The Joint Admission Board’s (JAB) “U-turn” on the number of attempts for the Joint Entrance Exam (JEE) Advanced was a shocker to many students, especially considering the fact that the increase in the number of attempts and its reversal happened in the span of two weeks.
To add context, the JAB on November 5 announced that aspirants could now appear for the JEE three times. However, 13 days later, the exam authority on November 18 announced that it would be retracting its decision.
While this development may act as an impediment to students’ dreams of studying at Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs), some experts see it as a move that does more good to them in the long run.
For example, MN Rao, a senior Math teacher for JEE, believes that a lesser number of attempts might curb the craze for IITs among students.
“Students are willing to play the long game to get into IITs and appear for JEE as many times as it is permissible,” he says, adding that at least 10 per cent of JEE aspirants are fixated on IITs as their target.
Due to this, they are overlooking other reputed institutions, such as the National Institutes of Technology (NITs) and private colleges.
“These aspirants would rather drop out a year and give another attempt if they don’t get into IITs, even if their scores would help them get admission in any one of the top NITs,” he says.
Rao says that as a teacher, he devotes a considerable amount of time to helping students understand that IITs are not their only option. “They are too enamoured by the brand image of IITs, which is mostly exaggerated by corporate schools and coaching centres,” he laments.
Students naturally shocked, experts argued
However, some experts also argue that the suddenness of the announcement, and a reversal of a welcome decision, is a valid reason for students’ bewilderment.
“Students are really shocked… After they saw the notification about the increase in the number of attempts, a lot of them dropped out of college to start preparing for JEE again. Now, their hopes have been shattered,” says Purnima Lodha Kaul, JEE Mentor & Founder of JEE One.
She adds that the students were given a ray of hope, and had it snatched away with the same speed. “As a teacher, even I feel bad, as this is tragic news for a lot of students,” she says.
However, she says that she understands the rationale behind the announcement, as the National Testing Agency Review Committee recently recommended that the number of attempts in entrance exams must be kept at a bare minimum of two.
