Joint Entrance Examination (IIT-JEE) ~ Engineering Entrance Guide

The Indian Institute of Technology Joint Entrance Examination (famously known as IIT-JEE or just JEE) is an annual engineering entrance examination in India. A total of fifteen colleges accept JEE as a sole criterion for admission to their undergraduate courses. The fifteen colleges include the seven old and eight new (2009) Indian Institutes of Technology, IT-BHU Varanasi, and ISMU Dhanbad.

Starting in 2007, newly established institutes such as Indian Institutes of Science Education and Research (IISERs) at Kolkata, Pune, Mohali, Bhopal & Thiruvananthapuram, Indian Institute of Space Science and Technology (IIST), Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala, Indian Institute of Maritime Studies, Mumbai and Rajiv Gandhi Institute of Petroleum Technology (RGIPT), Raebarely Uttar Pradesh are also admitting students through the JEE (Extended Merit List). For 2010, IIST has announced its own entrance exam.

Joint Entrance Examination is conducted by the several IITs by a policy of rotation. It is one of the most competitive engineering entrance exams in the world with a success rate of around 1 in 45. Candidates who qualify in the IIT-JEE can apply for admission to the B.Arch. (Bachelor of Architecture), B.Des. (Bachelor of Design), B.Tech. (Bachelor of Technology), Dual Degree (Integrated Bachelor of Technology and Master of Technology) and Integrated MSc (Master of Sciences) courses in the various institutes. Getting admission into an IIT is often considered as the pinnacle of success for a student of the sciences, and the IITs/IT-BHU/ISM attract most of the brightest minds of the nation.

History
The JEE has evolved significantly from its initial pattern around 45 years back. Earlier, there were 4 subjects in JEE, the English language paper being the extra subject. During the time 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 selecting only about 20,000 top candidates in screening. In 1997, the JEE was conducted twice after the question paper was leaked in some places.

In September 2005, an analysis group comprised of directors of all the IITs announced major changes in JEE, implemented from 2006 onwards. The new test consists of a single objective paper, 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 the different educational boards of India. Candidates from Scheduled Caste (SC), Scheduled Tribe (ST) and Physically Disabled (PD) categories must require a minimum of 55% in aggregate in the Qualifying Examination.

In 2008, the director and the dean of IIT Madras called for transforming JEE, saying that the coaching institutes were "enabling many among the less-than-best students to crack the test and keeping girls from qualifying." They expressed concern that the present system did not allow for the 12 years of schooling to have a bearing on selections into IITs

Every year IIT-JEE is conducted by any one of the old IITs in round robin fashion. In 2009, it was organized by IIT-Guwahati. The IIT-JEE 2010, is scheduled on April 11, 2010 and will be conducted by IIT Madras. The Result of the same is scheduled tentatively on May 26, 2010. This year IIT-M has introduced several mode application processes through online feature to promote online application process.

According to the data provided by the organizing committee of IIT-JEE, the children of medical professionals had the highest rate of success in the IIT-JEE (for the years 2006, 2007 and 2008). They were followed by the children of engineering professionals. The maximum number of students applying for IIT-JEE is the children of government employees, but they had a much lower success rate.

Current Examination Format
The present pattern that has been followed since 2006 consists of two objective type tests each containing maths, physics and chemistry sections. The syllabus of the examination is primarily based on topics covered by the CBSE Board Examination (AISSCE) and the ISC Board Examination. The pattern of questions in JEE is generally variable so as to minimize the chance of students getting selected by cramming up the probable questions. As it is objective type questions, Optical mark recognition answer sheets has been in use since 2006. In previous years, there were tests for maths, physics and chemistry, each of two hours' duration, which contained both subjective and objective Questions. The current pattern is adopted so as to reduce the stress to students.

Given the importance attached to the JEE by students all across India, the IITs follow a rigorous procedure when organizing the exam every year. The exam is set by the JEE Committee (comprising of a group of faculty members drawn from the admitting colleges) under the tightest security. Multiple sets of question papers are designed and the set which 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.

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