IIT Admissions: How to Get In, What It Takes, and What Really Matters

Getting into an IIT, India’s premier engineering institutes that admit students through the Joint Entrance Examination (JEE). Also known as Indian Institutes of Technology, they’re the top destination for students aiming for high-paying tech and engineering careers. It’s not just about scoring high—it’s about playing the game right. Thousands apply every year, but only a few thousand get in. And the ones who do? They didn’t just study harder. They studied smarter.

IIT admissions hinge on two exams: JEE Main, the qualifying test for NITs, IIITs, and IITs, with a focus on speed and accuracy and JEE Advanced, the harder, deeper exam that decides who gets into IITs, testing conceptual mastery over rote learning. You can’t skip JEE Main to reach JEE Advanced. And you can’t crack JEE Advanced without mastering the CBSE syllabus, the most widely followed curriculum in India, aligned closely with JEE’s question patterns and NCERT-based content. Most top rankers come from CBSE schools—not because it’s easier, but because it matches the exam’s structure. ICSE or state boards? They’re fine, but you’ll need to fill in the gaps yourself.

Chemistry is the most scoring subject in JEE. Physics is tough. Math is time-consuming. But Chemistry? It’s predictable. If you know your NCERT cold, you can score 90+ out of 120. That’s not luck—that’s strategy. And it’s why so many students who struggle in Physics or Math still get into IITs: they nailed Chemistry. You don’t need to be a genius. You need to be consistent. You need to know what to skip (like deep organic mechanisms if you’re short on time) and what to master (like chemical bonding, thermodynamics, and electrochemistry).

Coaching isn’t mandatory, but it helps. Top institutes like Aakash or Allen don’t just teach—they train you for the exam’s rhythm. They give you patterns, shortcuts, and mock tests that mirror the real thing. But even the best coaching won’t save you if you’re not practicing daily. The real difference? It’s not the institute. It’s the habit. Solve 10 problems a day. Review your mistakes. Repeat.

And while everyone talks about JEE, don’t ignore the other stuff. Your board marks matter for eligibility. Your mental health matters more. Burnout is real. So is stress. The students who make it aren’t the ones who studied 18 hours a day. They’re the ones who stayed steady, stayed focused, and didn’t quit when things got hard.

Below, you’ll find real advice from students who made it—on choosing the right board, beating the toughest chemistry chapters, managing time, and knowing when to skip a topic without risking your score. No fluff. No myths. Just what works.