Tackling Joint Entrance Examination Main & Advanced

Nidhi Prasad

With the completion of board exams, arrives the most crucial time in a student's life- appearing for various entrance exams. One such exam is the JEE-Main.

 It is one of the most popular and competitive national-level entrance exams in India, conducted by the National Testing Agency (NTA) for students who wish to pursue a career in engineering.

WHAT IS JEE?

 In 2013, the examination initially called the AIEEE (All India Engineering Entrance Exam) was renamed JEE (Main) and the IIT-JEE (Indian Institute of Technology- Joint Entrance was renamed to JEE (Advanced). The two exams are held to facilitate admission into undergraduate engineering programs like B.Tech, B.E, B.Arch, B.Plan in IITs, NITs, IIITs and other government institutes.

Those who qualify the JEEMain will be eligible to seek admission in colleges that accept the scores of that exam. Those seeking to gain admission into the top ranking colleges and institutes will have to qualify one more round of exam – the JEEAdvanced. Those who crack the JEE-Advanced can seek admission in the IITs. The JEEAdvanced is organized by one of the seven "old" IITs (IIT Roorkee, IIT Kharagpur, IIT Delhi, IIT Kanpur, IIT Bombay, IIT Madras, and IIT Guwahati) under the guidance of the Joint Admission Board (JAB). It is the sole prerequisite for admission to the Indian Institutes of Technology.

 The JEE-Advanced score is also used as a possible basis for admission by Indian applicants to non-Indian Universities such as the University of Cambridge and National University of Singapore. Other prestigious universities— such as the Marine Engineering and Research Institute, Indian Institute of Petroleum and Energy (IIPE), Rajiv Gandhi Institute of Petroleum Technology, Indian Institute of Space Technology (IIST), Indian Institute of Science Education and Research (IISERs), and Indian Institute of Science (IISc) — use the score obtained in the JEE-Advanced exam as the basis for admission.

JEE-MAIN

 Papers:

The JEE -Main comprises two papers. Paper 1 is conducted for admission to Undergraduate Engineering Programs (B.E/B. Tech) at NITs, IIITs, other Centrally Funded Technical Institutions (CFTIs), Institutions/Universities funded/recognized by participating State Governments. It is also an eligibility test for JEE (Advanced), which is conducted for admission to IITs. Paper 2 is conducted for admission to B. Architecture and B. Planning courses.

 Eligibility

Based on the following parameters the candidates will be eligible for JEE Main.

·         Nationality: Candidates must be a citizen of India. Foreign nationals as well as NRIs, PIOs, OCIs can also apply. 

·         Age Criteria: For appearing in JEE Main, there is no age limit for the candidates.

·         Total Attempts: Students can avail a maximum of three consecutive attempts for JEE Main. The first attempt is taken soon after 12th board exams followed by the other attempts in consecutive years. The exam will be held 2 times in a year so the total attempts a candidate can appear for are 6.

 Qualifying Exam

·         The final examination of the 10+2 system, conducted by any recognized Central/State Board, such as Central Board of Secondary Education, New Delhi; Council for the Indian School Certificate Examinations, New Delhi; etc. 

·         Intermediate or two-year Pre-University examination conducted by a recognized Board/ University. 

·         Final examination of the two-year course of the Joint Services Wing of the National Defense Academy

·         Senior Secondary School Examination conducted by the National Institute of Open Schooling with a minimum of five subjects. 

·         Any Public School/ Board/ University examination in India or any foreign country recognized as equivalent to the 10+2 system by the Association of Indian Universities (AIU). 

·         Higher Secondary Certificate Vocational Examination.

·          A Diploma recognized by AICTE or a State board of technical education of at least 3 years duration.

·         General Certificate Education (GCE) examination (London/Cambridge/Sri Lanka) at the Advanced (A) level. 

·         High School Certificate Examination of the Cambridge University or International Baccalaureate Diploma of the International Baccalaureate Office, Geneva.

·          It is mandatory for all students appearing for JEE Main that they must have pursued at least 5 subjects with Physics and Maths as their core subjects in their qualifying examinations. Students who have studied less than 5 subjects in their qualifying exam are not eligible for JEE Main. Physics, Mathematics, Chemistry, Language and one more subject of choice is required as eligibility for JEE Main. 

·         I.e.,For B.E./ B.Tech, the subjects included are language, Physics, Mathematics, Chemistry / Biology / Biotechnology / Technical Vocational Subject, and any other subject. For B.Arch / B. Planning the subjects included are Language, Physics, Mathematics (mandatory), Chemistry / Biology / Biotechnology / Technical Vocational Subject, and any other subject.

Year of Passing the Qualifying Exam 

·         Students who have passed their 12th class examination or other equivalent qualifying examination in 2020 or 2021 are eligible for appearing in JEE Main 2022. Students currently appearing for their Class 12 examination or other equivalent qualifying examination in 2022 are also eligible.

·         Diploma Holders- If a candidate is a diploma holder, then he/she can apply in JEE Main exam. However, the rank and score obtained in the exam will not be considered for admission in NITs or CFTIs.

Marks Eligibility

·         For the candidates belonging to the general category – students must have secured a minimum of 75% marks in their class 12th board exams or they must rank among the top 20 percentile in their qualifying examination for getting admissions in IITs, NITs, IIITs and other CFTIs. 

·         For candidates belonging to a reserved category, a minimum of 65% marks is required for getting admissions in different undergraduate courses offered at IITs, NITs, IIITs and other CFTIs.

JEE Main Eligibility for Repeaters

NTA has removed the age limit. Before, candidates had to be less than the age of 24 years. 

·         The candidate must have passed the 12th class exam or any other equivalent exam in 2019 or 2020. z Candidates should have secured at least 75% marks in class 12th board exam.

