Even as the petition demanding the postponement of the Joint Entrance Exam Main (JEE Main) Session I is being heard by the Bombay High Court, coaching centres in the country are in a frenzy, trying to ensure that they complete the syllabus for the exam before it commences on January 25.
And completing the syllabus is all they can attempt to do in the time that is left, according to students and trainers at coaching centres. "Finishing the syllabus for two years in less than two months is simply not possible. Coaching centres are in crash course mode right now, just struggling to complete the syllabus. They are moving blindly and there is no time for revision," a JEE aspirant tells Edexlive.
In 2022, the first session of JEE Mains was conducted in June, and the second in July. This was a result of the disruption of the academic calendar due to the COVID-19 pandemic. In 2019, for instance, the exam was conducted in January, with the second session in April. This resembles the schedule for this year, with the National Testing Agency (NTA) attempting to get the academic calendar back on track.
However, the pandemic also impacted the final, crucial years of high school for the students now attempting JEE Mains, and their preparation for the exam. "The pandemic struck when we had just started Class XI. We suddenly shifted to the online mode of classes. I live in the outskirts of Jaipur and network connectivity was extremely poor where I live. These classes were disruptive and did not work for me at all. I did not have a proper device to take my classes on. My preparation was entirely online and in an environment simply not conducive to learning. A family member passed away due to COVID-19 and I struggled to concentrate for a long time. I thought I would take a drop and attempt the exam again this year, and be sincere in my preparation. But, with the counselling for JEE 2022 ending on October 16, we are falling short of time to prepare to the best of our abilities," Manu Sharma, a JEE aspirant from Rajasthan said.
Who else is under pressure?
Students are not the only ones under pressure due to the tight deadline. "The stress is extremely harsh, both for the students and the faculty. We are taking extra classes to try and finish the syllabus. The time crunch is impacting the mental health of the students as well, and that's not conducive to good preparation," said Rohini, a JEE trainer.
Manu, who cleared his Class XII in 2022, clears the 75% in Class XII eligibility criteria for NITs and IIITs that was re-introduced by the NTA this year. "I personally qualify because I scored about 80% in my Class XII. However, the criteria is unfair, at least for this year, because students suffered some drastic changes in education last year and the authorities have to take this into consideration as well," added Sharma, who aims to pursue his undergraduate studies in the Computer Science Engineering stream.
Yasasvi Santosh, Director of the Spark Academy echoes what other coaches for JEE have been saying about the 75% criteria. "It filters out the serious candidates. It is a good condition to have it in place in general, but students were severely impacted by the changes enforced by the pandemic. I know students who were nine pointers in their Class X, but scored below 75% in their Class XII because of pandemic-related factors. As a one-time relief, the NTA should remove the criteria for this year," Santosh said.
Time is running out
"Over the years, droppers have had at least six months to prepare for their second attempt. And now, I get less than three months, even I had started preparing in October. We technically have not even dropped a year. Almost 1.2 lakh students are dropping this year. And even Class XII students of 2023 are struggling because the dates are so close to their Board exams. These are genuine concerns. The authorities cannot make decisions pertaining to these exams, without considering the interests of the students who are going to be writing them. And that's why the registrations have also been low this time," said Subho Maji, a JEE aspirant from West Bengal, who says that connection issues have plagued his education as well in the last two years.
Subho shares that he was diagnosed with COVID in 2021, and it took him three months to fully recover. He cleared his Class XII with 76% in 2022 and was coaching online to prepare for the JEE exam last year. "I have friends in Kota and they are extremely disturbed because their preparation is also not up to the mark right now. I wanted to get into a good college. I think I deserve better," he added.
The second hearing in the case pending before the Bombay High Court regarding the demand for postponement of the JEE Mains exam is scheduled for tomorrow, January 10.
