Preparing for boards along with JEE is a challenging task in itself. It often feels like walking a tightrope. So, students have to start with a strong base in chemistry through reading the NCERT book because NCERT is the foundation for boards and JEE exams too. Both exams are equally important, especially for candidates who are looking to pursue a career in the technical and engineering fields. So students must have an ideal strategy to prepare for both exams together.For both exams, two things are very important: that is, time management and concept clarity. Because with the right concept clarity and time management, it is possible to achieve a good score in chemistry in both exams. In this article, we will tell you that Anil Kumar Lal Sir, who is one of India’s best chemistry mentors, will guide you in chemistry for both the board and JEE exam 2026..
1. Understand the Syllabus and Exam Pattern
Candidates need basic knowledge of chemistry to upgrade their preparation for both exams. Students have to go through NCERT books, and NCERT books are the most reliable textbooks to strengthen conceptual knowledge. NCERT books are the bedrock for both Board exams & JEE, particularly for chemistry. However, JEE demands deeper applications. Hence, a deep understanding of NCERT textbooks is essential for JEE main preparation. Read them thoroughly, as many questions are directly asked from NCERT in the chemistry section.
Chemistry has different parts, and as per the exam pattern, different parts of Chemistry have different weightage.
- S.No. Chapters Weightage %
- 1. Physical Chemistry 35%
- 2. Organic Chemistry 40%
- 3. Inorganic Chemistry 25%
- The Physical Chemistry section deals with several numerically based questions. Candidates must emphasise topics like Redox Reaction, Solid States, Gas Theory, Thermodynamics, etc. Also, keep all the important formulas at your fingertips.
- Inorganic Chemistry The most scoring topic in this section is “Chemical Bonding and Periodic Tables.” Go through it thoroughly. Most questions are in the context of bond formation and periodicity, S-Block, F-Block, D, and F-Block elements, etc.
- Organic ChemistryGrasp conceptual-based knowledge. Candidates can score better if they prepare carbonyl group reactions and their mechanisms.
As per the weightage, one should plan the strategy to solve a maximum number of questions where the weightage is high. Try to understand the type of questions asked from these areas.
- As we know, NCERT is the backbone for both exam Boards and JEE So, candidates have to read NCERT books and highlight key formulas & definitions & derivations, solve all in-text questions & examples & this helps in building a strong conceptual understanding.
- Chemistry tips suggested by Anil Sir for the students who are preparing for JEE along with Boards :
- Always connect chapters logically. Always try to concentrate on specific, important chapters that have historically carried significant weightage in the exam.
- Make notes on important topics in every chapter of Chemistry of JEE syllabus. This is very helpful for students. Notes will help them in the last time of preparation & while revising.
- Students should make notes of all important formulas & concepts in simple language, which will be easy for revision.
2. Create a Realistic Study Plan
Students preparing for JEE need to prepare the whole day for their studies. So, they can give equal justice to every subject.
First, divide the day into 3 slots.
3 Slots:
Concept Learning
Numerical Problem-Solving
Revision & Mock Test
Within these, take a total of 3-4 hours daily for Chemistry and divide the schedule for different topics.
- 1 hour – Physical Chemistry
- 1 hour – Organic Chemistry
- 1 hour – Inorganic Chemistry
- 1/2 hour – PYQs (10 Questions) for revised topics.
This divided schedule will help to balance every part of chemistry, so every part that needs to be understood will contribute in the end during exam time. Students will not need to face too much pressure if they start from the beginning.
Make a weekly rotation of the topics, alternating them like:
- 2 days – Physical
- 2 days – Organic
- 2 days – Inorganic
- (Sunday) 1 – Mock Test of all three
- Anil Sir mainly suggests morning hours for understanding and reading concepts. Mostly in the morning, the brain is fully charged and active.
- And in the evening, when our mind is relaxed, we can practice numerals.It is when the brain has the best capacity to understand the concept and save it in memory.
- In the evening, practice sessions on the topics that are studied by the student the whole day.
