The Impact of Changed Format for IIT-JEE Examination

The decision by HRD minister Mr Kapil Sibal to have a common entrance examination for all engineering colleges from 2013 has evoked a mixed bag of reactions. However, despite the lot of criticism that it has received, we strongly welcome this move.

Under the new scheme, all aspirants will now have to appear for two exams - JEE main and JEE advanced - to be held on the same day. For admission to IITs, a student will be first shortlisted on the basis of the cumulative score in Class XII exams and the main test – each getting a 50% weightage. It has been proposed that the final merit list for admission to IITs will be basis only the student’s performance in the JEE advanced test.

For centrally funded institutions which include NITs and IIITs, it will be 40% for Class XII board, 30% for the main test and another 30% for the advanced test:

Why the need for a common engineering entrance exam?

In the earlier scheme of things a student’s performance in class XII exams was not given any weightage in the engineering entrance exams. Thus, a student although wanting to also do well in Board exams, was often unable to do so given the inability to cope with the differing demands of the two exams.

The interesting thing to note here is that, while students still had to first ‘master’ their class XII concepts in order to hope to crack IIT JEE and other competitive exams, performance in class XII exams was never openly acknowledged as being important. A student who gave everything  to preparing for these entrances but was still unable to clear it, most likely had the entire career messed up because of sub-optimal performance in the class XII exams.

How do these changes impact the lives of engineering aspirants?

With the new pattern, however everything changes. With class XII marks finding a place in the selection process, an engineering aspirant’s performance in the class XII school exams has suddenly become legitimate. Such an integrated approach to education prepares the right foundation for lifelong learning in the student and makes the student look at education in a holistic manner and not merely as an ‘entrance exam’ that needs to be ‘cracked’.

Some of the advantages of the common engineering entrance are highlighted below-

• It will reduce the pressure of multiple exams on students
• It will help restore the importance of class XII boards
• It will reduce the strangle-hold of coaching institutes for securing admissions into IITS
• It will help reduce the added burden on aspirants in terms of time, fees and stress as students prepared for multiple exams
• The IITs will now have a larger base to choose from

The move to have a common test has been lauded by the entire teaching community, including principals. Students and parents too have welcomed this move as it greatly reduces their mental and financial burden, contrary to a small voice of dissent that believes that the burden on a student has actually increased. We believe that such an integrated approach of concept-building through school exams coupled with problem solving skills necessary in entrance exams, will only benefit students in the long run.

Yet another concern has been that the exam will now become easier and the IITs will no longer remain the institutions of excellence. Our take is that the exam has always been tough and only the best got through. By simply enabling more students to take the exam with less pressure should not make it any less so. May the truly deserving students win the coveted seat!