Do I need to take a break after the 12th to prepare for IIT JEE or NEET?

Taking a break of one year after your class 12 is an important decision in a student’s life. One has to weigh all the possible repercussions that might come off from such a decision. Both IIT JEE and NEET are among the toughest entrance examinations in the country. As the exams are highly-competitive, there might be unthinkable pressure on the aspirants to clear the exams with flying colours in a short amount of time. The timely pressure of the 12th boards and these entrance exams can break the stress capacity of the students. 

Therefore, it is essential to consider the students’ all possible scenarios before making a decision.

Reasons why students decide to take a drop year after their 12th:

• Marks

Students are under constant pressure to achieve good marks so that they will get an entry point to the college of their dreams. In entrance exams like IIT JEE and NEET, more than marks, ranks are considered to get into a good college. The constant fear of not being able to achieve good ranks can force the students to take a break of one year.

• Determination to clear in the first attempt

Most of the students do not want to take chances with their first attempt. So, they want to have a foolproof preparation where they will be sure of clearing the exams with a good shot at their dream college and course. 

Read More: Tips to Crack Entrance Exams in the First Attempt

• Reasons related to health

As NEET and IIT JEE happen after the 12th board examinations, aspirants will be physically and mentally exhausted. They may not have the vigour or mental space to prepare again for their entrance examinations. The mental and physical stress can cause some of the students to underperform. This might result in poor marks and disappointment. Hence, students might vouch for dropping a year for preparation. 

The Pros and Cons of taking a break after the 12th to prepare for IIT JEE or NEET

Pros

• Better Preparation

A drop year can enhance the quality of your preparation. Back-to-back exams can affect the exam preparation of students. So, taking a year off can help students with better comprehension and development of areas that they feel are their weak points. Another year is a better chance to understand and consolidate the concepts.

• Improve chances of selection

A drop year is solely concentrated on the preparation of IIT-JEE or NEET. This will help improve the preparation and thereby a better scope of scoring marks. These marks can help you land in a better selection process. 

• Chance for better ranks

As the aspirant is varied in any other tensions, they can have a good preparation and score a better rank than if they had right away attempted the exam after 12th Boards. Most of the students evidently score better ranks in the drop year. 

• Aiming for a better college

A drop year will have a higher chance of providing the candidate with better ranks. Good ranks can help the candidate to get into that college they were dreaming of. Rather than settling for any college that comes by the aspirant, a drop year with effective preparation can help you get into the college of your choice.

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Cons

• Losing a Year

A drop year can be a wrong choice if you are not that committed to getting that dream seat for IIT-JEE and NEET. There will be chances of the studies getting monotonous. If the candidate is not properly motivated, then the learning process can become boring and depressing. It will also result in wasting time that could have been fruitfully invested elsewhere.  

• Performance Anxiety

Taking a drop year is a huge decision to make. It may or may not affect the future plans you have panned out for yourself. You might feel extreme pressure as you need to crack this somehow. If you fail, that will bring the whole year of preparations down to nothing. Self-motivation is the only key to overcoming such anxiety.

Read More: Best Tips for NEET Repeaters to Crack 2021 Exam

If you have decided to go with taking a drop year and dedicating yourself to focused preparation, it will be an ideal choice to join the best entrance coaching centre in Kerala.  Alpha Entrance Academy is one of the top engineering and medical entrance coaching centers in Alappuzha, Kerala. They also provide online coaching for medical and engineering courses.