Indian Institute of Technology Joint Entrance Examination
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The Indian Institute of Technology Joint Entrance Examination (popularly known as IIT-JEE or just JEE) is an annual college entrance examination in India. A total of nine colleges use JEE as a sole criterion for admission to their undergraduate programs. The nine colleges include the seven Indian Institutes of Technology, IT-BHU Varanasi, and ISM Dhanbad. This year onwards, newly established institutions such as Indian Institutes of Science Education and Research (IISERs) at Kolkata, Pune & Mohali and Indian Institute of Space Technology (IIST) are also admitting students through the JEE (Extended Merit List) It is conducted by the various IITs by a policy of rotation. It is the toughest engineering entrance exam in the world with a success rate of around 1 in 83.[citation needed] Candidates who successfully pass the IIT-JEE can apply for admission to the BTech (Bachelor of Technology), Dual Degree (Integrated Bachelor of Technology and Masters of Technology) and Integrated MSc (Master of Sciences) courses in the various institutes. Achieving entrance into an IIT is often considered the pinnacle of achievement for a student of the sciences, and the IITs, along with the ISI, attract most of the brightest students of the nation.
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[edit] Current examination format
JEE-2008 will be conducted on April 13, 2008 retaining the same pattern as JEE-2007 containing Paper-I & Paper-II (Source-Hindu dated 1st Sept.2007; http://www.hindu.com/2007/09/01/stories/2007090155050500.htm. JEE-2007 had two papers of three hours duration each. The two papers each contained maths, physics and chemistry sections (in previous years, there were separate maths, physics and chemistry papers, each of two hours' duration). The syllabus of the examination is based on topics covered by the CBSE Board Examination (AISSCE) and the ISC Board Examination , though all topics of the AISSCE and the ISC are not included in the JEE syllabus. The pattern of questions in JEE is deliberately variable so as to minimize the chance of students getting selected by cramming up the probable questions. Currently, the examination has objective type question paper for all the subjects and uses machine readable Optical mark recognition answer sheets.
Given the importance attached to the JEE by students all over India, the IITs follow a rigorous procedure when conducting it every year. The exam is set by the JEE Committee (consisting of a group of faculty members drawn from the admitting colleges) under the tightest security. Multiple sets of question papers are framed and the set that is to actually be used on the day of the exam is known to only about five individuals. In the past, the JEE has been noted for originality in its questions.
[edit] History
The JEE has evolved considerably from its initial pattern approximately 50 years back. Initially, there were 4 subjects in JEE, the English language paper being the additional subject. During the period from 2000 to 2005, the JEE also had a screening test in addition to the JEE main examination in order to reduce the load on the JEE main examination by screening only about 20,000 top candidates. In 1997, the JEE was conducted twice after the question paper was leaked in some centres.
In September 2005, an analysis group comprising of directors of all the IITs announced major reforms in JEE, implemented from 2006 onwards. The new test consists of a single objective test, replacing the earlier two-test system. The candidates belonging to the general category must secure a minimum of 60% marks in aggregate in the qualifying examination of the XIIth standard organized by various educational boards of India. Candidates belonging to Scheduled Caste (SC), Scheduled Tribe (ST) and Physically Disabled (PD) categories must secure a minimum of 55% in aggregate in the Qualifying Examination.[1]
[edit] Seats
The number of students taking this examination has increased substantially each year with the JEE-2006 registering about 300,000 candidates (the number of exam-takers in each of the previous five years was under 200,000). The number of seats available in total is about 5500, indicating a selectivity of about 1 in 50. The break-up of seats for 2005 and 2006 is: [2]
| Institute | Intake (2005) | Intake (2006) | Intake (2007) |
|---|---|---|---|
| IIT Bombay | 574 | 574 | 574 |
| IIT Delhi | 553 | 553 | 553 |
| IIT Guwahati | 302 | 365 | 365 |
| IIT Kanpur | 555 | 555 | 541 |
| IIT Kharagpur | 779 | 895 | 874 |
| IIT Madras | 550 | 520 | 540 |
| IIT Roorkee | 577 | 616 | 746 |
| Total (IIT's) | 3890 | 4078 | |
| IT-BHU | 643 | 708 | 686 |
| ISM Dhanbad | 402 | 658 | 658 |
| TOTAL | 4935 | 5444 |
The age limit for appearing in IIT-JEE is 25 years. For candidates belonging to SC, ST and PD categories, the relaxed age limit is 30 years. Also, starting 2007, a candidate can take the JEE two times at the most. This has been done mainly to reduce stress on students and discourage the concept of "cram schools" — where students are made to memorize all types of possible exam questions. Furthermore, from 2007 onwards, students who are selected for admission to an IIT cannot attempt the examination again in the future.
[edit] Coaching for IITJEE
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The neutrality of this section is disputed. Please see the discussion on the talk page. |
There are a number of coaching classes for IIT-JEE that have sprung up across the width of India. Less that 2% of the total students appearing in IIT-JEE eventually succeed to find admission in IITs and the allied institutes. IITs are considered by most to be the most secure ticket to a top notch career and life long security. It is the ultimate dream of the great Indian middle class.
Coaching institutes are servicing this desire of finding admission in the IITs. The utility of coaching classes is suspect. They eventually end up having a success criteria of less than 3% only. However, due to the intense competition, coaching classes enjoy a very healthy demand.
[edit] See also
- Graduate Aptitude Test in Engineering
- Joint Management Entrance Test, an entrance test for Management courses in IITs and IISc Bangalore
- Coaching institutes for IIT-JEE
- AIEEE
[edit] References
- ^ Eligibility Criteria for IIT JEE on IIT Madras' Website. URL accessed on 10 April 2006.
- ^ Seats in JEE-2005 on IIT Madras' Website; 2006 statistics from JEE 2006 Counselling Brochure. URL accessed on 10 April 2006.
