Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) on Senior Smart Course for IIT-JEE

I Regarding IIT-JEE II About SMART III Course Schedule IV Course Content V Admission

I. Regarding IIT-JEE

1. What all things play important role in clearing IIT-JEE ? a) Natural Brilliance : First and foremost is the inborn talent, which can also be characterized in different ways as intelligence, brilliance, aptitude, analytical skills etc. Greater the talent, easier it is to clear IIT-JEE. Also, it is not that only those who are genius or extremely brilliant can clear IIT-JEE. In general, one should have a caliber, which is greater than a threshold level, as IIT-JEE is all about relative performance. Also, good caliber does not mean merely securing 90+ Or 95+ in CBSE school maths. It is the ability to think originally in correlating the known concepts and also applying them in problem solving of higher order difficulty level. b) Training : Next key issue is the role played by training. This has profound influence in the end result. A student with good caliber may end up securing thousands of ranks lower (Or even may not secure a rank) than someone who is not as talented as him/her, if the quality of training is sub-standard for the former and very good for the latter. There are two modes of training which will make one clear IIT-JEE : I) Producing products like a factory with mechanical approach towards solving problems and rote of theory, as relevant for the pattern of testing in the IIT-JEE (objective for some years now), wherein additionally, students may not be going to school at all and thereby spending all the available time for IIT-JEE preparation alone of this kind. Moreover, if one fails to secure a rank in the first attempt after spending two years of such monotonous preparation, one more year of same preparation is repeated to clear IIT-JEE. II) Concentrating well on the conceptual aspects and its application through even rigorous problem solving (subjective in nature) wherein originality and creativity in thinking is encouraged, self-reliance in studying books and solving problems therein is nurtured, simultaneously infusing lot of interest and love for the subject, and also doing full justice to the relevant pattern of IIT-JEE. This is the methodology of SMART as well. For the training in the former case, “result is more important than the means”, while in the latter case, both result and means are given the due importance. Typical products of the former mode of training struggle inside IIT, while those of the latter do well inside IIT. c)  Hard-Work : Last but not the least, it is the hard-work of the student which is extremely important. This factor can compensate well for the lack of the above two. There are certain cases wherein students with exceptional talent prepare on their own and clear IIT-JEE as well. Systematic focused work for two years is of paramount importance and one must be prepared to put in hours of study every day. If all the three factors combine, very good result can be achieved.

II. About SMART

1. In what way SMART is different from other institutes at Chennai ? With due respects to all other institutes at Chennai, it has to be accepted that SMART has set far superior standards than others in all the relevant aspects necessary for IIT-JEE training viz. Quality of Classroom teaching, Quality of Assignments, Quality of Tests, Quality of Materials and Books, & Quality of guidance. For more details, one can go through this FAQ and also SMART Revolution , Testimonials etc 2. What are the results corresponding to previous years ? SMART has been producing excellent results from its very first batch. Visit Achievements 3. Who are the faculty members ? Maths, Physics and Chemistry (General, Physical and Inorganic) are handled by KK Anand Sir, Director of SMART. For Organic and Inorganic Chemistry, students of SMART have the tutelage of Dr.DP Shankaran (DPS Sir) a great expert in this field with vast experience. 4. How is it that KK Sir as a single person handles all three subjects exceptionally well that too for IIT-JEE which demands lots of knowledge and skills for handling even one part of a subject ? KK Sir is a topper from BITS, Pilani with a special dual Engineering degree ie. BE (Hons) Chemical Engineering and BE (Hons) Computer Science completed in five years (1992-97). He is also a topper of his MS (USA) batch in Chemical Engineering. He has been well acknowledged by professors and his peers as one of the brightest in the campus with very sharp intellect and sound analytical skills. He has been the favourite student of many Teachers, Professors and cherished friend of many who especially learnt a lot from him during the college days. Viewed in this light, one can understand the possibility of KK Sir handling all these subjects for IIT-JEE. 5. What is the general teaching style in SMART ? The teaching style is more student friendly and interactive, encouraging students to participate in any discussion and come up with their doubts quite freely. Classes are not monotonous and will be interesting. 6. How is the classroom atmosphere at SMART ? SMART has admission criterions and the students selected are more focused. Good students from many schools attend the class, and hence sets up a good atmosphere. Also, the class room is air-conditioned for the comfort of the students.

