Aspirants for architecture course fear losing seats

Students aspiring to study architecture for the year 2019-20 are under pressure as the Karnataka Examinations Authority (KEA) is yet to announce the results for Architecture courses. The uncertainty has worried candidates who may be forced to take admissions to engineering courses.

The results of Common Entrance Test (CET) 2019 were announced on Saturday for all the professional courses except architecture. Over 2,000 students attempted the test and are awaiting results.

According to officials from the KEA, the results/ranks for architecture courses have not been announced since the Council of Architecture which conducts the National Aptitude Test in Architecture (NATA) is holding second round of NATA and will announce results only by July end.

“After the second round test results, there will be changes in ranks of the candidates. So, we are waiting for the final NATA scores to announce
the ranks for architecture courses,” said a senior official of KEA.

This is for the first time Council of Architecture is conducting two rounds of NATA, just to provide opportunity for students to improve their scores. “But because of the delay in announcement of NATA scores and also on account of delay in announcement of CET results, we will be forced to take up engineering seats,” said an architecture seat aspirant.

“By July end when we get our NATA scores, the first round of admission to undergraduate engineering courses will be over and architecture seat aspirants will be forced to take up engineering courses,” said another seat aspirant.

As per the calendar of NATA 2019 released by the Council of Architecture, this year, the test will be conducted in two phases. The first phase was held on April 14 and second phase on July 7. The candidates who cannot take up the test in first phase can appear for phase two.The results of the second phase of test will be out on July 21.

Getting admission to engineering means spending additional money and complications in getting back the original certificates. “I have no issues in getting admission to engineering seat in the first round. But if I get an architecture seat later, the college will not return my original documents and the fee paid. This is one of the major problems students face every year when they withdraw engineering seat after getting seat in medical, dental or Ayush courses,” says another student.

The NATA scores of first phase and JEE paper 2 scores (architecture) have been released. The KEA officials said JEE has given the scores of paper 2 in percentile format and it needs time to convert it into ranks.

“If we release ranks based on NATA phase 1 scores, and if the same student scores better in phase 2 and demands change of rank, it would be a problem. Considering that we have decided to wait till phase 2 NATA results are out,” mentioned an official.