Why choose a CBSE school with IIT guidance?

With so many choices of boards available – State board, CBSE, ICSE, IGCSE, IB to name a few- the perplexing question on every parent’s and student’s mind is about making the right board choice for a JEE aspirant. There is a serious difference in the range of topic coverage, depth of coverage and exam orientation in each of these boards. Thus your choices of the board in 11th grade can affect your JEE performance.

Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) is the only Indian board regulated and managed by the central government of India. National Testing Agency (NTA) which is also a central government body conducts the Joint Entrance Examination (JEE). Both CBSE and NTA come under the Ministry of Education. Thus they are in tune with each other. The topics that appear in JEE are based on the syllabus of CBSE and NCERT books are the best source of preparation for the exam. The same is not true for other boards. Respective state governments govern state boards, while ICSE is a private body. IGCSE & IB are international boards with no alignment to Indian exams. Thus, CBSE is the popular choice for JEE aspirants.

IIT/JEE preparation and CBSE schools - Current practice

At present, you can find 2 different types of practices for IIT/JEE preparation

1. Regular school with part-time IIT/JEE coaching – In this approach, the student will go to a CBSE school during the day time and take up IIT/JEE coaching during the evening hours or during weekends. The coaching could be conducted online or through physical classes.
   The advantage of this approach is that the student continues studying in a regular school where there is a balance between different academic and non-academic activities. Their social life is maintained as the student continues to participate in various sports and extracurricular activities while still preparing for his 11th & 12th board exams. The preparation at school is complemented by coaching classes in the evening hours that prepare the student for the JEE exam.
   However, the biggest drawback of this system is that many students find it difficult to cope with the hectic daily schedule of attending both the school during day time and coaching during the evening time leaving the student no time for personal study time or relaxation. Also, the student will spend time studying the same subjects twice – once in school and again during coaching from two different teachers, potentially confusing him/her. The school and coaching class may move at their own pace covering different topics at different times. Moreover, the JEE exam being qualitatively different from an 11th and 12th board exam may require much more focused training and effort than just evening or weekend classes. Thus the preparation for JEE under this approach may be shallow and not satisfactory.
2. Integrated IIT/JEE coaching with CBSE School - In this approach, the student prepares for JEE and CBSE 11th and12th exams simultaneously. The syllabus and timetable of CBSE classes are mapped with JEE topics at a micro level and classes run in a synchronized fashion to save time and effort and optimize the student's learning. There is no wastage of time through double learning of subjects, no confusion caused due to multiple teachers handling the subjects and good match between topics covered in coaching classes and regular school classes.
   However, the student still has to travel between school, coaching, and home, adding to the student’s stress level. Many smaller cities in our country may not have integrated JEE coaching, and students have to migrate to bigger cities for such quality JEE coaching. They have to stay in PG accommodation or other such arrangements, leading to issues with hygienic food, a lack of social support, and a lack of adult monitoring that causes health problems and other teenage problems. Parents of such students are also constantly worried about their health, security and well-being.

Emerging Residential model

A third model that is gaining traction lately for JEE/IIT preparation is a residential model having all the benefits of a regular school, and good quality residential facility and guidance for JEE exam – all in the same vicinity so that JEE aspirants can get 2 years of rigorous exam preparation in a secure, hygienic and adult monitored environment. The advantages of JEE guidance in a residential model are:

1. Zero waste of time – With all facilities available on the same campus a student in a residential set-up does not waste time in traveling between school, coaching and home. The saved time can be utilized in productive recreational activities or extra study time as the need may be. The school also enjoys greater freedom in scheduling and conducting extra classes when required as both teachers and students are available on campus and there is no clash of schedule.
2. Safety & Security – In today’s life full of distractions from gadgets, social media or anti-social elements, every parent is extremely concerned about their child’s safety. The thought of leaving a teenage boy or girl in a hostel/PG accommodation is unnerving for many parents. The residential environment provides the necessary security for students to stay away from all sorts of distractions. The student will not be wasting time on social media or the internet as it is not allowed on campus. The campus is fully monitored by security personnel and there is no outside influence or distraction in the campus. Above all, as teachers also stay on the same campus, there is a tight watch on each student thus prompting students to be on their best behavior.
3. Teacher accessibility – Students on campus can access their teachers all the time. There are doubt-solving sessions every day where time is set aside for one on one help. The self-study time during the evening is monitored by teachers where the teacher ensures that the student is practicing what was taught in class. Also, this allows extra time for students to interact with teachers to clarify concepts, solve problems and learn better when needed.
4. Enough time for recreation too! – The common stereotype of JEE aspirants is that they have no time for anything other than studies. But as the famous adage goes ‘all work and no play makes Jack a dull boy’. A good study schedule has enough breaks for stress relief. The right amount of physical activity can enhance academic performance. A JEE aspirant running between home, coaching and school can hardly find any time for recreation. However, in a residential set-up with all facilities (sports included) available within the same campus, a student also gets a healthy dose of physical activities too. This refreshes their mind and body keeping boredom and stress at bay.
5. Immersive learning and thorough preparation for exams - The residential set-up has a strict daily schedule with daily allocation for exercise, regular classes, doubt-solving sessions, monitored evening study time and breaks at regular intervals. Even the weekends are packed with various academic and non-academic activities. This creates an academically immersive ecosystem that builds discipline and academic rigor in preparing students for success.

11th and 12th are the most crucial years in the educational journey of a student. Thus, the choices one makes at this phase of life have lasting implications. So consider the following factors when choosing a school or college.

1. Choose the CBSE syllabus over every other board as CBSE is the best choice for a JEE aspirant
2. Make sure you choose a model that prepares you well for both CBSE exams as well as JEE exam. Remember both your CBSE and JEE exams are of equal importance.
3. Given all the advantages and disadvantages, a residential model will give you the right ground for exam preparation. Thus consider a residential school.
4. Thus make sure the institute you choose has good CBSE teachers, effective JEE guidance,, quality living arrangements, hygienic food, sports facility and other necessary facilities in one place.
5. Choose an institute that also has teachers staying within the same campus and has monitored evening study time as teacher accessibility is most crucial.

Many factors lead up to success in a JEE exam. While a student is the hero of any JEE success story, many things in the background would have supported such a success. Most crucial of such background factors are the teachers who taught the student and the environment that motivated him/her. It is important that the student has focus, determination, discipline, and intelligence and put in a lot of hard work to ace the JEE exam. More important is the environment that will encourage the student to make his best efforts. A residential school with JEE exam guidance provides the right environment where a student can flourish.

Away from the hustle and bustle of Bangalore City, nested in the lap of nature, Emerald International School offers a 2 years residential program for 11th and 12th. The infrastructure includes classes with audio-visual aid, a laboratory facility, a maker’s space, a library, sports facilities, a vegetarian kitchen, a hostel facility, and more within its campus.

Through synchronized guidance is provided for JEE preparation at 11th and 12th grades to optimize the student’s learning. With teachers living on the same campus, evening study time is monitored by teachers themselves, keeping the environment strict and academically rigorous. Away from the distraction of gadgets, and in an academically immersive ecosystem, the students can prepare well to ace the JEE exam.

We at Emerald International School encourage all our prospective parents to spend a day with us when they come in for an enquiry. They are encouraged to understand all the programs and activities of the school in detail, interact with teachers, go through extensive campus tours, interact with the principal and get a firsthand experience of the school’s working model.