Engineering entrance: Concerns raised about JEE Main model

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Representative image. Photo: Achira22/Shutterstock

Thiruvananthapuram: Concerns have been raised from many corners as the engineering entrance exam in the state would be held as a computer based test in the model of the Joint Entrance Exam Main, from next year onwards. Currently, questions from Maths, Physics and Chemistry are included in the 5:3:2 ratio in order to gauge the candidate’s knowledge in these subjects. Two exams of two and half hours each were conducted on two different days. However, recently, these exams were held in the morning and the afternoon sessions on the same day due to the pandemic protocols. Now, it will get shortened to a single test that is three hours long.

In the newly introduced system, there will only be 120 questions from Maths in the first paper and 72 questions in Physics and 48 questions Chemistry in the second paper. An expert committee, in 1998, had suggested this ratio that give prominence to Maths and less importance to Chemistry.

Meanwhile, in the JEE Main exam, all three subjects have equal importance. Now, the experts have to tell whether this proposed change would rightly evaluate the aptitude of the engineering students. Besides, in JEE, the marks scored by the candidates for higher secondary isn’t considered. But, this method was adopted in Kerala considering the state’s unique educational system. Experts are worried that Maths will lose its prominence when the criterion changes. However, some are of the opinion that it is alright to introduce the system that is followed for admission to the Indian Institute of Technology in Kerala too.

The government is expected to take the final decision in matters like this. Meanwhile, two exams of five hours getting shortened to a single exam of three hours is beneficial for the students. 

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