Source: Mint via PwC – EdLive
Students taking the first single exam for entering the Indian Institutes of Technology (IIT) and other engineering colleges will get a chance to take part in mock tests as part of an effort by the government and the IITs to familiarise admission seekers with the new format. Students will also be allowed to make changes in their application form after the ongoing registration process for the exam ends in mid-December. “The mock test will be conducted for almost three months beginning in the second week of January 2013,” said Vineet Joshi, Chairman, Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE), which is in charge of conducting the joint entrance exam main (JEE Main) for all centrally-funded technical schools. CBSE functions under the HRD ministry.
In May, the government decided to allow admission to all IITs and centrally-funded engineering institutes through a single test to reduce stress on students who sit for multiple entrance examinations. The so-called one nation, one test formula was adopted after a nationwide debate. For selection to the elite IITs, students who finish among the top 150,000 in the entrance test will sit for another exam. To qualify for admission, they will need to finish in the top 20 percentile of their respective school board exams. There will be more than one sample test available for aspirants. According to an official estimate, more than 1.2 million students are expected to appear for the test. The test will be conducted both in the pen-and-paper and online formats. There are nearly 25,000 seats available in all centrally-funded engineering schools, including 9,700 at the 15 IITs.