III. Course Schedule

1. How are the classes scheduled ? For West Mambalam branch: The course schedule can be divided into four sessions : a. First Summer Session < April to June first/second week> : The course starts around the end of the first week of April ie. a week or more after the end of X standard board exams. It goes for four weeks with classes on all the seven days of the week. Each class is of 4 hours duration (7 AM to 11 AM) with a 10 to 15 minutes snack break in between. It is followed by a 9 day holiday period around the first or second week of May. Again four weeks of classes as before. b. XI Std Session < Mid June to March> : There will be four classes per week each of duration around 3hrs 30 mts with 10 to 15 mts snack break. There will be additional classes on school holidays like Quarterly or Half-Yearly Holidays. c. Second Summer Session <April to June first Week> : There will be classes on six days Or even seven days of a week, each of 4 hours duration with 15 mts snack break. d. XII Std Session < June Second week to April > : There will be four classes per week each of duration around 3hrs 30 mts with 10 mts snack break, till November end. Afterwards, Occasional doubt clearance classes and regular exams will continue. Other batches: The course starts from 1 st week of May with 4 days a week of 3 hours each. During the 2 nd summer session 5 or 6 classes of 3 hours duration per week will be scheduled. There may be some additional classes if necessary to complete the syllabus as per the schedule of the sessions. Around 65% to 70% of the syllabus will be covered in the first three sessions and the rest 35% or so, in the last session which will be during the XII standard. Video-Conferencing (VC) centres will be set up at Anna Nagar, Gopalapuram and Adyar so that XI and XII standard students enrolled with West Mambalam batch for IIT-JEE will have the option of attending the classes live from any of these VC centres. Henceforth, commutation will not be a barrier at all. A student can either attend my classes directly at West Mambalam , or can attend through a VC centre, depending upon his/her preference for a given day. Students will not only experience the classes to be quite normal in terms of the teacher-student spontaneous interactions etc, they will also have fantastic clarity in both audio and video. 2. The general trend of institutes at Chennai is to complete around 35% to 40% of the syllabus before the commencement of XII std (mostly 3 classes per week) and the remaining 65% or so, during XII standard by keeping 6 classes perweek, and finish the syllabus by January Or February. SMART is doing it the other way round and many students have felt it to be a very big plus factor. Can it be elaborated? For those who are serious about IIT-JEE, it is best to start early (Summer) and finish in time (November end) for enough revision and practice which is quite vital. Moreover, School Half-Yearly and revision exams will keep the students very tight during December and January. Those who go slow in the first year, end up rushing in the second year in good pace for many chapters. They are always behind the chapters covered in the school and hence, huge amount of time is allocated by students to cope up with the school curriculum itself. Also, during XII standard wherein the school pressure is very high, they end up covering most of the chapters in rapid pace with more number of classes. Hence, the efficiency of preparation comes down by a great extent. Hence, SMART starts it off very early at Summer and students feel comfortable at school allocating only minimal time required, thereby gaining good amount of time for IIT-JEE preparation. The pace throughout is fairly uniform and all the chapters are covered quite comprehensively. Also, if one is finishing the syllabus by January Or February, it is very difficult to give the best shot at the prestigious National Level Olympiads in Physics and Chemistry, the first level of which is slated for November end. The methodology of SMART overcomes all these serious difficulties and increases the efficiency of preparation to a great extent. 3. Commutation is an issue for those who are quite far away from West Mambalam Or T.Nagar. Have students been there from far off places? How have they managed? Many students from Mylapore-Mandeveli-Gopalapuram, Adyar-Besant Nagar-Thiruvanmiyur, Ramapuram-Virugambakkam-Valasaravakkam, Mogappair etc localities, have been and also currently attending the Senior Smart Course. Students from Triplicane, Royapettah, Anna Nagar etc localities are also similarly studying in the Senior Smart course. Though Commutation is an issue and even when alternatives are available at their localities, they have taken the decision to join SMART because of the outstanding quality of training imparted by KK Anand Sir. It makes a huge difference to their preparation for IIT-JEE and Olympiads, if they are at SMART. Infact, they work more efficiently and prepare much better for sure, as by attending the classes at SMART, they are on a much better pedestal in conceptual understanding and its application through problem solving. What they gain relatively at SMART in each class, is certainly much more than compensated for the loss of commutation time. Many of those who thought of Commutation as an issue and didn't join SMART, have either joined later Or finally repented for not joining. Students even arrange regular Van Or Auto service to commute as a group. Some pool together and come in car. Some even use Bus / Train service. So, don't just go by the distance factor. The advantages at SMART are so enormous that it easily outweighs the commutation issue.

