Joint Entrance Examination
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The Joint Entrance Examination or JEE is an annual college entrance examination in India. There are nine colleges, the seven Indian Institutes of Technology, IT-BHU Varanasi, and ISM Dhanbad, that use the Joint Entrance Examination (JEE) to select students for their undergraduate programmes.
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Overview
The examination, in physics, mathematics, and chemistry, is conducted jointly by the seven Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs). According to the website of IIT Madras, an estimated 200,000 students take this exam every year. According to the JEE-2005 website, the total number of seats (all categories) through JEE-2005 is 4935. Thus, the estimated student selectivity is 1 in 50 (i.e. less than 2% succeed). JEE-2006 has almost 300,000 registered candidates.
Many people consider the JEE to be one of the toughest undergraduate entrance exams in the world. Recent graduate-level acceptance rates at institutes like Harvard and MIT are about 1 in 8, while JEE acceptance rates are as low as 1 in 50. Such severe odds help create some of the most keen student competition at the secondary school level.
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 being original in its questions and never repeating any questions. The test primarily comprises of three subject tests: physics, chemistry, and mathematics. However, in the past few years, the JEE has changed the pattern of the question paper without prior notification. Despite the constant pressure and scrutiny of the JEE, its creators have been able to maintain an autonomous stronghold on the test system to keep it beyond reproach.
History
In September 2005, an analysis group comprising of directors of all the IITs announced major reforms in JEE, to be implemented from 2006 onwards. The new test consists of a single objective test, replacing the earlier two tests 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 SC, ST and PD categories must secure a minimum of 55% in aggregate in the Qualifying Examination.<ref name="percentage">Eligibility Criteria for IIT JEE on IIT Madras' Website. URL accessed on 2006-04-10.</ref> The age limit for appearing in IIT-JEE is 25 years. For candidates belonging to Scheduled Caste (SC), Scheduled Tribe (ST) and Physically Disabled (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.
See also
References
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