3. Strengthen Conceptual Understanding
- Chemistry in the science stream carries more than just memorizing facts. Where students need to emphasize deeper memorization and understanding of reaction mechanisms. Students in chemistry encounter many reaction-related questions that need proper understanding. And there is a need for proper information on a topic and a logical understanding of concepts.
- Study sources: NCERT textbooks are the primary essential resources for board exams. And Anil Kumar Sir’s notes are also very helpful. For both the boards exams & JEE, NCERT is very crucial for building a basic NCERT understanding. And use Anil Kumar Lal Sir’s notes + P. Bahadur and M.S. Chauhan notes for quick revision and for better concept clarity by using these notes of chemistry & score well in both exams.
- For memorization, students can use different visualization methods:
- (a) Reaction flowcharts/concept maps.
- (b) Use mnemonics.
- (c) Concept maps
- (d) Mechanism trees
Consistently looking at each set in memory, and with co-relative understanding, it will help memorize.
- A pro tip by Anil Sir is: Teach yourself or others on topics that help to retain and better understand the concept.
4. Practice & Problem Solving
- Students should start reading NCERT with crucial basic chapters like the Periodic Table, Atomic Structure, & Chemical Bonding, as they are fundamental to all three parts of chemistry. Candidates also have to focus on NCERT Highlight key formulas, definitions & derivations while reading & solving all basic to advanced JEE level examples in text questions because this will help in both descriptive & MCQ formats.
- Solve PYQs practice paper of both JEE & CBSE boards to understand exam patterns, question types & difficulty levels. Take mock tests on a regular basis. Take full-length mock tests to improve time management & accuracy under exam conditions & analyze the performance after each mock test & identify weak areas & work upon improving them.
- Students also have to make a mistake book for tricky reactions and confusing numerical formulas, which are difficult to learn, so this book is easy to improve their formula learning technique.
- Focus on the speed of question solving cause there is limited time for both exams, and maximum questions would be attempted by students, but along with this, students must also remember that the questions they attempt must be accurate
- Sequence of chemistry chapterwise:
- Physical → numerical solving
- Organic → mechanism identification
- Inorganic → memory revision
- Physical → numerical solving
5. Integrate Boards and JEE Preparation
Most students generally mix the board & JEE exams preparation, but these two have both competition. So, one part must get hampered so there is a need to integrate the Board & JEE exams as per the examination pattern.
The board focuses mostly on definition, law, and derivation, and on the other hand, JEE focuses on application and multi-concept problems. This will help in solving the problems.
Use a two-step approach for this:
- Step 1: Read NCERT thoroughly, make short notes of definitions, facts and findings, and derivations for memorization.
- Step 2: Practice the JEE-level application questions.
Example take 1 topic like Electrochemistry
Read the NCERT of that topic first –> Read detailed and important notes of Anil Sir –> Understand the Nernst equation (Boards) –> Apply in cell potential numericals (JEE).
This integrated study leads to a balanced approach to managing both exams. This not only saves time but also helps in developing a better understanding and better retention of derivation and laws.
6. 7. Revision and Formula Retention Strategy.
For memorizing the concepts, there’s a need to revise them multiple times. This can be done by following these steps for each chapter:
•Step 1: Thoroughly read NCERT. (Mark important points, keywords, derivation & reactions.)
•Step 2: Read thoroughly and revise class class-written notes of that chapter.
•Step 3: Write all important points of that chapter in your own dimensions.
. Step 4:Write down one page summary of everything understood by the student in that chapter.
. Step 5: Do a quick revision with a short pocket note. And try to write down revised points for better retention.
Do the same for every chapter; make a short pocket note which will help with quick revision.
Revise one old topic every alternate day for memorization. Continuous revision will help with memorization.
For reaction mechanisms and constants, use flashcards or sticky notes. Important ones from which many questions are asked.
Before sleeping”, revise the concepts learned. Even 10 minutes of repetition builds mastery. Because our mind stores memory while sleeping. So, before sleeping, make a quick revision and try to write down the key points without reading.
7. Common Mistakes Students Should Avoid
- Students get over-reliant on collecting study material and start skipping NCERT; they mostly don’t do self-study; they just get over-reliant on coaching material and start skipping NCERT.