IV Course Content

1. Is Senior Smart Course a direct continuation of Junior Smart (ie. IIT-JEE Foundation Course) ? IIT-JEE training starts from scratch on all topics irrespective of whatever has been covered in the Foundation course. In that sense, Senior Smart Course is a stand alone course in itself. However, there will be a great advantage for those who have completed the Junior Smart Course as they will be familiar will the fundamental concepts in many of the topics with necessary problem solving skills, and will be tuned to apply themselves more analytically. 2. If one has not attended Junior Smart Course, is it possible to keep in pace with others who have already attended it ? Definitely possible. It actually depends on the caliber and determination of the student. It is well within the reach of a good student. Since everything will be taught from scratch, one can put in much more efforts and keep in pace with others. The difference will be distinctly seen during the First Summer Session, wherein the Foundation Course students will be at relative ease in general. With time, the difference will narrow down depending on the caliber and work ethics of a student. 3. Any special message for those who have completed Junior Smart and eagerly awaiting the commencement of Senior Smart Course? You have first of all done the right thing by undergoing the foundation course. It would have given you a good feel factor of conceptual learning and problem solving. If you were sincere and worked well for the foundation course, you are then at the best possible position to commence IIT-JEE preparation through Senior Smart. It will be relatively a smooth transition for you. However, there is a huge difference between the way KK Sir deals with these two courses. Foundation Course is actually more relaxed in its outlook, though you might have felt it to be slightly demanding if you have worked properly. The Senior Smart course is very rigorous on all aspects and highly challenging. It will be much more interesting than even the foundation course. With more class hours in a week, you will be assimilating lots of concepts and solving plethora of problems. Tests will always be around you one after another. You will experience the upgraded version of the spell-bounding lectures of KK Sir and his very special guidance. Senior Smart is the most special one of all the courses at SMART and KK Sir is at his very best in it with full flow. You will notice a prominent difference in Sir's lecture content and the way he delivers it, though you are well aware of his general teaching style. If you have done very well in the foundation course, you will be taken to greater heights in Senior Smart and you can prepare well for IIT-JEE and Olympiads. If you have put up only a moderate performance, don't worry. Your understanding and application of concepts will be much better. You will perform well and you will also be on track to crack IIT-JEE and perhaps even Olympiads. Hardwork will be the key factor for your success. When you are in XI, your mental maturity will be quite high to cope up with the course and hence don't panic by thinking about the workload. Some chapters in Physics and Chemistry may not be understood well in the foundation course. But, everything will become very clear in the Senior Smart Course. You have two fantastic years of learning ahead, the depth of which can't be imagined by you right now. All the Best !! 4. The First Summer Session is always talked about as a huge eye-opener and tremendous learning experience for all the students. Why is it so ? This is much more so for the new comers than for those who have completed Junior Smart Course. In either case, it will certainly be an eye-opener. There is a huge leap from X syllabus to that of XI. Also, most of the students would not have exerted themselves so far analytically as there is not of much challenge for talented students in the X standard level. Infact, many are used to solving problems in maths mechanically without much of thinking. They solve hundreds of similar problems from various guides and score well in exams. Once they plunge into the rigors of conceptual analysis, probing deeply step after another and solving problems with interlinking of concepts through systematic logical approach, tricks, pattern matching and manipulations, they are at the state of shock and it has been a nightmare for many !! This session will make them realize the parameters required for preparing towards IIT-JEE while they will be learning few chapters in all the three subjects. 5. What is the reason for dropouts after Summer ? For some, though good at school level, these rigors are too much to digest. Few may be pessimistic in their attitude and hence would like to back out from rigorous preparation, though they may have the caliber. 6. Students of certain schools attend school tuition in addition to IIT-JEE classes, though they are quite good. What about students of SMART ? School tuition is not at all required for students of SMART. If one has attended the IIT-JEE Foundation course, XI syllabus will already be known to them and hence school exams will be quite simple. Even otherwise, IIT-JEE training starts from Summer and many chapters required for school will be covered either ahead Or on par with the school. Students will be able to manage well even those chapters which are covered ahead by School. Hence, there is absolutely no necessity for school tuition. 7. Is it that school performance will drop down if one concentrates on IIT -JEE preparation ? Not exactly so, while it may be true in the case of certain students who are under time pressure to prepare well for school exams. Infact, for many students in SMART, their school performance is quite good. Since SMART covers many chapters on par with Or before school, students are able to understand and apply much better. The parameters required to prepare for a school exam is ofcourse quite different from that of IIT-JEE preparation though the syllabus may be same. It is only a minor adjustment. Also, some school specific issues are to be considered in understanding the performance of a student. Moreover, some students use IIT-JEE preparation as a pretext to cover up their failure to secure more marks in the school exams. It is also true that marks in XI and XII school exams will see a considerable dip in comparison to X standard marks. Hence, this should also be taken into account, though XII board exam marks will be much more than satisfactory level. To sum up, a good student will do well in both IIT-JEE preparation as well as school exams, and one should spot the right reasons for securing low marks if any at school. 