Students from Karnataka aspiring to join Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs), National Institutes of Technology (NITs), International Institute of Information Technology (IIITs) and other centrally funded technical institutions are likely to miss the entrance tests, with the second Pre University (PU) practical exams scheduled in the same week, stated a report in The New Indian Express.

The National Testing Agency (NTA) has scheduled the Joint Entrance Examination (JEE Main) 2024 between January 24 and February 1, 2024. According to the timetable issued by the Department of School Education (PU), the practicals are scheduled from January 29 to February 10, 2024.

Students, parents and coaching class authorities have demanded that the education department push the practicals by a couple of days and avoid the overlap. They say the students will be under immense pressure if they have to prepare for both examinations simultaneously.

“Many PU students from the state will miss out on the JEE Main exams as the practicals are compulsory, and a student who misses practicals will be declared failed. On an average, 50-60 per cent of PU Science students appear for the JEE exams as they want to opt for those fields. However, the examination board is reluctant to change the dates, impacting the future of thousands of students,” said a parent in Bengaluru.

Usually, JEE Main exams are conducted during a certain period and students are allotted different dates to appear for the test. This leaves students unaware of the dates when their entrance exam might be held. The entrance exams are conducted in two sessions — January 2024 and April 2024 — giving students the chance to analyse their performance.

When The New Indian Express reached out to PU department officials, they gave an assurance that the situation would be considered and any change in schedule would be conveyed to students at the earliest.