or less complete. Then also appear in Jan attempt.
Conclusion
Moving on to the conclusion of the blog. If you are more or less prepared for JEE mains and your boards preparation is also well. Then go for both attempts of JEE Mains. Otherwise, you can prepare more and bounce back to achieve your golden percentile.
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