Preparation for the Jawahar Navoday entrance exam

Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalayas (JNVs) is a system of schools for talented students mainly from rural areas in India. They are run by Navodaya Vidyalaya Samiti headquartered in New Delhi which is an autonomous organization under the Department of School Education and Literacy, Ministry of Human Resource Development, Government of India. 

Admission to class VI and IX in JNVs are made through a selection test called JNVST (Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalaya Selection Test). 

It is important to plan your preparation and studying in order to ace any exam, so this article will help you plan how to prepare and do your best in the Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalaya Selection Test. We recommend the following to maximise the efficiency and outcome of the hard work and effort put in:

1. Understand the exam pattern and syllabus (available on the NVSHQ website) – This will help you understand what exactly you need to study, and the topic-wise division may help you formulate a study plan 
2. Obtain study materials – Find a good practice book and/or guide that contains a question bank and a quick review of concepts. Past year papers are also a very good reference for questions because they help you understand what kind of thinking is required to solve questions and are useful practice for the final exam.
3. Learn and practice daily – Competitive exams are generally demanding, and consistent effort is required to ace them. Since it is obvious that students will have regular school and homework and other related commitments, it is very important to ensure that the momentum of preparation is maintained – the student should spend at least one hour every day on solving questions and revising concepts. This also helps the student learn and remember important concepts, and gives them exposure to a large variety of questions (in terms of types of thinking required and topics they are based on).
4. Manage your time – It is imperative that students learn how to manage their time in order to successfully complete the paper and score well. This is especially important to note because JNVST, being an objective exam, is very different from normal school exams – it requires different thinking skills, and one must solve questions quickly. Additionally, make sure you do not spend too much time on a single question – if you do so you might lose out on easier questions later in the paper.
5. Solve Mock Tests, Sample Papers, Past Years’ Papers – Solving these papers helps you get an idea of the actual paper and what to expect, and answer keys are easily available to help you understand your mistakes. Try solving them with a strict time limit, and go through the entire paper once before starting to solve – we suggest solving the questions that seem easy to you first and then coming back to the difficult ones, which will help you score marks easily and also boost your confidence (that you have solved a bunch of questions easily) to solve the harder questions.
6. Be confident, stay motivated, and believe in yourself – It is completely alright to get nervous as the exam dates approach. In fact, it may even help you stay alert and focus on final preparation and revision. However, do not stress yourself too much – that can cause you to lose focus and have an adverse impact. Believe in yourself, and ask your family and friends to send positive affirmations and motivation your way!