HSEE: High School Expertise Exam

(Disclaimer: This isn't the original full form of HSEE. It's Humanities and Social Sciences Entrance Examination!!)

Want to make it to the IIT after but not from a Science background or not interested in writing JEE after seeing Kota Factory ( See it on Youtube to get an experience of how the JEE life in Kota is..)? 

Fret not, for you can still make to the prestigious IIT Madras if you have an appetite for Social Sciences( or just want to get the IITian tag somehow) by writing the HSEE.  Check out the information brochure for HSEE.

Wondering how to crack HSEE? Don't worry bcoz you are hearing from me, who is currently studying in IIT Madras in the same course after cracking the same exam in this HSEE blog post. Here are some of my personal tips and tricks to better your chances of making into the Dept of Humanities and Social Sciences at IITM( as IIT Madras is lovingly called). Take it or Leave it..... 

1. Never be prejudiced

"Oh, dear! It's a Humanities/Social Science exam. I, being a Science/Commerce student don't stand a chance". NO, NEVER. Humanities students indeed have the upper hand over the others in this regard, but even Science and Commerce students do crack it. In fact, there is a growing "concern" in the department that it would be overflowing with students from a non-Humanities background in the foreseeable future. So, it's anybody's game, just that the Humanities students have a headstart over the others.

2.Stick to the NCERTs

Every question in the exam is found or related to something mentioned in the NCERT (apart from QA and English, of course. No one will be asking you for the proof of an isosceles triangle, that's for sure).

I would personally recommend the following pattern of study for the students from differing backgrounds, but you have to ultimately decide which is most suitable for you:

•  Humanities Students: Since you have an idea about the basic themes of social sciences, you could go backwards, i.e. from class 12 to class 6.
• Non-Humanities students: Since you have a higher chance of having forgotten everything social science in the two excruciating years in Science or Commerce, you could start from scratch( i.e Class 6 to 12).

3.Practice Short Cut Math

Just bcoz you aced maths in school doesn't necessarily guarantee victory in the QA section. The questions you are most likely to face there are 5-6 marks in the school standards, but asked only for 1-2 marks. 

Like your teacher at school always says, " Write the answer according to the marks". Here, it is "Find the most appropriate( shortest) method to solve the questions." Bcoz the marks are awarded for the final answers, not the length of your method.

4. Read English Newspapers

A piece of cliched advice from IAS and also from ex-HSEE aspirants!! But reading the newspaper regularly helps in your vocabulary and most importantly your essay paper, which would help create a good impression about you to the evaluator. You can't be Shashi Tharoor overnight, but if you can even become 1% like him, you have come a long way to score in the English section.

Recommended Books

i) History- Class 6-12

ii) Economics- Class 11-12

iii) Last 3 chapter of Biology Class 12 ( The sections dealing with the environment)+ Environment-related Conventions and treaties( Easily available on the internet)

iv) Sociology- Class 11-12

v) Exploring Craft Tradition of India ( Class 11-12 combined)

vi) Introduction to Indian Art Part 1 (Class 11)

(All NCERT books are available online).

 All the Best and hope to see some of you in IIT!!

PS: Do stay updated with the latest information and changes in HSEE from their website. Sometimes the details mentioned here could be outdated. Use some reference books if you feel u don't know what to study)