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 criteria for admission to their undergraduate programs. The nine colleges include the seven Indian Institutes of Technology, IT-BHU Varanasi, and ISM Dhanbad. It is conducted by the various IITs by a policy of rotation. It is considered as one of the toughest exams in the world with success rate of around 1 in 60. Candidates who clear IIT-JEE can apply for admission in 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. Getting entrance to an IIT is often considered the pinnacle of achievement for a student of the science stream and the IITs along with the IISc attract most of the brightest students of the nation.
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[edit] Current examination format
JEE 2007 is scheduled to be held on April 8, 2007 and is set to have two papers of three hours duration each. The two papers will each contain 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), though all topics of AISSCE are not included in the JEE syllabus. The pattern of questions in JEE is deliberately not fixed 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 omr 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 wholesome 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 1999 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 been increasing substantially year after year with 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) |
|---|---|---|
| IIT Bombay | 574 | 574 |
| IIT Delhi | 553 | 553 |
| IIT Guwahati | 302 | 365 |
| IIT Kanpur | 555 | 555 |
| IIT Kharagpur | 779 | 895 |
| IIT Madras | 550 | 520 |
| IIT Roorkee | 577 | 616 |
| Total (IIT's) | 3890 | 4078 |
| IT-BHU | 643 | 708 |
| ISM Dhanbad | 402 | 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 at most twice. This has been done mainly to reduce stress on students and discourage the concept of "cram schools" — where students are made to memorize all sorts of possible exam questions. Also from 2007 onwards, students who are selected for an IIT cannot attempt the examination again in the future.
[edit] See also
- Graduate Aptitude Test in Engineering
- Joint Management Entrance Test, an entrance test for Management courses in IITs and IISc Bangalore
- Category:Coaching institutes for IIT-JEE
[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.