8. SMART is well known for its very high standards of conceptual analysis and problem solving as even required for Olympiads. Is it not “hi-fi” and hence not required for IIT-JEE ? Not at all. As long as a chapter within the syllabus of IIT-JEE is dealt with, nothing can be termed as unwanted. The objective of SMART is to make the students learn the concepts and its intricacies in any topic with special attention to its application as problem solving till the higher order difficulty level. This is what a talented student needs and the student's appreciation & love for the subject increases manifolds when he or she is taken to its depth. The clarity in the concerned topics will also be much better. IIT-JEE is not a high scoring exam and hence students with thorough knowledge in various topics will be able to answer more questions correctly and hence will get those crucial few marks more, which decides their ranking. Even if certain aspects are not needed for IIT-JEE, KK Sir still sticks to his policy for elucidating the sheer beauty of the subject. Moreover, all these are anyway very much essential for Olympiads. Also, students with such background perform well in any university including the IITs. Hence, viewed in this light, nothing is unwanted, even if one is concerned whether this is a “result oriented” approach or not. 9. How many hours of study is required per day Or week ? It depends on the caliber of the student. In SMART, assignments needs to be worked out and one should also prepare for the upcoming exam. Hence, a student will know the target on a weekly basis. Whatever time it takes to finish this target, will decide the number of study hours per day or week. 10. SMART has the reputation of keeping many more tests than any other institute at Chennai and the tests are much more challenging as well. What is the role played by these tests ? Tests play a very important role in not only testing a student in a particular topic, but also acts as a tool for learning. A student gets a good opportunity to correct his or her mistakes, misconceptions etc. It also gives one's relative position in the class. Moreover, the test schedule unfolds the weekly plan of study for the students. Talented students with positive mindset eagerly look forward for a challenging test to gauge their preparation and aptitude level. These tests act as great driving forces for the serious aspirants of IIT. 11. It is a general perspective that it will be very hectic with SMART and students have heavy workload both in quality and quantity. Is it essential when they already have less time due to school pressure ? It is very much essential if one is aiming for a good rank in IIT-JEE. Whatever workload spoken about is necessary in these times of hectic competition. It seems to be tight and hectic because of the non-availability of time to meet out such levels of preparation. There are many thousands of students in Kota and similarly so in Andhra Pradesh and other parts of India, who are not bothered about even attending separately a school and hence devote all their time for IIT-JEE preparation alone. They gain many more hours for study even per day, than a student at Chennai. Project it for two years and one can see the very huge difference in their potential preparation level. It is a highly unequal competition as students at Chennai get very little time to prepare than others as mentioned, as they not only attend school, they also do more school work additionally. For instance, in IIT-JEE 2008, around 2000 students from Andhra Pradesh alone have secured rank and 200 students only from Tamil Nadu. From Bansal Classes at Kota alone, more than 1500 students secured rank in IIT-JEE 2008, out of around 10,000 students of the institute. From one institute called Resonance in Kota , more than 750 students secured rank from around 9000 students who studied there. More than 40,000 students, who are reasonably good in aptitude, throng to Kota every year from various states across India , to study for IIT-JEE through one of the plethora of institutes present there by clearing the entrance exam conducted by them. To make it worse for the talented first timers at Chennai, around 60% of the students who have secured rank in IIT-JEE 2008 in the all India level are second timers!! To compete with such students, KK Anand Sir has designed the schedule and levels of preparation, which once met out, puts one certainly at the league of the real competitors. Students in SMART enjoy what they do and they don't have complaints in that issue. They walk the tight rope, as the availability of time is not encouraging for them due to school pressure. The affected are the talented students. But, they balance to the best of their abilities and manage to succeed. If the school management understands the plight of the talented students who are capable of securing rank in IIT-JEE, and are interested in the future of such students, they can ease out the pressure on them and be supportive of their preparation towards IIT-JEE and Olympiads. Such support exists at various schools across the country. In Chennai, it is slowly moving towards the positive side in general. Such support from the schools will be a big step forward for the better preparation level of such students and will be a key factor for securing much better ranks in IIT-JEE. Once inside IIT, it's a level game for everyone and many students from Chennai outshine others. 12.Does any school have tie-up with SMART? Yes. A good affiliated CBSE school with excellent hostel facilities has tie-up with SMART. For more details contact office. 13. Does this course takes care of preparation towards BITSAT and AIEEE ? When one is preparing well for IIT-JEE at SMART, preparation for BITSAT and AIEEE is taken care off. Also specific materials and books for these exams are also made available for the students to practice. Students of SMART have always performed well in these exams.

