CAD Interviews Pranav Goyal — JEE Advanced 2018 All India Rank (AIR) 1

NAME: PRANAV GOYAL

JEE Advanced 2018: AIR 1st Rank
JEE Mains 2018: AIR 4th Rank

Pranav Goyal cleared NTSE, KVPY, INMO (Indian National Mathematics Olympiad), INPhO (Indian National Physics Olympiad), INChO (Indian National Chemistry Olympiad), INAO (Indian National Astronomy Olympiad), AIR-4 in JEE Mains 2018. He did +2 from Bhavan Vidyalaya, Panchkula, Haryana with 97.2% marks in CBSE Class XII Exams.

Q.1: What needs to be done to improve performance of school students in International competition Olympiads etc.?

Ans. Improvement on the following points may help:

1. Awareness among school students should improve. These exams should spread to more schools as much as possible. Schools should be asked to enroll for such Olympiads.
2. Practical aspects of Science should be introduced to students before class X and students should be urged to participate.
3. Practical nature of experiments should depend on good thinking; testing should involve new experiments so that cramming is de-motivated.
4. Books for Olympiads are not easily accessible and very costly. They ought to be made cheaper or accessible to students via libraries.
5. Interest to participate in pure Science should be cultivated among students via their teachers.

Q.2: Today there is extreme pressure upon school students as apart from school, they also have to attend tuition/coaching classes etc. Creativity, original thinking and passion towards Science are casualties in this environment. What are your thoughts?

Ans. I completely agree with the fact that tuition and coaching classes often add to the burden of school students, leaving them with no time or energy to indulge in creativity. This issue can only be resolved by promoting and funding professions in pure Science. Only then can students try to seek careers in these fields. Also, students with caliber to perform in such competitions should be identified and supported via various scholarships.

Q.3: What is your advice to students seeking to make a career in the field of science education and research?

Ans. The field of science education and research involves a lot of exploration and creativity. It requires original thinking rather than cramming.

• Use libraries as much as possible. They prove to be an amazing source of knowledge at a very low cost.
• Take more exposure by exploring new setups and different ideas — it will help improve your understanding of your chosen field.
• Improve upon your practical aspects. They will help you much more compared to theoretical fields.

Q.4: What are your tips for students preparing for examinations like NTSE, KVPY, Olympiad, JEE Main, NEET?

Ans. Plan out your preparation. It will not only help improve your output but will also help you decide on which topics to focus on.

• Stay Focused: Your study hours won't matter if you are not focused. On the other hand, focused study hours will always count.
• Most of these exams require students to take special guidance from teachers. Do so — it will help you prepare better.
• Try out at least five previous year question papers. They will help you decide on the topics you need to improve on.
• Several forums such as AoPS and the Brilliant app will help you obtain timely updates and information regarding most exams.