JOIN USStudents aspiring to get admission to IITs, NITs and other technical institutes will have to first clear a national aptitude test, most probably from the next year, with the Centre giving a final shape to suggestions for bringing in changes in the current format of the joint entrance examination (JEE).
The JEE, which is being conducted for the last few years in two parts —JEE-Main and JEE-Advance— will be subsumed into a single entrance examination as the proposed national aptitude test will serve as the first layer of filtering to shortlist a good number of candidates for the next level of test.
“The JEE-Main will be replaced by the national aptitude test,” official sources told Deccan Herald. Candidates will be allotted seats by all the premier technical institutes IITs, ISM and NITs on the basis of their scores in the entrance test (JEE) to be conducted for those shortlisted from the national aptitude test.
Recognised engineering colleges operating in the states, which have been accepting the JEE scores, will also admit students based on their ranking in all India merit list of the final test, which is expected to retain its name as JEE-Advance.
First-level filter
“Performance of students in the national aptitude test would not make them eligible for admissions to NITs, IITs or any other technical institutes. It will only serve as the first layer of filtering of students for shortlisting of those to be taking the final test to be held for admissions to all centrally-funded technical institutions and those accepting the test scores,” sources added.
The proposed national aptitude test will be held on the lines of SAT conducted in the United States for admissions to colleges. It will basically be an assessment of students’ aptitude for engineering as well as other qualities, skills and traits they possess.
The questions to be asked in the proposed aptitude test will include those on logical reasoning and graphical analysis, among others.
The students’ knowledge in Physics, Chemistry and Mathematics will be tested through the second part of the entrance examination, which will be conducted in coordination with the IITs and the NITs, sources said. “The proposal to set up national testing agency will be placed before the Union Cabinet for its approval. The ministry is aiming to roll out the new format of JEE from 2017,” sources added.
The ministry is going ahead with its proposal to bring changes in the JEE following recommendations of a committee headed by IIT-Roorkee Chairman Ashok Mishra.
The panel of experts, which was assigned to examine the demand of the NITs of doing away with the system of giving weightage to class XII board marks in JEE Main and suggest measures, recommended subsuming of two part JEE into one and introduction of an aptitude test, not only to reduce the dependence of students on coaching institutes but also to get quality students.