V. Admission

1. What is the admission criterion for joining Senior Smart course ? Admission is based on two things : For West Mambalam branch: Quite consistent performance around 90% or above, in mainly the school math exams. Performance in the entrance exam conducted by SMART For other batches: Quite consistent performance around 80% or above, in mainly the school math exams . Performance in the entrance exam conducted by SMART 2. Why should at all there be criterion for admission ? The standard of education inside IIT is very high (the best in India ) and hence to cope up with such standards which is more analytically oriented, IIT is conducting the JEE. The purpose of JEE is thus to filter those who have the necessary knowledge and skills to pursue the elite education. Those bereft of such aptitude, will struggle to cope up. This is the general guideline. IIT-JEE is infact the toughest entrance exam in India , because of its conceptual testing alongwith problem solving of good difficulty level. Also, the number of seats available is limited. Hence, the training for IIT-JEE at SMART is also of very high standards which will be beneficial for students having good aptitude. For others, it will be difficult to follow the lectures in the first place and they can't apply themselves much. Hence, it is important to admit only those who can atleast follow the lectures and cope up to some extent. They can only be shaped for IIT-JEE. KK Sir Or for that matter anyone else, is not a magician to suddenly transform anyone to a bright student. 3. Are school marks in especially maths, not sufficient to evaluate the credentials of a student ? Why should the entrance exam be conducted ? These days, so many students score above 90 in their respective school math exams. Also, the quality of the question paper etc varies from school to school, and hence relative evaluation is difficult. Entrance exam will be a tool to distinguish these students in terms of their knowledge and application skills. It will be a good pointer to know one's position in the class beforehand. Actually, vast difference exists between one who is analytically very strong and other who is not, though both of them may be securing 90+ Or 95+ in school math exams. For IIT-JEE preparation, analytical skills are extremely important and hence it is evaluated through this Entrance. Infact, this is the reason why IIT itself is conducting JEE instead of merely having school board marks as the bench mark. 4. Can one join soon after Summer Session ? Yes. But, it will not at all be easy to cope up after missing around 60 Classes. Students with good caliber alone can cope up. In the past, students have joined this way and have secured ranks in IIT-JEE as well. Its better to contact KK Sir and he will be the best judge. 5. Will one be admitted in the middle of XI Standard Or even after XI std.? In the past, talented students have joined SMART around late August to early October, after knowing about the big difference in the standards set here in comparison to others. Also, such students were mostly not satisfied with the institutes they were attending. They have secured ranks in IIT-JEE as well. But, one must be of good caliber to cope up. Its not at all easy. Joining after XI standard is also a possibility. But, it is very late and more than 50% of the syllabus will be over by then. Given the choice, always sooner the better. Every single class is packed with so much of content that any further delay will be more detrimental only. Its better to contact KK Sir and he will be the best judge.