JEE vs IPMAT – the debate is omnipresent since there are quite a few JEE aspirants who look at IPMAT as another avenue they would want to keep open. Having said that, there are quite a few preparation adjustments that a JEE aspirant has to make when it comes to IPMAT preparation. For starters, it is important to acknowledge that these are two different examinations with certain overlapping topics.
Anyway, coming to the adjustments in terms of preparation, what are the aspects that need to be considered to this end?
Factor #1 – JEE vs IPMAT – the level of difficulty
This one is easy. It is obvious that JEE as an examination is far more difficult than IPMAT. The level of Math that is tested in JEE is way higher than that tested in IPMAT.
So, IPMAT is easy for a JEE aspirant?
Ah, that is interesting. We are so attuned to the belief that just because we are ready for the tougher examination, the easier one will automatically fall in place. That need not always be the case.
In order to understand this reality, we need to understand how IPMAT breaks itself down into two parts, with some components tied to each of these parts.
Part 1
This part consists of topics/concepts like Permutations and Combinations, Inequalities, Functions, Exponents and Logarithms, Polynomials, etc.
These are the tougher sets of ideas associated with Algebra when it comes to the mathematical rigour involved.
Part 2
This part consists of topics that test more of your aptitude.
Some of the components that we can include in this bucket are Averages, Ratios and Proportions, Mixtures, Pipes and Cisterns, Progressions, et al.
How does the JEE vs IPMAT angle fit in here?
A JEE aspirant is perhaps more prepared and game-ready for the tougher ideas and the more rigorous Math (essentially the topics that constitute Part 1). As a JEE aspirant, you probably are not used to the simpler ideas that form a crucial chunk of the IPMAT Quant. You simply cannot allow yourself the luxury of not getting acclimatized to the simpler ideas, just because you are great at the tougher ones.
If you are a JEE aspirant…
You need to tell yourself, “I am ready for the tougher concepts anyway, thanks to my JEE preparation. When it comes to JEE vs IPMAT, I need to focus on the easier ideas now. It will take me three days or so, but I will spend that time and get game-ready for IPMAT.”
And once you are ready to face both these sets of problems, you are looking at a great score in Quant (or Math, in common parlance), which will then make your overall cutoff sail through the roof, or at least push it to a position where you can clear the overall cutoffs.
Factor #2 – The elephant in the room a.k.a the Verbal section
Let’s be honest. If you are/have been preparing for JEE, chances are you have not given adequate thought into the English or the Verbal section at all.
What can you do then? How do you go about it?
You must plan to read at least for an hour daily. It could be your de-stressing getaway from a day of high-octane preparation or just a relaxation break of sorts; it could even be your energy-booster. Whatever it may be, you must practice reading daily as a hobby/habit/routine.
Why is this important?
Since IPMAT is not an examination where your vocabulary gets tested heavily, the most important component out there is the Reading Comprehension (RC). Out here, your general comfrot level with reading will get tested to a reasonable extent. This means you definitely need to practice reading a lot.
To sum up the JEE vs IPMAT debate…
There are two major adjustments that need to be made when a JEE aspirant prepares for IPMAT.
- For Math – The first aspect is getting used to the simpler ideas. You might get a high after solving an impossibly diabolical sum on Permutations and Combiations, but it would have cost you 3 complete, precious minutes in your examination, in which you could have instead ended up solving 3 or 4 simpler Arithmetic questions. Keep in mind that you are not going to be rewarded for the quality of questions, but the quantity you solve during the time span allotted.
- For Verbal – You
have to…need to…should… MUST start reading everyday. In this aspect, Bharath’s Curated Reading List for CAT and IPMAT will definitely come in handy. The repository contains 700+ handpicked articles at present, and the genres, styles and types of articles are carefully chosen to tailor to the level of difficulty of the RC passages that are tested in IPMAT.
Too long, didn’t read
IPMAT is easier than JEE. But that does not mean you can be lax in your preparation for the former. With the two adjustments – one for Quant and one for Verbal – you should see yourself through in both the sections of IPMAT, thereby clearing the overall cutoffs as well.
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Stay safe and best wishes for IPMAT preparation.
Rajesh Balasubramanian is a 4-time CAT 100 percentiler. He likes few things more than teaching Math and insists to this day that he is a better teacher than exam-taker.
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