IIT JEE — 2012

Day 99 / 366

Today is special. 12 years ago on this day, I gave the IIT JEE exam. An exam for which I had been preparing like a madman for over 2 years. And yet it all came down just to a single day, 2 papers of 3 hours each.

My exam center was in Jaipur, and I had gone there with my dad. I took a lot of books with me, scared of what topic I might need to revise at the last moment. I tried to find any photos I had from that time, but I couldn’t. Back then I used to have no social life or friends, so I had no need to take photos to post them anywhere.

I do remember some small things. Like I used to listen to these 2 songs on repeat to hype myself up -

and

Back then, I had stopped talking to all of my old friends. And even in Kota, I made no friends. With just one exception, Harsh — the only person at the time who even had my phone number. We got a 2-hour break between both the papers, and I had specifically asked Harsh not to call me because I did not want to waste any mental energy discussing the first paper.

Unlike others, I was in no hurry to check my answers and predict my marks after the paper ended. I was just happy that the hard work had finally ended and there were no more classes, no more DPPs (my fellow banalities will know this), and no more papers. I think I finally calculated my marks a month later.

I do not look back fondly at those 2 years I spent in Kota preparing for IIT JEE, and I have not recommended going there to anyone else. Today, I do not even relate to the person I was back then, sacrificing everything just to focus on my studies. But I am thankful to that Pranav, because if it wasn’t for him I would not have reached where I am right now.

My main email is still pranav15197. “15197” was my roll number at Bansal Classes. It’s my way to remember that time and to never forget that there is no substitute for hard work.