With a score of 385 out of 408 in IIT JEE, Arpit Aggarwal has managed to achieve what every engineering aspirant in India dreams of: the top rank in the most prestigious engineering entrance in India. The IIT JEE 2012 top-rank holder is a resident of Faridabad, and a student of Modern Vidya Niketan Senior Secondary School.
Recently in an interview given to Rediff.com, Arpit shared his 2 years journey of JEE preparation and his own secrets of success. Here are a few highlights from the interview:
2 years enough to crack JEE
Hailing from CBSE board, Arpit has proved that 2 years are more than enough to crack IIT JEE. He started preparing for JEE in class XI. However, he first learnt the skills of exam preparation in class VIII when he appeared for NTSE (National Talent Search Examination).
His key to success: Proper planning and time management. Also he advises to future JEE aspirants, “Get your fundamentals right”. Arpit feels that as there is a lot going on in class XI and XII, with the boards, and the numerous entrance exams, students must learn to plan accordingly. He however strongly agrees that extra-curricular activities like sports, drama, literature or whatever else interests a person are equally important.
Chemistry is his favorite subject!
It is a popular notion that JEE toppers are generally more into Mathematics and Physics than Chemistry, but Arpit is different. The 18 year old loves Chemistry so much that (believe it or not) he reads Organic Chemistry books like fiction novels. He admits that Mathematics was never his strong point, but he managed to pick up the pace later on during his preparation. Sincere effort and practice papers came to his rescue in case of Mathematics.
He has set an example for students who are great at Chemistry, but lack confidence because Mathematics is not their strongest point. Arpit’s case would teach them to keep the love for their favorite subject alive, while putting in extra effort for the subjects they find more challenging.
Extra-curricular activities would help you!
Though he himself is not into sports or gaming, Arpit feels that engaging in one’s interests keeps those brain cells working.
For 2 years there was no social function hosted in the Aggarwal household, in an attempt to not disrupt the hard-working boy’s routine. Some might find it extreme, but Arpit Aggarwal is happy for all the cooperation that he got from his family to help him achieve his dream.
Confide in someone to manage stress
Arpit feels that discussing matters with someone really makes troubles go away. He was close to two of his friends and two teachers at school, and could discuss anything with them freely, and that helped him manage his stress besides Yoga.
IIT JEE 2012 easy!
If you ask Arpit, the exam was as easy as it could be. He made only four mistakes in the entire exam. In fact he had figured out 3 of the 4 mistakes during the exam itself, however was unable to change his answers, because this year pen instead of pencil was used.
Wants to pursue MBA after graduation!
Despite his spectacular performance in JEE, pursuing hardcore science is not Arpit’s dream. Though there are no specific goals yet, he wishes to pursue an MBA after gaining his degree in engineering.
Engineering is as popular as ever-even more!
Arpit feels that engineering has definitely not lost its charm, and in fact is more popular than ever. With growing number of engineering institutes, students have more opportunity to make it into a good engineering institute. Even though competition is increasing, engineering’s popularity is on a rise as well.
Growing number of IITs might be diluting the quality of engineers produced
Arpit believes that the increasing number of seats in IITs and the emergence of new IITs might really be diluting the quality of engineers that come out of the institute. The reason: He argues that even though the number of seats in IITs has increased 5 times, the number of science students in school has not changed at the same pace.
Also, he feels that even with such rapid increase in the intake of IITs, the number of faculty and laboratories has not really increased substantially.
Not too keen on settling abroad
Arpit feels that he might have serious difficulties adjusting to the culture of foreign countries, even though he isn’t completely sure of his course of action so far in the future.
Reading is a hobby!
Even though Organic Chemistry books are his first preference, Arpit has started reading fiction as well. He follows Chetan Bhagat, Dan Brown, Jeffrey Archer.
Keen on helping deserving students:
He wishes to be able to help students who deserve to succeed, but haven’t received sufficient opportunities.
Course of choice: IIT Delhi-Computer Science
He hasn’t finalized a course yet, but feels that Computer Science at IIT Delhi would be a good choice for him.
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