Why Students Who Study for Long Hours Still Struggle in JEE & NEET
After 18+ years in the classroom, I have realised that the problem is often not how little students study, but how they use the hours they already have.
“Sir, I am studying for almost 10 hours every day. Still, my marks are not improving.”
I have heard different versions of this sentence many times during my years of teaching JEE and NEET aspirants.
And whenever a student says this to me, I usually don’t ask him to increase his study hours.
I ask a different question.
“What did you actually do in those 10 hours?”
There is usually a pause.
The student starts thinking. Two hours went into watching lectures. Some time was spent reading notes. A chapter was revised. A few questions were attempted. There were breaks in between. The phone was checked several times.
Suddenly, those 10 hours begin to look very different.
This is something I have observed repeatedly in more than 18 years of teaching and mentoring students. Many hardworking students do not struggle because they are unwilling to study. They struggle because they start measuring preparation in hours instead of improvement.
Sitting with a book is not always the same as studying.
Reading a solution is not the same as solving a question.
Watching a teacher solve 50 problems is not the same as struggling with 20 problems yourself.
And giving a mock test is not the same as learning from that mock test.
That difference matters enormously in examinations like JEE and NEET.
I would much rather hear a student say, “Today I solved 60 questions, found that I am weak in one concept, revised it and then solved five more questions from the same area,” than simply say, “I studied for eight hours.”
The first student knows what changed during the day.
This is also why I ask students to keep a separate register for their weak areas and mistakes.
Whenever you get an important question wrong, don’t just look at the correct answer and move to the next page. Stop for a minute.
Ask yourself why you got it wrong.
Was the concept unclear?
Did you forget a formula?
Did you make a calculation error?
Did you read the question too quickly?
Or did you know everything but fail to apply it correctly?
Write it down.
Over time, that small register starts telling you more about your preparation than many books can. It shows you the mistakes you repeatedly make and the chapters that require more attention.
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I often tell students that your mistakes are not just lost marks. They are feedback.
The same thing happens with mock tests.
A student gives a test, checks the score and immediately starts preparing for the next one. If the score is good, he is happy. If it is poor, he is disappointed.
But in both cases, an important opportunity may have been missed.
The most useful part of a test often begins after the test is over.
Where did you lose marks? Which questions consumed too much time? Which mistakes were conceptual? Which were careless? Was there a chapter you thought you knew but could not handle under pressure?
A three-hour test can tell you what you need to work on for the next seven days — if you are willing to analyse it honestly.
Previous-year questions deserve the same seriousness.
JEE and NEET PYQs should not be treated as another question bank to finish. They help you understand how an examination converts a concept into a question.
And, of course, fundamentals matter. Students sometimes collect so many books and resources that preparation itself becomes complicated. NCERT, relevant study material, PYQs, regular practice and revision can take you much further when they are used properly.
There is another pattern I have noticed over the years.
Some students study for 11 or 12 hours when they are highly motivated. Two days later, they are exhausted and hardly study at all.
Competitive examinations are not prepared for in one heroic day.
They are prepared for through hundreds of fairly ordinary days.
That is why consistency matters more to me than occasional marathon study sessions.
A focused student who studies six or seven productive hours every day, solves questions, revises regularly and corrects mistakes can build a very different level of preparation over several months.
Coaching can certainly help in this process. A good teacher can explain a difficult concept. A coaching institute can provide material, tests, competition and structure.
But no teacher can revise on behalf of a student.
No coaching module can analyse itself after you make a mistake.
No timetable can force you to sit down every day.
Eventually, the responsibility comes back to the student.
Perhaps that is the most important lesson I have learnt from watching students prepare over the years.
Don’t be too proud of the number of hours you studied today. Be interested in what became better because of those hours.
At the end of the day, ask yourself one simple question:
“What did I improve today?”
If you have a clear answer to that question regularly, your preparation is probably moving in the right direction.
Because JEE and NEET preparation is not really about making every day longer.
It is about making every day count.
Priyank Joshi (PJ Sir)
JEE & NEET Chemistry Educator | Kota
18+ Years of Teaching & Mentoring Experience
