IITs considering going back to single entrance test format

Say the two-tier format 'cumbersome' and 'time consuming'

IITs are considering going back to the old system of a single entrance test for selecting candidates as the existing two-tier format is "cumbersome" and "time consuming".

The JEE Apex Board at a meeting last Sunday decided to set up a committee to consider the proposal before it is placed in the IIT senate.

The development was confirmed by IIT Bombay director Devang Khakhar.

The proposal for going back to the old format was considered, taking into account the fact that it would help IITs hold more counselling rounds. The institutes this year could only hold three rounds due to time constraints, said an IIT professor.

The process of holding the two-tier entrance test also proved cumbersome and time consuming, involving a lot of resources in the process, he said.

The two-tier format was introduced in 2012 by the then HRD Minister Kapil Sibal under an initiative to overhaul the examination system.

The system was introduced as part of a proposal to conduct a single entrance test for admission to IITs, NITs and other centrally funded technical institutes.

The move had met with stiff resistance by a section of IITs, led by IIT-Kanpur but they had to eventually acceded to the new system.

Under the two-tier format, the first stage is JEE Mains and the second stage JEE Advance. JEE Mains basically acts as a filter and those who clear it appear for the JEE Advance test for admission to IITs.

The JEE Main acts as a gateway for those aspiring for a seat in NITs.

Now, with the fresh proposal for going back to the old format, students would only have to sit for a single test for admission to the IITs.

The development comes against the backdrop of NITs deciding to break away from the new system implemented in 2012. Now, admission to NITs would be entirely based on JEE Main scores as a government-appointed panel has recommend scrapping of the weightage given to marks obtained in board examinations.