- Without self-study, their own views and understanding do not develop that much clarity of numerical questions and mechanisms, which is why it leads to problems in applying theory to solve numerical and learning reactions.
- Without conceptual understanding, just cramming up laws and formulas becomes difficult; even numerical problems become difficult. This will not help in exam questions, and this will lead to blunder mistakes in examinations.
- Mostly, students ignore Inorganic Chemistry, even if it is scoring part of chemistry, and for that reason, it causes problems for students in exams, and they also do not do consistent revision practices of inorganic chemistry.
- Mostly, students review their test papers and do not maintain an error log after tests because analyzing an error is very important to understand their mistakes and will not repeat it in the exam, because, as Anil Kumar sir says, chemistry always rewards consistency, not shortcuts.
8. Month-Wise Preparation Roadmap
Students need to make a roadmap for the whole year. To give proper time to every part of the syllabus, so a balanced approach for both exams can be maintained. To complete the syllabus on time and ensure multiple revisions, students need to follow a proper strategy.
Phase | Duration | Focus | Outcome |
Phase 1 (Oct–Dec 2025) | Core Building | Revise Class 11 + begin Class 12 key chapters | |
Phase 2 (Jan–Mar 2026) | Boards Focus | NCERT reading + derivations + sample papers | |
Phase 3 (Apr–Jun 2026) | JEE Integration | Advanced practice, topic tests, full mocks | |
Phase 4 (Jul–Aug 2026) | Final Phase | Formula recap, error correction, fast revision |
- Set Small Daily Targets: Try to make small targets for every day. This helps in completing tasks and after completion, make a new target.
- Weekly Target Tracking: Keep a weekly target tracking system.
- Daily Review: Go through the daily pages before moving on to the next.
- Proper Breaks: It is essential to take proper breaks.
- Rest Day: Consider one day of the week as a rest day.
- Maintain Mental Health: Sleep properly, take proper rest to maintain mental health.
- Revision Schedule: Make a revision sheet and give proper time to all topics. Don’t skip any topic; revise all to ensure better understanding.
- Mock Tests: Give mock tests.
- PYQ Analysis: Do PYQs to understand “make multiple revisions of formula from short note.
9. Expert Advice from Anil Kumar Lal Sir
Chemistry is not about memorizing reactions, only it’s about how candidates understand the relationships between reactions and their mechanisms. Understand the concept and don’t memorize only facts, focus on the underlying principles and why behind facts. Focus on the chemical reactions concept because once you see a pattern and understand the concepts, you can answer any question confidently.
– Anil Kumar Lal Sir
Build a strong foundation in the core concepts of Physical, Organic, & Inorganic Chemistry & proactively and consistently revise daily using formula sheets & solve small chunks of problems regularly. Stay curious & trust the process.
10. Conclusion
- Success in Chemistry depends on clarity, consistency, and structured revision. Chemistry requires tons of formula memorization, but it can become the most scoring subject if studied strategically.
- So start your preparation early, stay regular, and revise all topics after the class and take a mock test regularly, and Chemistry will become your strongest subject.”
And to make your preparation better, you can follow Chemistry Home Tutors for weekly tips, better concept clarity, better understanding of numerical chapter breakdowns, and personalized guidance.”
FAQ
You should study daily 3-4 focused hours for JEE 2026 across Physical, Organic & Inorganic as per the weightage of the JEE exam, and familiarize yourself with the JEE Main 2026 chemistry syllabus. Use NCERT textbook as your primary source for building a strong conceptual & theoretical foundation in chemistry.
Use the best chemistry books for Boards & JEE together:
NCERT, P. Bahadur (Physical) + HC Verma (Physical) + MS Chouhan (Organic) + VK Jaiswal (Inorganic). Use NCERT books for building a strong conceptual base & they are crucial for both Boards & JEE exams. Use theory books for concepts & numerical practice to solidify your understanding of concepts & problem-solving techniques.
Repeat the reactions out loud several times and do revision of all reactions & their mechanism on a daily basis. Create visual diagrams to organize information & link different reactions, common reagents & transformations. Repeatedly write out reactions & their mechanism because this is very helpful for you to memorize the reactions easily.