I’m a Class 11 student preparing for JEE, just like lakhs of others across India. And before anyone assumes this is another complaint about exams .. it isn’t.

I don’t hate studying.

In fact, I love learning.

Give me a concept connected to the real world, an example that explains why something works, or an experiment that lets me see theory in action and I can work for hours without complaining. Once I understand something that way, it stays with me forever.

The problem isn’t effort.

The problem is how much we are expected to stuff into our brains often without meaning.

At some point during JEE preparation, I realised something uncomfortable-

I wasn’t learning anymore , I was storing.

Formulas. Methods. Shortcuts. Exceptions.

Many of which we memorise intensely… only to forget once the exam ends.

And I couldn’t help but ask myself,

‘Why are we filling our minds with information we may never use again, instead of focusing on skills that actually matter for our future careers?’

The issue isn’t education itself.

It’s the volume , the sheer amount of content we’re expected to carry, all at once, without space to breathe or explore.

I’ve understood that I’m the kind of learner who thrives on real life examples, visual explanations, experiments and problem solving skills.

Once I learn something that way, it sticks permanently.

But most of the JEE syllabus doesn’t encourage that style of learning. It rewards speed, recall, and accuracy under pressure ,not curiosity or application.

And I understand why.

With millions of students competing for limited IIT seats, there has to be a filtering system. A standardised exam is the easiest way to do that.

But filtering students should not mean restricting their potential.

Many parents, with the best intentions, push their children into JEE preparation thinking:

“At least this will get them into a good private university.”

Sometimes, they don’t see or aren’t shown their child’s actual strengths.

Not every intelligent student is meant to memorise formulas under time pressure.

Some are thinkers. Some are builders. Some are experimenters. Some are analysts.

But when the system values only one kind of intelligence, everyone else is made to feel less capable , even when they’re not.

This isn’t about choosing an “easy path”.

I’m willing to work hard , extremely hard , if the work feels meaningful.

What frustrates me is that we rarely ask ourselves that- “why are we learning this?” “where will this be used?” “how does this connect to the real world?”

When learning loses purpose, mental overload quietly takes over.

Not because students are lazy, but because they’re overwhelmed with unfinished, disconnected information.

I’m still preparing. I’m still trying. I haven’t figured everything out.

But I’ve learned this much that

True education shouldn’t just test memory , it should expand possibility.

We don’t need less learning. We need learning with meaning.

Because potential isn’t measured by how many formulas you remember,

it’s measured by what you can do with what you understand.

– By Chandana Priya Jayachandran