How I Ranked AIR 8 in ISTC Entrance Exam

I'm not writing this to impress you. I'm writing it because when I was preparing for the ISTC entrance exam, I couldn't find a single honest account of what the preparation actually looked like.

So here's mine.

How I started — and got it wrong

Like most students, I opened my Class 10 textbooks and started from chapter one. Three weeks in, I had covered a lot and retained very little. I wasn't preparing for the ISTC entrance exam — I was re-doing board exam revision I'd already done.

The shift came when I got hold of two previous year papers. Two hours of solving them changed my entire approach.

What the exam actually tests

Not every chapter. Not even close. It tests whether you can apply specific concepts quickly, under time pressure. Algebra, electricity, acids and bases, and reasoning patterns covered more than half the paper in the years I studied. That's where the exam lives.

What I actually did

Eight weeks total. First five: topic by topic, covering only the high-yield chapters. Last three: full timed papers, tracking every mistake. When I kept getting a particular type of problem wrong, I went back to that topic specifically — not with more notes, but with more practice problems.

No coaching. No elaborate colour-coded notes. Just the right chapters and enough practice to know what to expect.

On the day

GK and Reasoning done in the first 25 minutes. That bought me extra time on Math. No negative marking, so I attempted everything. Walked out with AIR 8.

Not because I was the smartest in the room. Because I prepared for the right exam.

What I'd tell you

Get the previous year papers before you open a single textbook. Read them first. Then you'll know exactly what you're preparing for, and you won't waste three weeks on chapters that don't show up.

At ISFCM, this is exactly how we structure ISTC preparation — pattern-first, focused, no filler. We're running a batch in Chandigarh for 2026 — offline and online both available. Limited seats. Call or WhatsApp: +91 94641 51610 or visit isfcm.com/istc-2026