ETG : Why did you choose Medical stream? 
Samrat Mandal : I chose medical stream because both my parents are doctors. My father is a surgeon and my mother, a gynaecologist.
ETG : What is your score in WB-JEE 2004?
Samrat : I topped WB-JEE 2004 with an estimated score of 210/300.
ETG : How did you prepare for the examination?
(a) Hours put in? (approximately per day)
(b) On which topic and chapters you laid more stress in each subject?
(c) How much time does one require for serious preparation for this exam?
(d) Any extra coaching?
(e) Which books/magazines/tutorials you followed?
Samrat :
(a) During schooltime I clocked 6-8 hours everyday which increased to 14-16 hours on holidays.
(b) In WB-JEE, all modules are important and laid equal stress on all of them. The topic I found tricky were electrostatics in physics, physiology in Bio and inorganic chemistry. I laid lot of stress on Botany. Also while answering my paper in physics, I started my answers with questions based on modules 6 to 10 as they require less time.
(c) One needs atleast 2 years of preparation for achieving success in WB-JEE.
(d) Though I attended coaching but I found self study best.
(e) I had enrolled for ETG(Edusys) correspondence course (enrolment no. BTT 40008) and found it very useful for my preparation as it 
(i) covered full syllabus
(ii) the booklets contained study matter in a systematic way. 
I read Exams Today and liked the manner in which it approached Biology as a subject. I had also read UPCPMT, Delhi PMT, MH-CET, Karnataka CET, AIIMS, AFMC, BHU and Manipal Explorers and found them useful. All the ETG products contain a lot of information which a student essentially needs.
ETG : Was this your first attempt?
Samrat : Yes, this is my first attempt.
ETG : What do you think was the secret of your success?
Samrat : My secret of success is hard work and following the modules strictly.
ETG : Had you not been selected, the what would have been your future plan?
Samrat : I would have joined BSc. (Physics). 
ETG : What advice would you like to give to our reader who are PMT aspirants ?
Samrat : For students who are preparing for WB-JEE I would suggest that 
(a) follow all the modules very carefully and see that you study each topic.
(b) Practise writing answers in physics/chemistry as much as you can. This really helps you to score well as it increases your speed and accuracy.
(c) Read text books carefully especially the worked examples as these are frequently asked.
(d) Write concise and to the point answer as they will fetch you more marks.
ETG : What role did the following play in your success:
(a) parents (b) teachers (c) school
Samrat :
(a) My mother supported me very much. She made notes for me. Though my father is posted as HOD surgery in Medical College, Burdwan and was away from home yet he gave me moral support.
(b) The JEE syllabus is huge and it is impossible to learn everything. Hence learning to the point is important and my teachers guided me on this essential fact.
(c) I studied in South Point School which, this year, has produced four out of top ten rankers in both Engg. and medical.

Plans that worked for me 
1. Of the 3 months we get after the Selection Tests and before the Madhyamik examinations, I used 1month and 15 days roughly for preparing for HS .I could not advance much, but I learned that HS is much tougher than Madhyamik. So after the Madhyamik I started preparing for HS from the very next day. In comparison my friends started a month later. This gave me a decisive edge in the class XI. Half Yearly exams.
2. I finished the syllabus in about 1 year and 3-4 months. That enabled me to revise many times. Whenever I revised, I copied whatever I forgot in a separate copy .After revising many times I found that I only forgot only certain specific things. So as I isolated them I was able to revise effectively in a short time.
3. No matter how hard we study, the syllabus is so large that it is impossible for one to learn everything. So I emphasised on accuracy rather than quantity.
4. Following my Physics teacher's advice I practised writing 10-12 module based physics test papers keeping within the time limit.
5. In Biology, I strictly followed the JEE module. It is impossible for one to learn everything. So I prepared topicwise from the module. 
6. Though my parents got me enrolled in a number of coaching institutes, I mostly never attended them because I realized that attending these institutes is waste of time. I had joined ETG(Edusys) Correspondence Course (E. No. BTT 40008) and found it useful.
7. In Biology WBJEE the examiners ,who correct our copies, are given a few points by the higher authorities. We are evaluated on the basis of those points strictly. The more the points of our answer scripts match with theirs the more we score. The points they set marks upon are usually taken from ordinary and standard text books of our level .So there is no point in trying to write answers from advanced books of higher classes. It causes only a waste of time which is so precious and effort. Moreover if our point (from an advanced text book) does not match with examiners' set of points we will get no credit though my answer is more correct and more accurate.

My mistakes
1. I wasted 2-3 months for preparing for All India PMT. .I then had to give up. I realized that as our board's syllabus is so different from the CBSE-PMT syllabus and as only 10 or 15 seats are available per institution , there is no point in wasting time preparing for something that will only harm my HS and JEE results.
2. I was irregular in our school. That robbed me of my discipline and zeal to work hard as I felt myself out of the school competition .
3. I neglected JEE module while I was in class XI .
4. I failed to realize how important presentation is in HS & WBJEE .So I did not practise writing answers of the past HS & WBJEE question papers till it was too late.
5. The trick to success in WBJEE is to learn everything in the module. But the trick to success in the HS is to learn the past year's question papers very accurately as well as to stress on the language group. In English and Bengali we are required to study very little and can be choosy but yet get high marks .From the last year's question papers I shortened the syllabus a lot and it all worked for me but I perhaps lazily never put a serious effort for HS and lost some very easy marks in grammar and so on. 

IF I GOT A SECOND CHANCE TO SIT FOR HS & WBJEE AGAIN ……
1. I would attend classes regularly and revise and\ or learn new things from school
2. I will consult HS and WBJEE questions after learning each chapter.
3. I will be very careful about the syllabus 
4. I will try to get the highest marks in the school exams and always keep in mind that in school we are evaluated more correctly.
5. I will try to practise writing answers from HS, WBJEE from the very beginning of the session following time limit.