KVPY-research oriented scholarship programme

To promote and encourage students with research oriented careers in basic science courses, The Department of Science and Technology, Government of India conducts a National Level scholarship programme for the students of Class XI and XII. Student who qualifies for KVPY receives a monthly scholarship up to their pre- PhD level or 5 years whichever is earlier. The exam is administered by the IISc Bangalore with only 2500 students qualifying out of lacs of students applying.

The fellowship programme tests the students at three levels –
1. KVPY SA exam – for students of Class XI
2. KVPY SX exam - for students of Class XII
3. KVPY SB exam - for first-year students of B.Sc., Integrated 5-year M.Sc., or Integrated 5-year M.S. programmes.

The right way to prepare for KVPY

Students, who are already preparing for exams like JEE Main, Olympiads or any other competitive exams through institutes need not worry much as the pattern accommodates KVPY. According to Ramesh Batlish FIITJEE Expert, while preparing for KVPY, several complexities are faced by students and the following tips and tricks will help that will work like a panacea...

1. Manage your time with effective study plan – Discipline is the key to follow the time table. Make a study plan which is feasible as well as utilizes the time effectively and emphasises equal attention to all the subjects and important topics. Keep one hour daily for self analysis and correction. Make a separate time slot to provide for the subjects in which the student is weak. Segregate the time for covering the syllabus concept wise. Time management plays a vital role to achieve better scores in any competitive exams. This is also applicable while attending the exam and it is always advisable to attempt the known portion of the question paper first.

2. Utilise the resources efficiently – Understanding and Strengthening the concept is must, so choose the study material which is the easiest to understand. The right book helps you to understand the topics better and evidently. Make use of the periodic physical interactions with the expert faculty to clear doubts. Group study clarifies doubts and students can make self written short notes for long term memorising.

3. Evaluate yourself & reinforce your weak areas - Analyse your performance and work on the weaker concepts as neglecting them can be your biggest mistake. Work harder and you will see yourself solving the problems you were afraid of.

4. Stay connected with experts - There are some institutes like FIITJEE which also provide result analysis and doubt clearing sessions for their students on a regular basis. Usually, this is done for one or two days per month at their study centre’s. This practice is helpful to the students as they get to interact with the faculty face to face and resolve their queries then and there itself.

5. Judge your performance with periodic testing after focused study – Practice as many mock tests as you can and make sure to go through the previous year question papers of KVPY.

Subject wise preparation tips for KVPY

1. Physics - Class XI syllabus makes the foundation for any competitive exam and should be thorough especially for the students appearing at the KVPY SA level. Focus more on topics like – Optics, Mechanics and electromagnetism. Do not leave any topic untouched, but have a glance at thermodynamics, Simple Harmonic Motion (SHM) and waves.

2. For student appearing for SX level, practice more and more numerical problems and keep all the concepts clear. Focus on - Kinematics, Gravitation, Fluids, Heat and Thermodynamics, Waves & Sound, Capacitors & Electrostatics, Magnetics, Electromagnetic Induction, Optics and Modern Physics.

3. Mathematics - Basic knowledge of geometry and number theory is a must. Other Mental ability based questions include topics like – Algebra, Quadratic equation, Series and progression, P&C, and basic geometry. Fundamental topics like circles, trigonometry and sequence and series are guaranteed to fetch good marks comfortably. Such topics, once thoroughly done are helpful in scoring. Students should ensure to go through these at least once before the exams as 3-4 questions from these topics are expected.

For students appearing at the KVPY SX Level, few units in the section will include questions from the topics like integration, statistics, vector algebra and 3-D Geometry. And with sure shot 2-3 questions from the topics, one from each topic will be easy. These will be advantageous to increase the marks. Easy to score topics – few topics like application of derivatives, matrices and determinants and limits are high scoring ones. These are essential to score well with 1-2 questions for sure.

4. Chemistry – Students appearing for KVPY SX should be thorough with the periodic and consult NCERT books for inorganic chemistry. Organic chemistry needs to be clear from the basic level along with regular practice. Practice as many numerical from the physical chemistry part. The following topics are essential - Coordination Chemistry & Chemical Bonding in Inorganic Chemistry, Electrochemistry, Chemical & Ionic Equilibrium, Mole Concept in Physical Chemistry and Organic Chemistry. Other topics like Atomic structure, Chemical bonding, and organic chemistry are important. Have a glance through inorganic chemistry as the weight age is less. If the basic concept is clear, even an odd seemingly difficult question is answerabe.

5. Biology for class XI (SA category only). It's relatively easy to score good marks in biology when compared to other subjects. If a student is thorough with class IX and X NCERT and has gone through some important topics from class XI and XII NCERT books, then a student can expect to score more than 80%.

Topics like
1. Genetics
2. Cell and biomolecule
3. Physiology (both animal and plant - specially photosynthesis in plants and control and coordination in both animals and) plants
4. Health and disease are extremely important from exam point of view.

Questions from these topics can be of class XI and sometimes XII level. Therefore, a student preparing for KVPY are advised to selectively read these topics from XI and XII NCERT. Taking mock tests and solving previous year question papers during the course of preparation will definitely help the student get some extra marks. “Never say die” should be the attitude. Fill yourself with as much as positive energy, time to time. Believe in yourself, work hard and stay focused with positive energy. Meditating can be a way of relaxing yourself. Spending time with your family and friends can keep the burden out. Never over burden yourself with the content and give some time to the brain to get on track.

BY Ramesh Batlish