·         Candidates must have 5 subjects in the qualifying exam with Physics and Mathematics as mandatory subjects.

 Latest Changes in JEE-Main

This year, NTA has introduced negative marking for section B also. Earlier, there was no negative marking in numerical type questions.

 NTA has increased JEE Main 2022 exam centres to 501 cities in India and 13 centres abroad. Applicants will be allowed to choose 4 exam centres while filling the application form of JEE Main 2022.

JEE ADVANCED

JEE Advanced (formerly known as IIT JEE) is the second phase of the JEE examination and is usually conducted after the JEE Main exam. It is an important test for engineering aspirants (especially for those who are seeking admission in premier engineering institutes such as IITs). JEE Advanced is a computer-based exam and is usually conducted by seven different Indian IITs (IIT Kharagpur, IIT Bombay, IIT Roorkee, IIT Madras, IIT Kanpur, IIT Delhi and IIT Guwahati) on a rotational basis.

The entrance exam consists of two papers – Paper 1 and Paper 2. It is also carried out in two stages (or ‘shifts’) that are held on the same day. It is mandatory for all the students to appear for both papers in order to be eligible for the merit list. Candidates are granted admissions to various undergraduate courses as well as master’s and dual degree programs offered by IITs based on marks scored or ranks secured in the JEE Advanced examination.

JEE-Advanced Eligibility

Nationality: Students who are citizen of India, PIO (Person of Indian Origin), OCI (Overseas Citizen of India) and foreign nationals are eligible to appear for JEE Advanced exam.

Age Criteria: Candidates who are born on or after the 1st of October 1997 are eligible. For applicants belonging to the reserved category, provided with a relaxation of 5 years. So, candidates should have been born on or after October 1, 1992.

Total Number of Attempts: Candidates can appear and write the exam twice for 2 consecutive years irrespective of whether or not he/she passed the qualifying exam.

JEE Advanced Eligibility on the Basis of Performance in JEE Mains

To be eligible for JEE Advanced, aspirants should rank within the top 2,50,000 (including all categories) successful candidates in JEE Main. The total number of candidates may also be greater than 2,50,000 in the presence of “tied” ranks/scores in any category. 

·         The applicants should have cleared class 12th board exams or any other equivalent exam in 2021. Applicants appearing for the 2022 board exams are also eligible. Candidates who had appeared in Class XII (or equivalent) examination, for the first time in 2020 or earlier, are NOT eligible to appear in JEE Advanced 2022. 

·         Students are eligible to appear for JEE Advanced if the results of their class 12th board exams or any other equivalent examination for the academic year 2021 were declared after June 2021. 

·         However, if the examination Board of Class XII (or equivalent) declared the results for the academic year 2019-20 on or after October 15, 2020, then the candidates of that board who appeared for their Class XII exam in 2020 are also eligible to appear in JEE (Advanced) 2022, provided they meet all the other eligibility criteria. In case the examination Board of Class XII (or equivalent) declared the results for the academic year 2019- 20 before October 15, 2020, but the result of a particular candidate was withheld, then the candidate will not be eligible to appear in JEE (Advanced) 2022. 

·         The students belonging to the general category must secure a minimum of 75% of marks and students belonging to SC, ST, PWD categories must secure a minimum of 65% of marks in their class 12th board examinations or they must be from the list of categories wise top 20 percentile in their respective class 12th equivalent board examinations.

TIPS

·         Know the syllabus for JEE Main Exam

 Familiarise yourself with the syllabus carefully as it plays a vital role in letting you know the important topics that carry maximum weightage. Once you are familiar with the syllabus, it will become much easier for you to understand how to prepare for JEE Main exam and plan your preparations further.

·         Make a realistic timetable and follow it rigorously

The first step to success is a well-structured plan. Creating a realistic timetable will help you decide when and how much you should study in a day. Once you are done with preparing your time table, make sure to stick to it. Divide the syllabus into equal sections and then prioritise the important topics. Besides, remember that studying in stretch can bring exhaustion. Hence, always take short breaks to refresh your mind.

NCERT is a must

While choosing the study material to prepare for the JEE Main exam, always start with the NCERT books as these include all the essential concepts and formulas. Not only this, 60- 70% of the questions in JEE Main exam are based on NCERT books. Learning NCERT books first will help you build a solid foundation of the theories and concepts.

·         Be aware of the exam pattern

Frequent alterations are made in the exam pattern by the NTA, including this academic year. Hence, it is essential to have knowledge of the changes and prepare accordingly.

·         Learn to manage your time effectively

While preparing for any competitive examination, you must maintain a balance between studies and other things. No matter how much effort you put in to prepare for the JEE exam, if you don’t know how to utilise your time effectively and wisely, you will never be able to complete your syllabus on time.

·         Solve previous year papers and mock tests

Solving previous exam papers enhances your speed and accuracy to solve time consuming questions. Besides, such test papers provide you with insights on what types of questions that might come in the exam, the difficulty level of those questions, and will boost your confidence.

Never hesitate to ask questions from your teachers or peers whenever you feel stuck at solving a problem and get your doubts cleared then and there. If you find anything complicated, ask again and again. Asking questions will help you widen your knowledge and solve similar complex problems.

Whenever you feel that you’ve come across a slump, never feel discouraged, instead, try to face the problem with confidence. Keeping yourself positive will not only help you in your JEE Main and JEE Advanced preparation but will also boost your confidence level.

These preparation strategies would help you prepare for the exam and clear it with flying colours. Wishing you oceans of good luck for the upcoming exams. As long as you do your best, you have nothing to worry about.

 (The author is Counseling Psychologist & Career Consultant. She can be reached at nidhiprasadcs@gmail.com)

Views expressed are personal